2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M Road Racing World Championship season. The 2007 season was significant as it introduced a new regulation which specifies that competitors in the MotoGP class can use up to 800 cc motorcycles; between 2002 and 2006, competitors had been allowed to use 990 cc motorcycles. While the 800cc motorcycles have less power than their 990cc counterparts, their ability to brake later and carry more speed through turns due to their lighter weight allowed them to break lap records in pre-season testing.[1]
Casey Stoner won the MotoGP title, winning 10 of the 18 races to finish with a lead of 125 points over second placed Dani Pedrosa. Jorge Lorenzo won his second 250cc title, and Gábor Talmácsi won the 125cc title.
Stoner had a massive breakthrough season on the Ducati, the team winning its first world title on the Grand Prix scene. It was also the first time since 1973 that the premiere category had not been won by a Japanese constructor. The new 800 cc Ducati engine had a significant advantage over the other manufacturers in straightline speed but was tricky to ride through corners for Stoner's experienced team mate Loris Capirossi. Stoner was in strong contention early on but Valentino Rossi was very close for a long period of the season, before Stoner started to pull away at mid-season and sealed his title with several races to go, with Rossi's title challenge fading.
Up to the end of 2006, speculation suggested that Honda would have the advantage of the new 800cc engines, as they could modify their existing engines easier than other manufacturers. In practice, Honda suffered the most from the regulation change, with only Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri making any impression on the leaders. Stoner scored a string of wins for Ducati, Suzuki saw Chris Vermeulen take their first win since the advent of four-stroke regulations and John Hopkins posted his first podium finish. The Kawasaki team also made progress with improved results.
In addition to the capacity reduction, MotoGP teams were also restricted to 31 tires per race weekend per rider. This change seemed to have favored the Bridgestone's wider performance range over the more temperature- and track-specific Michelins.[2] Pressure from top riders and declining viewership led Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta to propose a single-tire manufacturer for MotoGP.[3] In the end, rules were amended to allow 9 more tires per weekend per rider, and Valentino Rossi switched to Bridgestone for the 2008 season while his FIAT Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo used Michelins.
2007 Grand Prix season calendar
Season standings
Scoring system
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. Rider has to finish the race to earn points.
Position |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
6th |
7th |
8th |
9th |
10th |
11th |
12th |
13th |
14th |
15th |
Points |
25 |
20 |
16 |
13 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Riders' standings
- Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year awards.
MotoGP
|
Colour | Result |
Gold | Winner |
Silver | 2nd place |
Bronze | 3rd place |
Green | Points finish |
Blue | Non-points finish |
Non-classified finish (NC) |
Purple | Retired (Ret) |
Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
White | Did not start (DNS) |
Withdrew (WD) |
Race cancelled (C) |
Blank |
Did not participate (DNP) |
Excluded (EX) |
Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap |
250cc
|
Colour | Result |
Gold | Winner |
Silver | 2nd place |
Bronze | 3rd place |
Green | Points finish |
Blue | Non-points finish |
Non-classified finish (NC) |
Purple | Retired (Ret) |
Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
White | Did not start (DNS) |
Withdrew (WD) |
Race cancelled (C) |
Blank |
Did not participate (DNP) |
Excluded (EX) |
Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap |
125cc
|
Colour | Result |
Gold | Winner |
Silver | 2nd place |
Bronze | 3rd place |
Green | Points finish |
Blue | Non-points finish |
Non-classified finish (NC) |
Purple | Retired (Ret) |
Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) |
Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
White | Did not start (DNS) |
Withdrew (WD) |
Race cancelled (C) |
Blank |
Did not participate (DNP) |
Excluded (EX) |
Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap |
Manufacturers' standings
Points gained by MotoGP manufacturers in the season
- Each manufacturer got the same amount of points as their best placed rider in each Grand Prix.
MotoGP
250cc
125cc
Participants
MotoGP participants
|
Key |
Regular Rider |
Wildcard Rider |
Replacement Rider |
|
† Ilmor withdrew before Spanish race.
