2016 MotoGP season

2016 F.I.M. Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
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2016 Moto2 season 2016 Moto3 season

The 2016 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season is the 68th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.

Jorge Lorenzo will start the season as the defending World Champion, having secured his fifth overall Championship title at the 2015 Valencian Community Grand Prix.

Calendar

The following Grands Prix are officially scheduled to take place in 2016.^[1]

Round	Date	Grand Prix	Circuit
1	20 March	Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar	Losail International Circuit, Doha
2	3 April	Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina	Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Santiago del Estero
3	10 April	Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas	Circuit of the Americas, Austin
4	24 April	Gran Premio Red Bull de España	Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera
5	8 May	Monster Energy Grand Prix de France	Le Mans Bugatti, Maine
6	22 May	Gran Premio d'Italia TIM	Mugello Circuit, Mugello
7	5 June	Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló
8	26 June	Motul TT Assen	TT Circuit Assen, Assen
9	17 July	GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland	Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal
10	14 August	NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
11	21 August	HJC Helmets Grand Prix České republiky[2]	Automotodrom Brno, Brno
12	4 September	Octo British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
13	11 September	Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Misano Adriatico
14	25 September	Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón	Motorland Aragón, Alcañiz
15	16 October	Motul Grand Prix of Japan	Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi
16	23 October	Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix	Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island
17	30 October	Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Selangor
18	13 November	Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia

Calendar changes

• The 2016 season will see the return of the Austrian Grand Prix to the series' schedule after 19 years absence. The race will be held at the Red Bull Ring, which was the venue of the last Austrian Grand Prix, when the track was called A1 Ring.^[1]
• Having been on the calendar since 2008, the Indianapolis round has been discontinued.^[3]
• For the first time in the history of the Dutch TT, the races will be held on a Sunday.^[1]

Teams and riders

A provisional entry list was announced on 7 November 2015.^[4]

Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Ducati Team Ducati Ducati Desmosedici GP16 04 Andrea Dovizioso[5] 1–4 29 Andrea Iannone[6] 1–4 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini       Aprilia Aprilia RS-GP 6 Stefan Bradl[7] 1–4 19 Alvaro Bautista[6] 1–4 Avintia Racing Ducati Ducati Desmosedici GP14[6] 8 Héctor Barberá[6] 1–4 76 Loris Baz[8] 1–4 Octo Pramac Yakhnich[9] Ducati Ducati Desmosedici GP15[6] 9 Danilo Petrucci[6] 1 45 Scott Redding[10] 1–4 51 Michele Pirro 2–4 Team Suzuki Ecstar       Suzuki Suzuki GSX-RR 25 Maverick Viñales[6] 1–4 41 Aleix Espargaró[6] 1–4 Repsol Honda Team Honda Honda RC213V 26 Dani Pedrosa[11] 1–4 93 Marc Márquez[12] 1–4 LCR Honda Honda Honda RC213V 35 Cal Crutchlow[13] 1–4 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha YZR-M1 38 Bradley Smith[6] 1–4 44 Pol Espargaró[14] 1–4 Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS       Honda Honda RC213V 43 Jack Miller[15] 1–4 53 Tito Rabat[16] 1–4 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha Yamaha YZR-M1 46 Valentino Rossi[17]         1–4 99 Jorge Lorenzo[18] 1–4 Aspar Team MotoGP Ducati Ducati Desmosedici GP14[6] 50 Eugene Laverty[6] 1–4 68 Yonny Hernández[19]       1–4

Key Regular rider Wildcard rider Replacement rider

Team changes

• Marc VDS Racing will expand to enter a second bike.
• After entering two bikes in 2015, Team LCR will downgrade to a single entry in 2016.
• Aspar Racing Team will end their association with Honda and will return to Ducati whose bikes they used between 2010 and 2011.
• Forward Racing team has confirmed it is set to leave the MotoGP grid at the end of the season 2015 after announcing a new partnership with MV Agusta in the World Superbike and World Supersport championships in 2016.^[20]
• AB Motoracing will also leave MotoGP.
• Ioda Racing announced that they will leave MotoGP and compete in World Superbike.^[21]

