2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season explained
The 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 53rd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Season summary
2001 was the end of the 500 cc era in Grand Prix motorcycle racing; in 2002 the premier class would be renamed MotoGP and dominated by 4-stroke 990 cc machines. However, 2001 was the beginning of another era, that of Valentino Rossi's run of championships in the top class. His learning year past him, he won 11 races in 2001, far outdistancing his nearest competitor, Max Biaggi. Rossi and Biaggi began the season with a controversial incident at Suzuka, where Biaggi seemed to have tried to push Rossi into the dirt at 150 mph and Rossi responded two laps later with an aggressive pass and an extended middle finger. Rossi would win that race and sew-up the championship with two rounds to go. As of 2022, it was the last season where an independent team rider won the rider championship title in the premier class.
The 500 cc Rookie of the Year award went to Shinya Nakano.[1] At the 2001 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix, Katja Poensgen became the first female competitor to qualify for a 250cc Grand Prix race.[2]
As of 2023, it was the last year where a single constructor (Honda) won the championship in all three categories.
2001 Grand Prix season calendar
In the weekend of 20 to 22 October 2000, the FIM confirmed the 2001 calendar.[3] The following sixteen Grands Prix were scheduled to take place:[4] [5]
†† = Saturday race
Calendar changes
2001 Grand Prix seasons results
†† = Saturday race
Participants
500cc participants
| Key |
---|
Regular Rider | Wildcard Rider | Replacement Rider | |
| |
- All entries used Michelin tyres.
250cc participants
Team | Constructor | Motorcycle | No. | Rider | Rounds |
---|
MS Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 5 | Marco Melandri | All |
---|
31 | Tetsuya Harada | All | 34 | Marcellino Lucchi | 3, 5 | Valência Circuit - Aspar Team | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 6 | Álex Debón | All |
---|
10 | Fonsi Nieto | All | Telefónica MoviStar Honda | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 7 | Emilio Alzamora | All |
---|
74 | Daijiro Kato | All | Petronas Sprinta Yamaha TVK | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 8 | Naoki Matsudo | All |
---|
18 | Shahrol Yuzy | All | Yamaha Kurz (rd 1-9) Dark Dog Yamaha Kurz (rd 10-16) | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 9 | Sebastián Porto | All |
---|
23 | Cesar Barros | All | Aprilia Grand Prix | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 11 | Riccardo Chiarello | 1–2, 4–16 |
---|
99 | Jeremy McWilliams | 1–5 | MS Aprilia Racing (Germany) | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 12 | Klaus Nöhles | 1–12 |
---|
55 | Diego Giugovaz | 13–16 | 99 | Jeremy McWilliams | 6–16 | By Queroseno Racing Team | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 13 | David Tomás | 1, 3–16 |
---|
26 | Iván Silva | 2 | 85 | Rafael Da Cunha | 16 | Shell Advance Honda | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 14 | Katja Poensgen | 11–16 |
---|
MS Eros Ramazzotti Racing | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 15 | Roberto Locatelli | All |
---|
21 | Franco Battaini | All | Antena 3 Yamaha d'Antin | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 19 | Julien Allemand | 1–4 |
---|
22 | José David de Gea | All | 36 | Luis Costa | 5–16 | PR2 Metrored / PR2 - Damas | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 20 | Jerónimo Vidal | 1–15 |
---|
Honda | Honda NSR250 | 41 | Damaso Nacher | 3, 11–12, 16 |
---|
QUB Team Optimum | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 24 | Jason Vincent | 10–16 |
---|
Tecmas Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 25 | Vincent Philippe | 9 |
---|
Edo Racing | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 55 | Diego Giugovaz | 1–5, 7–9 |
---|
27 | Shaun Geronimi | 15–16 | 46 | Taro Sekiguchi | 6, 10–14 | 80 | Vladimir Častka | 10 | Campetella Racing | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 37 | Luca Boscoscuro | All |
---|
57 | Lorenzo Lanzi | All | Kolmer Racing Team | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 38 | Álvaro Molina | 3, 6, 12 |
---|
BRT Ismael Bonilla | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 39 | Ismael Bonilla | 3 |
---|
Team Fomma | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 42 | David Checa | All |
---|
Construcciones CM | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 43 | Isaac Martín | 12 |
---|
Safilo Oxydo Race | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 44 | Roberto Rolfo | All |
---|
FCC-TSR | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 45 | Stuart Edwards | 2–11 |
---|
TSR-Honda | 1 |
---|
47 | Tekkyu Kayo | 1 | Fujitsu Siemens | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 45 | Stuart Edwards | 12–16 |
---|
Club Ventis | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 46 | Taro Sekiguchi | 1 |
---|
Team Kotake RSC | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 48 | Shinichi Nakatomi | 1 |
---|
Hitman RC Koshien Yamaha | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 49 | Choujun Kameya | 1 |
---|
Équipe de France - Scrab GP | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 50 | Sylvain Guintoli | All |
---|
81 | Randy de Puniet | All | Privest Yamaha d'Antin | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 51 | Jonathan Van Vuuren | 2 |
---|