Mid-season changes
- On 15 March 2007, Mario Illien of Ilmor announced that the team would be taking a break from the Moto GP series as a result of funding issues.[4]
- During practice for the Chinese GP, Olivier Jacque injured his arm in a practice crash and withdrew from the event. He missed his home race, at Le Mans, and was replaced by Fonsi Nieto.[5][6]
- Team Roberts announced that they would expand to a second bike from the Mugello race onwards, which will be ridden by Kurtis Roberts.[7]
- Kenny Roberts, Jr. withdrew from the series in June. In those rounds the sole KR212V was ridden by his brother Kurtis.[8]
- On 21 June, it was announced that Anthony West would be replacing Olivier Jacque at Kawasaki for the remainder of the season.[9]
- During practice for the Dutch TT, Toni Elías broke his left femur.[10] He was replaced by Michel Fabrizio at the German Grand Prix and Miguel Duhamel at the United States Grand Prix.[11]
- During the first practice session at the US GP, Alex Hofmann broke a bone and sustained a soft tissue injury in his left hand in a collision with Sylvain Guintoli and he was unable to compete during the remainder of the weekend. Chaz Davies was invited to take his ride for the remainder of the weekend despite having no experience on any MotoGP bike or Bridgestone tyres. Hofmann was also sidelined from Czech GP, where Iván Silva replaced him.
- Shinichi Itoh rode as a replacement rider on a Pramac d'Antin Ducati after Alex Hofmann was released from the team following the Portuguese Grand Prix.
250cc participants
No |
Rider |
Team |
Constructor |
Rounds |
Tyre |
1 |
Jorge Lorenzo |
Fortuna Aprilia |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
3 |
Alex de Angelis |
Master MVA Aspar Team |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
4 |
Hiroshi Aoyama |
Red Bull KTM |
KTM |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
6 |
Alex Debón |
Aprilia Racing |
Aprilia |
2, 7, 12, 18 |
D |
7 |
Efrén Vázquez |
Blusens Aprilia Germany |
Aprilia |
8-10, 12-18 |
D |
8 |
Ratthapark Wilairot |
Thai Honda PTT-SAG |
Honda |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
9 |
Arturo Tizón |
Blusens Aprilia Germany |
Aprilia |
1-6 |
D |
10 |
Imre Tóth |
Team Toth Aprilia |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
12 |
Thomas Lüthi |
Emmi Caffe Latte |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
14 |
Anthony West |
Team Sicilia |
Aprilia |
1-7 |
D |
15 |
Roberto Locatelli |
Squadra Corse Metis Gilera |
Gilera |
1-2, 5-10, 12-18 |
D |
16 |
Jules Cluzel |
Angaia Racing |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
17 |
Karel Abraham |
Cardion AB Motoracing |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
18 |
Joshua Sommer |
Motorcycle Comp Service |
Honda |
10, 12-18 |
D |
19 |
Álvaro Bautista |
Master MVA Aspar Team |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
20 |
Takumi Takahashi |
Burning Blood Racing |
Honda |
15 |
D |
21 |
Federico Sandi |
Team Sicilia |
Aprilia |
16-18 |
D |
25 |
Alex Baldolini |
Kiefer-Bos-Sotin Racing |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
28 |
Dirk Heidolf |
Kiefer-Bos-Sotin Racing |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
31 |
Álvaro Molina |
Andalucia GFC MAS |
Aprilia |
2, 7, 10, 14, 18 |
D |
32 |
Fabrizio Lai |
Campetella Racing |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
34 |
Andrea Dovizioso |
Humangest Racing |
Honda |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
35 |
Doni Tata Pradita |
Yamaha Indonesia Pertamina RT |
Yamaha |
17 |
D |
36 |
Mika Kallio |
Red Bull KTM |
KTM |
1-10, 12,18 |
D |
38 |
Thomas Walther |
AMC Schleizer Dreieck ADAC |
Honda |
10 |
D |
41 |
Aleix Espargaró |
Blusens Aprilia |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
44/11 |
Taro Sekiguchi |
Campetella Racing |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12, 16-18 |
D |
45 |
Dan Linfoot |
Team Sicilia |
Aprilia |
8-10, 12-15 |
D |
49 |
Erwin Postmus |
Postmus Racing |
Yamaha |
|
D |
50 |
Eugene Laverty |
Honda LCR |
Honda |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
53 |
Santiago Barragán |
Team Extremadura |
Honda |
2, 7, 14, 18 |
D |
55 |
Yuki Takahashi |
Humangest Racing Team |
Honda |
1-4, 6-10, 12,18 |
D |
58 |
Marco Simoncelli |
Squadra Corse Metis Gilera |
Gilera |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
60 |
Julián Simón |
Repsol Honda Team |
Honda |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
62 |
Shi Zhao Huang |
Yes! Yamaha Tianjian |
Yamaha |
4 |
D |
63 |
Xiao Jin |
Yes! Yamaha Tianjian |
Yamaha |
4 |
D |
64 |
Omar Menghi |
VET Racing |
Aprilia |
6, 13 |
D |
65 |
Thomas Tallevi |
History Racing TZ Club Italia |
Yamaha |
6 |
D |
68 |
Randy Gevers |
De Arend Racing |
Aprilia |
9 |
D |
69 |
Ronald Beitler |
Maro Racing |
Honda |
9 |
D |
70 |
Mike Velthuijzen |
MRTT Hagen Racing |
Honda |
9 |
D |
72 |
Hans Smees |
Jaap Kingma |
Aprilia |
9 |
D |
73 |
Shuhei Aoyama |
Repsol Honda Team |
Honda |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
75 |
Youichi Ui |
Malossi & Spruce & Pro-Tec |
Yamaha |
15 |
D |
76 |
Seijin Oikawa |
Will Access With Plus Myu |
Yamaha |
15 |
D |
77 |
Yuki Hamamoto |
TEC-2 & Kyushukyoritsu Univ. |
Yamaha |
15 |
D |
80 |
Héctor Barberá |
Team Toth |
Aprilia |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
81 |
Toby Markham |
BM Groundworks |
Yamaha |
8 |
D |
82 |
Andrew Sawford |
St Neot's Motorcycle Co |
Yamaha |
8 |
D |
83 |
Alex Kenchington |
Dennis Trollope Racing |
Yamaha |
8 |
D |
84 |
Luke Lawrence |
TNT Express Team Fila |
Honda |
8 |
D |
Team McDonalds |
Aprilia |
14 |
D |
87 |
Jiri Mayer |
Klub Racing Team Mayer |
Honda |
12 |
D |
88 |
Zhu Wang |
Zongshen Team Of China |
Aprilia |
12, 14 |
D |
89 |
Chow Ho-Wan |
Zongshen Team Of China |
Aprilia |
12, 14, 16 |
D |
|
Key |
Regular Rider |
Wildcard Rider |
Replacement Rider |
|
Mid-season changes
- Roberto Locatelli was seriously injured in a practise session crash at the Spanish GP weekend. Gilera didn't replace him and Locatelli returned to the series in the French GP.[12]
- As a result of a crash in qualifying in China, Yuki Takahashi broke his left arm and missed the French GP, which he won in 2006. He was not replaced for the event.[13]
- Starting from the French GP, Humangest Racing was officially called Kopron Team Scot.
- Following Anthony West's step up to the Moto GP class with Kawasaki, Dan Linfoot was signed to replace him from the Donington Park round. Also, Arturo Tizón was sacked by his team and replaced by Efrén Vázquez.[14]
- Federico Sandi replaced Dan Linfoot from Australian GP onwards.
- Taro Sekiguchi missed couple of rounds after being injured in Czech Republic Grand Prix. Having had lots of injuries during last couple of seasons, he decided to change his race number in his return, in the Australian Grand Prix.
