MotoGP By the Numbers: 2017 Grand Prix of the Americas at COTA

Repsol Honda rider and defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has qualified on pole and won all four MotoGP races that have taken place in Austin.

But Marquez has not stood on the top step of the podium since he clinched the 2016 MotoGP world title at the Japanese Grand Prix last year. During this five-race period, he has picked up just 38 world championship points.

Jorge Lorenzo's second-place finish last year is the best result for a Yamaha rider at the Austin circuit.

Maverick Viñales finished fourth at Austin last year, one place ahead of former Suzuki teammate Aleix Espargaro. This was the first time since the San Marino Grand Prix in 2007 that Suzuki had two riders finish in the top five places.

The Ducati Team had one rider finish on the podium in each of the past three years: Andrea Dovizioso was third in 2014 and second in 2015; Andrea Iannone was third in 2016.

Honda riders have won each of the last 13 MotoGP races in the USA. The last non-Honda MotoGP winner in the USA was Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha at Laguna Seca in 2010.

Honda riders have qualified on pole for the last nine MotoGP races held in the USA. The last non-Honda rider to start from pole at any of the US circuits is Jorge Lorenzo at Laguna Seca in 2012.

Maverick Viñales is the first Yamaha rider since Wayne Rainey in 1990 to win the opening two premier-class grand prix races of the year.

Honda has won 16 of the 21 premier-class grand prix races that have taken place in the USA in the MotoGP era.

Marc Marquez qualified on pole in Argentina for the four successive year, the 38th pole in the MotoGP class. Since MotoGP became the premier-class of grand prix racing in 2002 only three riders have started from pole on more occasions than Marquez: Valentino Rossi (50), Jorge Lorenzo (39), Casey Stoner (39). Marquez's teammate Dani Pedrosa is fifth on the list with 28 poles.

The third-place finish for Cal Crutchlow in Argentina means he has now finished on the podium at least once for six successive seasons in the MotoGP class. Only four other British riders have had premier-class podium finishes in six or more successive seasons: Mike Hailwood, Barry Sheene, Geoff Duke and Peter Williams.

In Argentina Yamaha had four riders finish in the top six places for the first time since the final race of 2015 in Valencia.

Scott Redding is one of just nine riders who has scored points in both of the two opening races of the year and his score of 17 points puts him into fourth place in the world championship classification and the highest placed of the Independent Team riders.

Neither of the Honda factory riders have finished on the podium at the first two races of 2017. The last time that the Repsol Honda factory team did not have a top three finish in either of the first two races of the year was in 2000.

Johann Zarco's fifth place finish in Argentina is the best result for a French rider in a fully dry MotoGP race since Randy de Puniet finished fourth at the Catalunya GP in 2010.

Johann Zarco was the first rookie across the line in Argentina, one place ahead of teammate and fellow rookie Jonas Folger. The last time that two rookie riders in the MotoGP class finished together in the top six was at the German Grand Prix in 2013, won by Marc Marquez with Bradley Smith in sixth.

Jonas Folger heads the rookie standings after the first two races with 16 points, which is the highest score after the first two races of the year by a rookie since Marc Marquez in 2013.

In Argentina, Valentino Rossi once again finished on the podium after starting from a low grid position. This was the 35th time he has finished on the podium in the premier-class after not starting from one of the top six places on the grid.

The age difference between Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi is 15 years 330 days. This is the largest age difference between the top two finishers in a premier-class grand prix race since 26-year-old Giacomo Agostini won the 1969 German Grand Prix ahead of 46-year-old German rider Karl Hoppe at the Hockenheim circuit.

Maverick Viñales set the fastest lap of the MotoGP race in Argentina with a time of 1 minute 39.694 seconds. During the course of the race another 16 riders set lap times within one second of this fastest lap time; the first time in a MotoGP race that 17 riders have posted lap times within one second of the fastest lap of the race.