• The win by Marc Marquez at Jerez was the 37th time he has stood on the top step of the podium in the MotoGP class, equalling the number of premier-class GP victories as MotoGP legend Mike Hailwood. He needs just one more win to equal the number of MotoGP victories achieved by Casey Stoner.
  • Johann Zarco’s 2nd place finish at Jerez was the 21st successive race where he has achieved a point scoring finish. The only race where he has failed to score points since moving up to the MotoGP class was the opening race of last year in Qatar when he crashed while leading the race.
  • Last year Zarco was in third place on the grid for his home grand prix – the first front row in the MotoGP class by a French rider since Randy de Puniet at Catalunya in 2010 and the best qualifying result in the premier-class by a French rider at his home race since Christian Sarron was on pole for the 500cc GP at Paul Ricard in 1988. His second place finish in the race made him the first French rider to finish on the podium in the premier-class at his home race since Christian Sarron was second at Paul Ricard in 1988.
  • Yamaha have gone 14 MotoGP races without a win, their longest winless sequence since the 18 race winless streak that included the last two races of 2002 and the 16 races of 2003.
  • At the French Grand Prix last year Maverick Viñales became only the ninth rider to win a MotoGP race from pole and in the process set a new lap record, joining: Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Loris Capirossi, Makoto Tamada, Andrea Iannone.
  • Jorge Lorenzo is the rider with most grand prix victories at Le Mans, having stood on the top step of the podium on six occasions at the French circuit; a single win in the 250cc class to add to his five MotoGP wins.
  • Two years ago at Le Mans, Lorenzo crossed the line 10.654 seconds ahead of Valentino Rossi; Lorenzo’s largest margin of victory in a dry MotoGP race
  • The podium finishers at the last two MotoGP races have all graduated from the Moto2 class.  Prior to the start of this year only one podium has included only riders that have graduated from Moto2 – at Misano in 2015 (Marquez, Smith, Redding).
  • The top four riders in the championship standings after the Spanish Grand Prix are riders who have graduated from the Moto2 class.
  • Maverick Viñales took the MotoGP at Le Mans last year, at the circuit where he scored his first 125cc GP win in 2011. This was the last time that Vinales has stood on the top step of the podium. Vinales also won the Moto3 race at Le Mans in 2013 and had his first MotoGP podium at the circuit in 2016 when he finished 3rd on a Suzuki.
  • Yamaha riders have taken the top two places at the French Grand Prix for the last three years.
  • Tom Luthi has had great grand prix success at Le Mans, with four victories: 125cc in 2005 & 2006, Moto2 in 2012 & 2015.
  • Rossi has had twelve podium finishes in the premier-class at Le Mans, including three victories; in 2002 riding a Honda, 2005 riding the 990cc Yamaha and in 2008 on Yamaha’s 800cc machine.
  • At the French Grand Prix Tito Rabat is scheduled to make his 200th grand prix start. Rabat has already scored 24 points in the opening four races of 2018 compared with 35 points throughout the whole of 2017.