Losail, the desert circuit

Did you know?

- The Qatar race is the only race held at night, a practice that has been in effect since 2008. The inaugural night race was the first time in history that a world championship motorsport competition was held at an artificially lit circuit. Before that, individual bikes provided their own illumination with headlights.

 

- Stoner and Ducati were the first to win a MotoGP night race, with Lorenzo placing second in the same race.

 

- The area illuminated at Losail is equivalent to that of 70 football fields. It is the largest illuminated permanent sports facility in the world.

 

- This will be the first year that rain will not prevent the race from being held, thus avoiding situations like that of 2009 when, in an unprecedented decision, the race was postponed to Monday. Stoner was the winner of that GP, making Ducati the first bike ever to win on a weekday.

 

- This will be the eleventh time Qatar will start the season, making it the circuit that has held the opening round the highest number of times.

 

- Ducati has won the first race of the season four times, Capirossi the first rider in 2006. At that time, the Championship began at the Jerez circuit in Spain. From the following year until today, it has always started in Qatar, where Ducati has celebrated three victories.

 

- Jorge Lorenzo is the rider who has stepped onto the Qatar podium the most times, with 11 wins in 13 GPs. From 2004 to 2013 he has always managed to get onto the podium, a feat that he also repeated last year.

 

- Lorenzo is also the rider with the most victories in Qatar with a total of 6, and the only rider who has achieved wins in three classes (2004 in 125cc, 2006 and 2007 in 250cc and 2012, 2013 and 2016 in MotoGP).

 

- Lorenzo took pole position in the 2008 Qatar Grand Prix. It was his first appearance in the top category and the only time a rookie rider has managed to take the pole since MotoGP was introduced.

 

- Stoner achieved his first MotoGP victory in the 2007 Qatar Grand Prix in what was his first race with the Ducati. In total, the Australian has scored four wins in MotoGP in Qatar. No other rider has more victories in the premier category here. Stoner also grabbed his first pole position in Qatar, which was his second race in the category.

 

- Dovizioso has finished second in the last two editions of the Qatar Grand Prix.

 

- Iannone on the Ducati achieved his first MotoGP podium in Qatar in 2015. It was his first race on the Italian factory bike.

 

- The Ducati has held the top speed in the Qatar race seven times. Last year, Dovizioso recorded a speed of 349.80 km/h, followed by Iannone at 348.30 km/h, 5 km/h faster than Rossi’s Yamaha, and no less than 7 km/h over Márquez’s Honda. The maximum speed for the weekend was Iannone at 351.2 km/h.

 

- Barberá on the satellite Ducati, in 2010, 2011 and 2012; Melandri in 2008; Barros in 2007 and Checa in 2005 were the other 6 times in which a Ducati was the fastest bike on the desert track.