autoevolution
 

2014 MotoGP Attendance Increases, So Does the Number of Crashes

It was a very good year for Dorna and the Grand Prix series it holds the rights to. Official sources have released the attendance figures for the entire year, and it looks like they are on an upward trend. 2014 was the 10th season in a row which saw more than 2 million people attending the racing weekends.
Spectacular crashes in 2014 MotoGP 1 photo
Photo: motogp.com
Even though the ~40,000 extra people who have bought tickets to see the Grands Prix this year are not a huge step up from the 2013 figures, this is a good proof that interest is on the rise, and this is good news for everyone. In 2013, the Grand Prix racing attracted 2,433,763 individuals, while the 2014 season hosted a 2,473,624-strong audience.

The Czech round rules supreme

No less than 14 of the 18 rounds of the 2014 championship saw attendance going north of the 100,000 mark. The all-new Argentinian round at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit enjoyed very good attendance from its debut year, as just under 126,000 people flocked in from the entire continent to watch the event.

The record audience was recorded in the Czech Republic, with a mind-boggling number of fans attending the venue through the whole weekend. The bwin Grand Prix Ceske Republiky round attracted 240,695 spectators, of which more than 138,000 were present on race day alone. The smallest crowd gathered at the Losail circuit in Qatar. The debut round managed to draw only 17,890 attendants.

So far, Europe is definitely the best place for GP racing, with the Czech Republic, Spain, and Germany being the best places for this sport.

QATAR- Losail: 17,890
USA – Austin: 118,918
ARGENTINA – Termas de Rio Hondo: 125,961
SPAIN – Jerez: 229,416
FRANCE – LeMans: 178,073
ITALY – Mugello: 111,309
SPAIN – Barcelona-Catalunya: 163,045
NETHERLANDS - TT Circuit Assen: 131,000
GERMANY - Sachsenring: 209,408
USA – Indianapolis: 132,817
CZECH REPUBLIC – Brno: 240,695
UK – Silverstone: 138,000
SAN MARINO - Misano: 88,665
SPAIN - MotorLand Aragon: 112,331
JAPAN – Twin Ring Motegi: 70,271
AUSTRALIA – Phillip Island: 77,900
MALAYSIA – Sepang: 130,925
SPAIN - Valencia: 197,000
Total: 2,473,624.

The number of crashes goes up

With no real correlation between the two, the number of crashes across all three classes increased in 2014. Since every incident is carefully recorded by GP officials, it’s now fairly easy to see the big picture. The 18 racing weekends of 2014 produced no less than 981 crashes, 118 more than the number of spills in 2013.

The premier class saw 206 crashes, of which 61 occurred during races. The intermediate category recorded 408 accidents, with 134 during races, while the entry class saw 140 race spills from a total of 367 crashes.

In MotoGP, the record for the number of crashes belongs to Bradley Smith, who met the asphalt on no less than 16 times. Still, Smith is only 8th on the 2014 crash list, with other 7 Moto2 and Moto3 riders ahead of him. Moto2 rookie Sam Lowes leads the overall chart with 25 crashes, and is followed by another rookie this time in Moto3. Karel Hanika went down 24 times.

Two-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez improved his statistics and only fell 11 times this year, 4 less than his 2013 figure. Jorge Lorenzo, who is renowned for not crashing too much is also improving his style and getting closer to the magic zero. With 5 crashes in 2011 and 2012, and 3 in 2013, Lorenzo only had 2 spills in 2014.

When it comes to circuits, Misano is the track which recorded the most crashes. 109 crashes have been counted during the 2014 round. The wet weather was the cause for the dramatic increase, as the 2013 round only had 66 crashes. This year, Misano was followed by Motegi and Phillip Island, with 71 crashes each.

And if you are wondering whether there was a GP rider with a perfect record… tough luck, there’s no such thing, not this year.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories