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MotoGP, Crutchlow, after 38 years, like Barry Sheene

THE STATS. A Brit hasn't led the way in the championship standings for a long time, not for 289 races in fact

MotoGP: Crutchlow, after 38 years, like Barry Sheene

The British fans have had to wait 589 races or, if you prefer, 38 years and 344 days, to see one of their riders leading the way in the standings in the reigning class. The last was Barry Sheene after the Venezuela GP in 1979, now it's Crutchlow. But his isn't the only interesting fact coming on the back of Cal's win in Argentina.

- In 69 years of the championship, British rider have won 138 races in the reigning class and 382 across all classes. Crutchlow, with 3 wins in MotoGP, now ties with John Hartle.

- Cal is the second Brit to win a GP in Argentina, the first was Mike Hailwood in 1963.

- Crutchlow has reached the podium at least once in each of the last 7 MotoGP seasons. Only two British riders have done better:  Mike Hailwood (8 consecutive season) and Geoff Duke (10).

- Thanks to his win, Cal his given Honda its 750th win in the world championship.

- The last British rider to win two consecutive races in the top class was Barry Sheene, in Belgium and Sweden in 1977. At Austin Crutchlow will have the opportunity to match that.

The Termas de Rio Hondo weekend also brought more interesting facts:

- Jack Miller started from pole for the first time in his 50-race MotoGP career, it was also the first time for a Ducati satellite rider. The last Australian rider to start out front was Casey Stoner, at Phillip Island, in 2012.

- Miller's pole was the second consecutive pole for a satellite team: in Qatar Zarco qualified 1st. This is the first time that has occurred since 2005, when Sete Gibernau started from pole in both Turkey and Valencia, while if we're talking about two different riders then that same year Barros was on pole in Portugal and then Sete in China.

- Cal Crutchlow's win is the 26 for a satellite team in MotoGP, all achieved by Honda riders: Sete Gibernau (8 wins), Marco Melandri (5), Max Biaggi (3), Alex Barros (3), Cal Crutchlow (3), Makoto Tamada (2), Toni Elias (1) and Jack Miller (1).

- Not since the 2016 Assen GP had two riders from satellite teams reached the podium: Miller (1st) and Redding (3rd).

- Cal Crutchlow is the first rider from a satellite team to lead the championship since Gibernau in 2004.

Translated by Heather Watson

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