Rider changes

• Tito Rabat, the 2014 Moto2 World Champion, will make his MotoGP debut with Marc VDS Racing, the team he won the Moto2 title with.
• Yonny Hernández did not have his contract with Pramac Racing renewed, and will move to Aspar Racing to replace Nicky Hayden, who left MotoGP for the Superbike World Championship.
• Having competed in MotoGP since 2011, Karel Abraham will switch to World Superbikes.
• Loris Baz will move to Avintia Racing to replace Mike Di Meglio.
• Stefan Bradl will stay on at Aprilia for 2016 before Sam Lowes moves up to MotoGP in 2017.
• Scott Redding will leave Marc VDS Racing at the end of the 2015 season to join Pramac Racing. His place will be taken by Jack Miller.

Rule changes

• Starting in 2016, Michelin will become the series' official tyre supplier following Bridgestone's withdrawal from the category.^[22] Dorna have also agreed a rule change to the 2016 regulations to increase the wheel size from 16.5 inches to 17 inches (similar to Moto2 and Moto3).^[23]
• The previous Factory and Open classes will be merged: every bike must adopt the unified electronic package (ECU and software).^[24] Each rider will be able to use up to seven engines in a season, albeit with frozen specifications, and the maximum fuel tank capacity will be 22 litres.^[25] Factories without a dry win between 2013 and 2015 will still be allowed to use 12 engines with free development, but in case of a determined number of podiums or wins scored during 2016 the factory will lose these benefits for the next season.^[25] Similarly, any manufacturer not scoring a single podium in 2016 will gain those concessions in 2017.

Results and standings

Grands Prix

Round	Grand Prix	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning rider	Winning constructor	Report
1	Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix	Jorge Lorenzo	Jorge Lorenzo	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	Report
2	Argentine motorcycle Grand Prix	Marc Márquez	Marc Márquez	Marc Márquez	Honda	Report
3	Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas	Marc Márquez	Marc Márquez	Marc Márquez	Honda	Report
4	Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix	Valentino Rossi	Valentino Rossi	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	Report

Riders' standings

Scoring system

Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A 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

Pos Rider Bike QAT ARG AME ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GER AUT CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL Pts 1 Marc Márquez Honda 3 1 1 3 82 2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1 Ret 2 2 65 3 Valentino Rossi Yamaha 4 2 Ret 1 58 4 Dani Pedrosa Honda 5 3 Ret 4 40 5 Pol Espargaró Yamaha 7 6 7 8 36 6 Maverick Viñales Suzuki 6 Ret 4 6 33 7 Aleix Espargaró Suzuki 11 11 5 5 32 8 Héctor Barberá Ducati 9 5 9 10 31 9 Eugene Laverty Ducati 12 4 12 9 28 10 Andrea Iannone Ducati Ret Ret 3 7 25 11 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 2 13 Ret Ret 23 12 Bradley Smith Yamaha 8 8 17 12 20 13 Stefan Bradl Aprilia Ret 7 10 14 17 14 Scott Redding Ducati 10 Ret 6 19 16 15 Álvaro Bautista Aprilia 13 10 11 Ret 14 16 Michele Pirro Ducati 12 8 16 12 17 Esteve Rabat Honda 15 9 13 18 11 18 Cal Crutchlow Honda Ret Ret 16 11 5 19 Loris Baz Ducati Ret Ret 15 13 4 20 Yonny Hernández Ducati Ret Ret 14 15 3 21 Jack Miller Honda 14 Ret DNS 17 2 Danilo Petrucci Ducati DNS 0 Pos Rider Bike QAT ARG AME ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GER AUT CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL Pts

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 Italics – Fastest Lap Light blue – Rookie

