2022 Qatar Grand Prix Is Close and We Take a Look at the Best MotoGP Races in History

Qatar is always an exciting race because, for quite some time, it's been the first race of the year, and nobody knows what to expect. Who is the fastest rider this year? Which is the fastest bike? These questions are answered after the race in Qatar, which is set to kick off on March 4.

In addition, it's a particularly interesting race because back in 2008, the Losail race track held the first-night event in MotoGP history. The 2008 night race, aside from drawing boosted viewing, was initiated to increase the safety of the participants. The extreme heat of Qatar during the daytime would terribly affect the riders.

Built by over 1,000 workers, the track cost $58 million and was inaugurated back in 2004. The race has been argued to be an example of sports washing, Qatar trying to improve its reputation through the hosting a sporting event.

Thanks to its long straights and hard braking zones, the Losail track is seen as a Ducati-friendly venue. However, that's not always been the case, with Yamaha utilizing some of its advantages to take a record nine wins. In the premiere class, the most successful riders are Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, each with four wins to their names, followed by Jorge Lorenzo with three wins.

Since its arrival on the calendar, the Qatar Grand Prix has delivered many memorable moments, so we want to share the top five most spectacular races with you.

2004 Grand Prix - First ever race in the Qatar desert. Not the craziest race on the track, but with a lot of incidents outside of it.The track was dusty and dirty, and the riders were concerned about the race start. Rossi's Yamaha engineers were very creative, so to help a little, they headed out to his qualifying position with a scooter to lay down some rubber for "The Doctor." That's how you know you got some good friends.

However, their little charade was discovered, with Rossi and Max Biaggi being sent to the back of the grid for Sunday. Rossi then crashed on race day, and Gibernau went on to win the race, being his last ever win in MotoGP.

2012 Grand Prix - This race looked like one of those boring ones at first, with pole-sitter Jorge Lorenzo disappearing up the road. Nonetheless, he dropped back as the race progressed, with Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner overtaking the Spaniard. Jorge was not done yet, and he got back into action to hunt down the Repsol Honda duo, stealing back his win in the later stages of the race.

2018 Grand Prix - An excellent example of the classic epic last-corner fights between Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso. With Marquez making the initial break, clearing his competition, Dovizioso fell back and had to pull himself for a charge through the field. Taking advantage of the Ducati top speed, he found himself in the battle for the race win. In the last corner of the last lap, Marquez was the one who led into the final turn, but it was the Italian rider who came first out of it.

2005 Grand Prix - Ah, yes, teammates collision. A perfect example of what not to do in a race. Gresini Honda riders Sete Gibernau and Marco Melandri led for much of the race, but as the chequered flag drew near, they went to an all-or-nothing battle for the race win at the 2005 Qatar Grand Prix. That allowed Rossi to close up to them. Without surprise, the war ended with Gibernau out in the gravel trap and with Melandri being overtaken by Rossi.

2019 Grand Prix - By far the best race in the history of the Qatar Grand Prix. Again, the well-known Dovizioso-Marquez battle took part. Dovi had a great start, and this time Marc was the one to hunt down the Italian. The pair traded positions until the last corner. Marquez set up his overtaking maneuver, but he went wide at the exit, letting Andrea with another victory at the Losail circuit.

As you see, Qatar seems to deliver consistently, and hopefully this year, the race could be as spectacular as the ones we told you about. Here you have an example of a memorable race.