The annual crash rate continues to increase. In 2016 for the first time there were more than one thousand crashes across all three classes. In 2017 the total increased to 1126
Five riders crashed more than 20 times, with one reaching a new record of 31 accidents. If you had crashed 31 times in MotoGP’s inaugural 1949 season that there’s no chance you would’ve lived.
During the 1949 season the average winning margin was 46 seconds; in 2017 the average gap was 2.11 seconds, with more than half the races won by less than 1.5 seconds. The effect on the riders? the racing is so much closer that they must take big risks to make the difference.
During the 1950s there were 28 fatalities at Grand Prix events, which gives us the jaw-dropping average of a death every two or three race weekends. The 1960s and 1970s weren’t much better, with 25 and 24 deaths.
During the 1980s 14 riders lost their lives. By the 1990s that number had reduced to two, with only one death in the 2000s. This last decade hasn’t been so good, 3 have lost their lives
Ironically, while primary, second and tertiary safety have improved dramatically (bikes are safer, tracks are safer, riding gear is better and medical care is better), modern racing has increased danger with ever-closer racing created by technical regulations that minimize the differences between bikes, so riders battle for every inch of race track. Five riders crashed more than 20 times, with one reaching a new record of 31 accidents. If you had crashed 31 times in MotoGP’s inaugural 1949 season that there’s no chance you would’ve lived.
During the 1949 season the average winning margin was 46 seconds; in 2017 the average gap was 2.11 seconds, with more than half the races won by less than 1.5 seconds. The effect on the riders? the racing is so much closer that they must take big risks to make the difference.
During the 1950s there were 28 fatalities at Grand Prix events, which gives us the jaw-dropping average of a death every two or three race weekends. The 1960s and 1970s weren’t much better, with 25 and 24 deaths.
During the 1980s 14 riders lost their lives. By the 1990s that number had reduced to two, with only one death in the 2000s. This last decade hasn’t been so good, 3 have lost their lives
MotoGP’s king crasher of 2017 retained his crown from 2016. Sam Lowes crashed his Aprilia RS-GP 31 times (not always his own fault, it should be noted), which was once more than he fell from his Kalex Moto2 bike the previous year. Next was Gresini Moto2 rider Jorge Navarro, who crashed his Kalex 30 times during 2017’s 18 race weekends; then Marc Márquez on 27, Alvaro Bautista on 26, Cal Crutchlow on 24, Sandro Cortese on 22 and Axel Pons and John McPhee on 20 each.
Márquez’s total is without doubt the most remarkable, because only two of his 27 falls came in races and despite the other 25 he won the toughest title of them all.
The total sum of broken bones from those 1126 accidents were six collarbones, three ankles, two fingers, one pelvis, one wrist, one upper arm, one forearm, one fibula and a toe. There were several concussions, a couple of dislocations and numberless batterings and bruisings.
http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/motogp/motogp-2017-1126-crashes
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