The United States Grand Prix was a dream for stats fans, as Marco Bezzecchi’s start-to-finish win saw a couple of spots in the record books in urgent need of attention.
With his win at COTA on Sunday, Bezzecchi joined Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Mick Doohan, Giacomo Agostini, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood and Geoff Duke in an elite club of riders to have won five successive premier class grands prix.
The run stretches back to last season’s Portuguese Grand Prix, continuing through the 2025 Valencia finale and the first three races of this season. It is a remarkable purple patch for a man whose total win count in the top class is still only nine.
On top of that, Bezzecchi’s has been no run-of-the mill streak of five. The 27-year-old Italian went a step further than any of those illustrious names by achieving the feat with a quintet of lights-to-flag victories.
“I’m speechless,” said Bezzecchi right after the race. “I mean, it’s really tough to describe my emotions and how I feel. It’s pretty strange to hear my name close to these legends, like Vale, like Marc.
“I’m lucky to be able to fight with [some of them], like Marc, for example, who is the fastest and the strongest of the MotoGP grid right now.
“It’s pressure, but it’s a privilege as well. I’m very proud to be here and to be able to do this.”
Mike Hailwood on his way to 500cc honours in Argentina in 1963 – midway through a streak of 12 wins
Photo by: MV Agusta
In another Sunday achievement, Bezzecchi managed to break the record for the longest streak of premier class laps led.
This was looking less than likely after he was demoted to the second row of the gridby a penalty for his qualifying clash with Marc Marquez. But the cards fell right for him at the start on Sunday, and he hit the front after brushing (literally!) past Pedro Acosta exiting Turn 11 on the first lap.
When he subsequently crossed the line in the lead for the fourth time, he eclipsed Jorge Lorenzo’s 2015 mark of 103 straight laps led. By the time he passed the chequered flag, he had upped the mark to 120 laps. Whether he can extend that will inevitably be a big storyline at the next race in Spain.
Despite various skewed ‘modern era’ statistics put out by the MotoGP publicity machine, the factory Aprilia rider is a long way from the top of the ladder in terms of consecutive wins. The record for most straight victories in the premier class is held by Giacomo Agostini. The legendary Italian won 20 straight 500cc races for MV Agusta across the 1968 and 1969 seasons.
For a last piece of trivia, Bezzecchi is the first rider to win the first three races of the season since Marquez’s incredible effort in 2014.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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