125cc participants
No |
Rider |
Team |
Constructor |
Chassis |
Rounds |
Tyre |
6 |
Joan Olivé |
Polaris World |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
7 |
Alexis Masbou |
FFM Honda GP 125 |
Honda |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
8 |
Lorenzo Zanetti |
Team Sicilia |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
11 |
Sandro Cortese |
Emmi Caffe Latte |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
12 |
Esteve Rabat |
Repsol Honda |
Honda |
TBA |
1-5, 7-10, 11-18 |
D |
13 |
Dino Lombardi |
Scot Racing Team |
Honda |
TBA |
2-6, 10, 12-18 |
D |
14 |
Gábor Talmácsi |
Bancaja Aspar |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
15 |
Federico Sandi |
Skilled ISPA Racing Team |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-15 |
D |
17 |
Stefan Bradl |
Blusens Aprilia |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
7, 9-10, 13-18 |
D |
18 |
Nicolás Terol |
Valsir Seedorf Derbi |
Derbi |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
20 |
Roberto Tamburini |
Team Sicilia |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
22 |
Pablo Nieto |
Blusens Aprilia |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
24 |
Simone Corsi |
Skilled ISPA Racing Team |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
27 |
Stefano Bianco |
WTR Blauer USA |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
1-6, 8-10, 12-15, 17-18 |
D |
29 |
Andrea Iannone |
WTR Blauer USA |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
30 |
Pere Tutusaus |
FMCV Team Machado |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
2, 7, 14, 18 |
D |
31 |
Enrique Jerez |
Scot Racing Team |
Honda |
TBA |
8-9 |
D |
33 |
Sergio Gadea |
Bancaja Aspar |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
34 |
Randy Krummenacher |
Red Bull KTM |
KTM |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
35 |
Raffaele De Rosa |
Multimedia Racing |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
36 |
Cyril Carrillo |
FFM Honda GP 125 |
Honda |
TBA |
17 |
D |
37 |
Joey Litjens |
Arie Molenaar Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
1-10, 12-14, 16-18 |
D |
38 |
Bradley Smith |
Repsol Honda |
Honda |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
39 |
Nikolett Kovács |
Cemelog-Hanusch |
Honda |
TBA |
3 |
D |
40 |
Alen Győrfi |
Superbike Gyorsasagi MSE |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
3, 18 |
D |
41 |
Tobias Siegert |
ADAC Nordbayern EV |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
3, 6 |
D |
42 |
Simone Sancioni |
RCGM Team |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
6, 13 |
D |
44 |
Pol Espargaró |
Belson Campetella Racing |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
45 |
Valentin Debise |
Équipe de France Espoir |
Honda |
TBA |
5 |
D |
46 |
Romain Maitre |
TVX Racing - TJP |
Honda |
TBA |
5 |
D |
47 |
Steven Le Coquen |
Villiers Team Competition |
Honda |
TBA |
5 |
D |
48 |
Julien Cartron |
Villiers Team Competition |
Honda |
TBA |
5 |
D |
49 |
Gwen Le Badezet |
Bretagne Organisation Sport |
Honda |
TBA |
5 |
D |
51 |
Stevie Bonsey |
Red Bull KTM |
KTM |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
52 |
Lukáš Pešek |
Valsir Seedorf Derbi |
Derbi |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
53 |
Simone Grotzkyj |
Multimedia Racing |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-8, 10, 12-18 |
D |
54 |
Kev Coghlan |
Scot Racing Team |
Honda |
TBA |
3 |
D |
IKI Racing |
8 |
55 |
Héctor Faubel |
Bancaja Aspar |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
56 |
Hugo van den Berg |
Blusens Aprilia |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-13 |
D |
57 |
Yuuichi Yanagisawa |
Metallico 18 Garage |
Honda |
TBA |
15 |
D |
58 |
Shoya Tomizawa |
Project Muy FRS |
Honda |
TBA |
15 |
D |
59 |
Iori Namihira |
Honda Suzuka Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
15 |
D |
60 |
Michael Ranseder |
Ajo Motorsport |
Derbi |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
61 |
Ivo Relvas |
SGM Racing |
Aprilia |
TBA |
14 |
D |
62 |
Louis Rossi |
FFM Honda GP 125 |
