The MotoGP World Championship returns to Italy this weekend for the thirteenth round of the season at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Let’s have a look at ten key facts about the race:
– The Misano circuit was renamed Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in 2012.
– Since 2007 Misano has been the venue for the San Marino Grand Prix and it has a contract with MotoGP until 2021.
– The fastest race lap was set last year by Andrea Dovizioso in a time of 1’32.678 (164.1 km/h).
– The top speed at Misano also belongs to Dovizioso: 299.5 km/h (2015).
– Ducati’s first win at Misano was in 2007, with Casey Stoner. The Australian started from pole position, set the fastest lap and led the race from the first corner until the chequered flag.
– The first time two Ducatis scored podium finishes at Misano was in 2017, and the riders were Danilo Petrucci (2nd) of the Pramac Racing Team and Andrea Dovizioso (3rd), the factory rider of the Ducati Team.
– The first and only victory in MotoGP by Dovizioso at this circuit was obtained last year, when despite starting from fourth place on the grid, he took the lead after lap 6 and crossed the line with an advantage of more than two seconds over Márquez.
– Andrea comes from the town of Forlí, which is just 65 km from the circuit of Misano, and this GP is the closest one to his home.
– Dovizioso scored his first win in circuit racing precisely at this track, during an Italian Championship race in 2000.
– The San Marino GP clearly does not take place within the territory of the tiny independent republic, but on Italian soil, because the circuit is about 20 km away from the country that gives its name to the race. The Republic of San Marino is actually the oldest sovereign state in the world and the fifth smallest, with a population of about 33,000 inhabitants in a territory of 61 sq km.
