The 10 riders with the most races in 500cc / MotoGP
In 26 years in the World Championship, 22 of which in the premier class, Valentino Rossi has only missed seven races due to injury. Until 2021, the Pesaro-born was the only rider to have taken part in every season since the switch to MotoGP four-stroke engines was made. Adding his two years in 500cc, the total number of starts for the “Doctor” is 372 races.
The nine-time world champion’s record for the most 500cc / MotoGP races is unlikely to be broken in the medium term. At the moment, in second position is Alex Barros, trailing by over 100 GPs, although Andrea Dovizioso will be able to overtake him in 2022, given that there are only 11 starts to separate them.
The top 10 includes four Spanish drivers. The first of them is Dani Pedrosa with 218 races under his belt. The # 26 broke the bond with the unforgettable Nicky Hayden thanks to the wild card he played with KTM in Austria in 2021 and is now fourth.
Continuing to scroll through the rankings, we find only one other active driver and it is Aleix Espargaro, eighth. The Catalan, who is already the driver with the most races to his credit without a win, has disputed 197 GPs and next year will be able to overtake both Jorge Lorenzo (203, seventh) and Loris Capirossi (215, sixth).
To complete the top 10 we find two other veterans who have long since retired: Colin Edwards and Carlos Checa, who are just below the 200 races disputed (196 and 195 respectively).
The other active drivers are much more distant: Marc Marquez is at 142, Pol Espargaro at 135 and Maverick Vinales at 120.
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