Honda |
TBA |
14 |
D |
63 |
Mike Di Meglio |
Scot Racing Team |
Honda |
TBA |
1-2, 4-10, 12-18 |
D |
64 |
Georg Fröhlich |
Abbink Bos Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
10 |
B |
65 |
Eric Hübsch |
Sachsenring Motorrad Unger |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
10 |
D |
66 |
Patrick Unger |
Sachsenring Motorrad Unger |
Aprilia |
RS125 |
10 |
D |
67 |
Sebastian Eckner |
Adac Sachsen Junior Team |
Honda |
TBA |
10 |
D |
68 |
Glenn Scott |
WTR Blauer USA |
Aprilia |
TBA |
16 |
D |
69 |
Nayuta Mizuno |
TEC-2 & Ogiya |
Yamaha |
TBA |
15 |
D |
70 |
Blake Leigh-Smith |
Leigh-Smith Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
16 |
D |
71 |
Tomoyoshi Koyama |
Red Bull KTM |
KTM |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
72 |
Patrick vd Waarsenburg |
Lemstra Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
9 |
D |
73 |
Jackson Leigh-Smith |
Leigh-Smith Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
16 |
D |
74 |
Kazuma Watanabe |
Dydo Miu Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
15 |
D |
75 |
Mattia Pasini |
Polaris World |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
76 |
Stefano Musco |
Scot Racing Team |
Honda |
TBA |
|
D |
76 |
Iván Maestro |
Matteoni Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
2, 7 |
D |
Ascat. Madrid Team |
18 |
77 |
Dominique Aegerter |
Multimedia Racing |
Aprilia |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
78 |
Daniel Sáez |
Quinto Almoradi |
Aprilia |
TBA |
2, 18 |
D |
79 |
Ferruccio Lamborghini |
Junior GP Racing Team |
Aprilia |
TBA |
13 |
D |
Skilled ISPA Racing Team |
16-18 |
80 |
Federico Biaggi |
Friba |
Friba |
TBA |
13 |
D |
81 |
Tom Hayward |
KRP |
Honda |
TBA |
8 |
D |
82 |
Luke Jones |
SP12/KGD Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
8 |
D |
83 |
Nikki Coates |
KRP |
Honda |
TBA |
8 |
D |
84 |
Robbie Stewart |
KRP |
Honda |
TBA |
8 |
D |
85 |
Philipp Eitzinger |
Wintex Racing Austria |
Honda |
TBA |
7, 9 |
D |
86 |
Ricard Cardús |
Racc Aprilia |
Aprilia |
TBA |
12, 14 |
D |
87 |
Roberto Lacalendola |
MC Terzo Bandini |
Aprilia |
TBA |
6 |
D |
Ellegi Racing |
13 |
88 |
Ferry Stoffer |
Motorsportklazienaveen |
Honda |
TBA |
9 |
D |
89 |
Jasper Iwema |
Abbink Bos Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
9 |
D |
90 |
Roy Pouw |
Cool Rental Racing TH |
Aprilia |
TBA |
9 |
D |
91 |
Karel Majek |
FGR 07 Team |
FGR |
TBA |
12 |
D |
92 |
Karel Pešek |
Intermoto Czech |
Aprilia |
TBA |
12 |
D |
93 |
Michal Prášek |
Rohac & Fetja |
Honda |
TBA |
12 |
D |
94 |
Toni Wirsing |
Honda Schumann Reisen |
Honda |
TBA |
12 |
D |
95 |
Robert Mureșan |
Ajo Motorsport |
Derbi |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
96 |
Rhys Moller |
Rhys Moller Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
16 |
D |
98 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
Red Bull MotoGP Academy |
Honda |
TBA |
18 |
D |
99 |
Danny Webb |
Arie Molenaar Racing |
Honda |
TBA |
1-10, 12-18 |
D |
|
Key |
Regular Rider |
Wildcard Rider |
Replacement Rider |
|
Mid-season changes
- Fontana Racing was called Skilled Racing Team before the season started following the withdrawal of their sponsor ISPA for Team Sicilia.
- Stefano Musco missed the Qatar & Spanish GPs through injury and was replaced by Dino Lombardi. Later Lombardi replaced Musco on regular basis.
- Mike Di Meglio sustained a broken collarbone in a crash in qualifying for the Spanish GP and was told by doctors to allow more time to recover. He was replaced at the Turkish GP by Kev Coghlan, who had been originally on the 250cc entry list prior to the withdrawal of his team, Winona Racing.[15]
- Starting from the French GP, Scot Racing Team was officially called Kopron Team Scot.
- At the British GP, Enrique Jerez replaced Dino Lombardi.
- From Portuguese GP onwards, Stefan Bradl replaced Hugo van den Berg on regular basis.
- Following Federico Sandi's move to 250cc class, Ferruccio Lamborghini replaced him in Skilled Racing Team, starting from Australian Grand Prix.
- Glenn Scott replaced Stefano Bianco in Australian Grand Prix.
References