A look at 11 seasons of MotoGP from 2002 to 2012 – MotoGP Special – Part 2
2007
2007 was the sixth MotoGP season and 59th Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (F.I.M) Road Racing World Championship season. New rules were put into practice which allowed competitors to use up to 880 cc bikes instead of the 990 cc bikes. The reduced
power helped, which resulted in lighter weights allowed riders to carry more speed through turns.
Ducati got their first constructors’ title in the 2007 MotoGP season. Casey Stoner, the Ducati rider, posted 10 victories and clinched his first World Champion title. Honda rider Dani Pedrosa was Stoner’s closest competitor with a gigantic difference of
125 championship points. Valentino Rossi, missed out on a MotoGP title for the second consecutive time, finishing 3rd on final riders’ standings.
2008
The competition was between Ducati rider Casey Stoner and Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi. At the end of the first half of the season, 25 championship points put Rossi ahead of Stoner each having posted three wins in the first half. In the second half of the
season, five consecutive Grand Prix victories between United States Grand Prix and Japanese Grand Prix put Rossi into a 92 points lead over Stoner which of course the Australian could not recover.
Rossi claimed his 5th successive MotoGP title. The 2008 MotoGP season was highlighted by the Laguna Seca crash that took place between Rossi and Stoner in the 2008 US Grand Prix. The crash started a rivalry between Rossi and Stoner which still goes on even
after Stoner’s retirement.
2009
Casey Stoner started the season with a victory in the Qatar Grand Prix and did quite well until the German Grand Prix. Stoner was only 28 points behind Valentino Rossi after the 2009 German Grand Prix. Out of the next four rounds, Stoner missed out on three
races whereas Rossi claimed another 61 championship points. That was about it for Stoner’s championship dreams.
Rossi won his 6th championship title and his new teammate Jorge Lorenzo finished behind him. Dani Pedrosa finished 3rd in the final rundown.
2010
Jorge Lorenzo got his first MotoGP Champion crown in 2010. Lorenzo finished the season with 383 points, a record points total in any MotoGP season. Dani Pedrosa followed Lorenzo with a large difference of 138 points.
A broken leg at Mugello forced the defending champion Valentino Rossi to miss four consecutive rounds. He missed the Italian, British, Dutch and Catalan Grand Prix finishing his worst MotoGP season 3rd on the final grid and only 2 season victories.
2011
Winning 10 out of 17 rounds, Casey Stoner claimed his second MotoGP title. The defending champion Jorge Lorenzo finished behind Stoner while Andrea Dovizioso followed Lorenzo.
Malaysian Grand Prix was cancelled due to fatal injuries suffered by Marco Simoncelli. Valentino Rossi finished his career worst season following his move from Yamaha to Ducati and could not win even a single Grand Prix round that season.
2012
In the most recent MotoGP season, Jorge Lorenzo claimed his second world champion title. Lorenzo posted 16 podiums and 6 Grand Prix victories, ending the season with 350 points. Dani Pedrosa followed closely finishing the season only 18 points behind Lorenzo.
Pedrosa won 7 season Grand Prix. Casey Stoner, the defending MotoGP champions dropped to 3rd position in the final rundown with 5 season wins.
All 18 season victories were shared by top three riders, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner.
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