Manufacturers' standings

Pos	Manufacturer	QAT	ARG	AME	ESP	FRA	ITA	CAT	NED	GER	AUT	CZE	GBR	RSM	ARA	JPN	AUS	MAL	VAL	Pts
1	Yamaha	1	2	2	1															90
2	Honda	3	1	1	3															82
3	Ducati	2	4	3	7															58
4	Suzuki	6	11	4	5															39
5	Aprilia	13	7	10	14															20
Pos	Manufacturer	QAT	ARG	AME	ESP	FRA	ITA	CAT	NED	GER	AUT	CZE	GBR	RSM	ARA	JPN	AUS	MAL	VAL	Pts

Teams' standings

Pos Team Bike No. QAT ARG AME ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GER AUT CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL Pts 1 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 46 4 2 Ret 1 123 99 1 Ret 2 2 2 Repsol Honda 26 5 3 Ret 4 122 93 3 1 1 3 3 Team Suzuki Ecstar 25 6 Ret 4 6 65 41 11 11 5 5 4 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 38 8 8 17 12 56 44 7 6 7 8 5 Ducati Team 04 2 13 Ret Ret 48 29 Ret Ret 3 7 6 Avintia Racing 8 9 5 9 10 35 76 Ret Ret 15 13 7 Aspar Team MotoGP 50 12 4 12 9 31 68 Ret Ret 14 15 8 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 6 Ret 7 10 14 31 19 13 10 11 Ret 9 Octo Pramac Yakhnich 9 DNS 28 45 10 Ret 6 19 51 12 8 16 10 Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 43 14 Ret DNS 17 13 53 15 9 13 18 11 LCR Honda 35 Ret Ret 16 11 5 Pos Team Bike No. QAT ARG AME ESP FRA ITA CAT NED GER AUT CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VAL Pts

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 Italics – Fastest Lap

References

1. "2016 provisional MotoGP™ calendar announced". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
2. Dorna extends contract with Brno until 2020
3. "MotoGP Will Not Return to IMS in 2016". 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
4. "2016 MotoGP™ provisional entry list". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 7 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
5. "Andrea Dovizioso signs new Ducati MotoGP contract". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). 19 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
6. "Miller Moves To Marc VDS – 2016 MotoGP Grid Now Nearly Complete". MotoMatters.com (David Emmett). 15 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
7. "Aprilia signs Bradl for 2016, Lowes for 2017". crash.net (crash.net). 22 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
8. "Loris Baz joins Avintia for 2016". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 27 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
9. "Pramac Racing announces its partnership with Yakhnich Motorsport". pramacracing.com (Pramac Racing). 18 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
10. "Redding joins Octo Pramac Racing for 2016". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
11. "Honda Racing Corporation sign Pedrosa until end of 2016". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
12. "Honda Racing Corporation renew with Marc Marquez until end of 2016". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
13. "Crutchlow renews deal with LCR Honda Team". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
14. "Yamaha Announces Continuation of Contract with Pol Espargaró for 2016". Yamaha-racing.com (Yamaha Motor Europe). 7 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
15. "Miller joins Marc VDS Racing for 2016". speedcafe.com. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
16. "Official: Tito Rabat to MotoGP with Marc VDS". Crash.net (Crash Media Group). 1 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
17. "Yamaha and Valentino Rossi set to continue with two-year contract extension". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
18. "Yamaha and Lorenzo confirm new two-year agreement". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 7 August 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
19. "Aspar Team and Yonny Hernandez together in 2016". MotoGP.com (Dorna Sports). 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
20. "Forward Racing confirms MotoGP exit". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
21. "Ein MotoGP-Team weniger: Iodaracing fährt Superbike (A MotoGP team less: Iodaracing enters Superbike)". Speedweek.com (Speedweek). 27 January 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
22. "motogp.com · Michelin to become MotoGP™ Official Tyre supplier". Retrieved 27 May 2014.
23. "MotoGP to Adopt 17-inch Wheels in 2016 – Motorcycle USA". Retrieved 9 October 2014.
24. Emmett, David (8 September 2015). "Everything you wanted to Know about MotoGP's 2016 unified software". Motomatters.com. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
25. Emmett, David (3 April 2015). "2016 MotoGP rules clarified". Motomatters.com. Retrieved 19 October 2015.

External links

• The official website of Grand Prix motorcycle racing