Styrian GP set to be 900th premier class race

It’s been over 7 decades already since MotoGP enthralled the audiences the world over. The first race was held in 1949 at the Isle of Man TT, one of the most barbaric road circuits the world has ever seen. The first premier class race was contested on 500cc race bikes, with Harold Daniell being the first winner on its factory Norton.

Since then, the premier class has moved to various locations across the map on litre-class race machines. Austria will witness a milestone in motorcycle racing history this Sunday. It has been part of the MotoGP calendar since 1971, when Giacomo Agostini won the first race in the country at the Salzburg Ring. The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg has now replaced the latter, and also plays host to Formula 1, DTM Racing and other motorsport events since Red Bull took ownership in 2011.

The premier class has seen 111 different winners in its duration, with Valentino Rossi leading the charge with 89 victories, followed by 15-time world champ Giacomo at 68 and current defending champion Marc Marquez at 56. As for podium finishes, 269 riders are led again by the Doctor who has bagged 199 podiums in his MotoGP career. He is followed by his ex-teammate Jorge Lorenzo with 114 podium finishes and Dani Pedrosa in third with 112.

As for constructors, Honda is the leader, with 309 wins since 1949, followed by Yamaha who currently have 231 victories in the premier class.

Interestingly, Valentino has participated in almost 40 percent of all races ever held in this class. Will he be able to put up a fight this weekend? Tune in to Eurosport India at 5:30pm this Sunday to find out.