Grand Prix History

Rizla Suzuki MotoGP star Loris Capirossi will today be presented with an award from Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta to commemorate his scheduled 300th Grand Prix start on Sunday.

The three-time World Champion will receive the award in a special ceremony at the Losail International Circuit just before this evening's front-row press conference, which will immediately follow tonights qualifying session.

There will also be a change to Capirossi's normal on-track identity for tomorrow's 22-lap Qatar GP, and all will be revealed at a photo session in the Rizla Suzuki pit-box at 22.20 on Sunday evening.

Capirossi's amazing record stretches back to 1990 when he became the youngest-ever motorcycling World Champion a record that still stands today. In an amazing career spanning 21 years and three decades, the 37-year-old Italian has raced in 39.3% of all Grand Prix events ever staged since the start of the World Championship series back in 1949.

Capirossi has finished in a point scoring position a record 245 times, raced at 41 different Grand Prix circuits and he is only one of two riders to have won on 125cc, 250cc and 500cc two-stroke, 990cc four-stroke and 800cc four-stroke machines the only other being Valentino Rossi. He also only needs one more top-three finish to reach another milestone, that of 100 podium finishes.