7 useless facts about the Grand Prix World Championship

1. The GP with the most amount of starters
The Grand Prix with the highest number of riders to line-up on a single grid was the 1969 Isle of Man 500cc TT, where no less than 97 riders lined up on Glencrutchery road. In the presence of the recently retired Prince Phillip, the six-lap Senior TT was won by Giacomo Agostini riding an MV Agusta in a time of 2h9m40.2s with an average speed of 75.048mph (120.778km/h). Of the 97 starters, only 31 riders made it to the chequered flag.

2. The GP with the least amount of starters
Conversely, the Grand Prix which still holds the record for having the least amount of riders lining up for the start of the race is the 1961 Argentine 500cc GP. It had only six starters. The 52-lap grand prix was won by local rider Jorge Kissling riding a Matchless, and it was his one and only win. All six riders finished the 203.4km event.

3. Highest amount of riders to finish a grand prix
Ninety-seven may have been impressive start line at the 1969 Isle of Man TT event, but the same event 15 years earlier still holds the record for the highest number of riders who actually finished a Grand Prix. Of the 80 riders who started the 1954 Isle of Man 500cc TT, an impressive 53 riders made it to the finish line. The Norton-mounted Ray Amm finished first ahead of Gilera’s Geoff Duke.

4. The grand prix with the least amount of finishers
There were more tumbleweeds than riders at the end of the 1974 West German 500cc Grand Prix. It currently holds the record for the least amount of riders to see the chequered flag in any GP, with just four finishers, and all harking from West Germany.

5. The longest grand prix in history
Not surprisingly, the Isle of Man is the location of the record of the longest-ever grand prix. The 1957 Isle of Man 500cc TT was a whopping 485.764km event. That’s some concentration at any circuit, let alone one as unforgiving as the Isle of Man. It was also the event when Bob McIntyre made history by becoming the first bloke to break the 100mph barrier at the Mountain course.

6. The shortest grand prix in 68 years
The shortest grand prix in history, however, was the 2004 Italian MotoGP race held at Mugello measuring just 31.470km in total. For a second we thought 2013’s tyre fiasco commonly referred to as the blunder Down Under might have surpassed it, but the 13-lap Moto2 race still measured 57.824km. The race was cancelled due to extreme wet weather and was restarted as a six-lap dash.

7. The grand prix with the slowest average speed
The Grand Prix which holds the record for the slowest average speed is the 1951 Spanish 500cc Grand Prix held at Barcelona. The two-time world champ Umberto Masetti recorded an average speed of 93.994km/h on his 500cc Gilera on his way to victory of the 34-lap race. Of the 27 starters only six managed to see the chequered flag.