Équipe de France | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 52 | Guillaume Dietrich | 4 |
---|
64 | Hugo Marchand | 4 | Ouvrard Racing Team | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 53 | Tom Ouvrard | 4 |
---|
Bentin Motorsport | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 54 | Hervé Mora | 4 |
---|
Fouloi Racing Team | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 56 | David Fouloi | 4 |
---|
Right Track Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 58 | Shane Norval | 8 |
---|
Team Jackson | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 59 | Gary Jackson | 8 |
---|
Car Centre Nijmegen | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 60 | Gert Pieper | 7 |
---|
Performance Racing | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 61 | Jarno Boesveld | 7 |
---|
Cruise America Grand Prix Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 62 | Jason Di Salvo | 7–8, 10 |
---|
M.R.T.T. Hugen Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 63 | Arnold Litjens | 7 |
---|
Dark Dog Racing Factory (rd 1-9) Racing Factory (rd 10-16) | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 66 | Alex Hofmann | All |
---|
98 | Katja Poensgen | 1–9 | EPS Racing | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 67 | Michael Herzberg | 8 |
---|
Monster Mob | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 68 | Stuart Easton | 8 |
---|
TZM Sport | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 70 | José Estrela | 11 |
---|
Team Motorsport Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 71 | Javier Díaz | 11 |
---|
PS Racing | Aprilia | Aprilia RSV 250 | 72 | Michael García | 11–12 |
---|
Freundenberg Racing Team | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 75 | Dirk Heidolf | 9 |
---|
Kiefer Castrol Honda Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 76 | Christian Gemmel | 9 |
---|
77 | Marcel Schneider | 9 | ADAC Sachsen | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 78 | Max Neukirchner | 9 |
---|
MSC Schleizer Dreieck | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 79 | Norman Rank | 10 |
---|
Road Racing Team Voit | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 82 | Henrik Voit | 10 |
---|
Biro Racing Team | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 83 | Gábor Rizmayer | 10, 12 |
---|
Vaz Yamaha d'Antin | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 84 | Cristiano Vieira | 16 |
---|
Team Harc-Pro | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 87 | Hiroshi Aoyama | 1 |
---|
92 | 13 | SP Tadao Racing Team | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 88 | Nobuyuki Ohsaki | 13 |
---|
Motorex Daytona | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 89 | Osamu Miyazaki | 13 |
---|
Endurance | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 90 | Daisaku Sakai | 13 |
---|
Morino Kumasan Miztec. RT | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 91 | Takayuki Onodera | 13 |
---|
Impact Racing | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 93 | Earl Lynch | 14 |
---|
RGV Spares | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 94 | Terry Carter | 14 |
---|
97 | Josh Brookes | 14 | Allect Racing | Honda | Honda NSR250 | 95 | Shane Smith | 14 |
---|
Turramurra Cyclery Racing | Yamaha | Yamaha YZR 250 | 96 | Mark Rowling | 14 |
---|
Source: [7] | |
---|
| Key |
---|
Regular Rider | Wildcard Rider | Replacement Rider | |
| |
125cc participants
| Key |
---|
Regular Rider | Wildcard Rider | Replacement Rider | |
| |
Standings
500cc riders' standings
[9]
- Scoring systemPoints were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
---|
| Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap | |
250cc riders' standings
[10]
- Scoring systemPoints were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
---|
| Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap | |
125cc riders' standings
[11]
- Scoring systemPoints were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had to finish the race to earn points.
Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
---|
Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
---|
| Bold – Pole position Italics – Fastest lap | |
500cc manufacturers' standings
250cc manufacturers' standings
125cc manufacturers' standings
References
- Web site: The Official MotoGP website . 2010-07-07 . 2021-04-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210418050413/https://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistics/2001/NAT/500cc/World+Standing . dead .
Notes and References
- News: Results and Statistics . MotoGP.com . 2010-05-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100619145621/http://www.motogp.com/en/Results%2BStatistics . 19 June 2010 . live .
- Web site: Katja Poensgen makes history . 7 April 2001 . crash.net . November 19, 2019.
- Web site: 2001 calendar confirmed.. October 23, 2000. Crash.
- Web site: MotoGP Calendar. www.yamaha-racing.com. 2018-06-14. 2018-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20180614121520/https://www.yamaha-racing.com/motogp/calendar/all/2001. dead.
- Web site: 2001 World Motorcycle Championship. 12 June 2017.
- Web site: 500cc Grand Prix entry list for 2001. Motorcycle Racing Online.
- Web site: 250cc Grand Prix entry list for 2001. Motorcycle Racing Online.
- Web site: 125cc Grand Prix entry list for 2001. Motorcycle Racing Online.
- Web site: 2001 500cc Final Standings at MotoGP.com.
- Web site: 250cc Final Standings at MotoGP.com.
- Web site: 2001 125cc Final Standings at MotoGP.com.