Remember when we covered that MotoGP’s attendance had been on the decline? Well, this weekend was the medicine to spike those specs back up a notch.
Marc Marquez was welcomed back to the circuit on a new Kalex chassis but suffered a late crash; likewise, Quartararo struggled with his bike and ended up reverting to 2021 settings after an unhappy finish… and Ducati did their typical clean-up, coming in for first, second and third (via Motorsport) – a very fun, very fitting roster for MotoGP’s 1000th FIM Grand Prix circuit!
Coverage from MotoGP tells us that over a quarter of a million people crowded the Grand Prix paddocks, bleachers, and stalls – a stunning 278,805 sapiens in total! Of course, nobody is happier at the turn of events than Dorna Sport’s own Renaissance man, Carmelo Ezpeleta (CEO), who is himself floored by the incredible atmosphere that kept the whole weekend saturated with energy:
“All weekend the atmosphere here in Le Mans has been incredible, so we knew the attendance was going to be high… But to break the all-time record and see it’s well over a quarter of a million people is something truly special,” imparts Ezpeleta.
“We’d like to thank PHA Claude Michy for the incredible event they stage every year at Le Mans, truly one of the highlights on the calendar, and my final word, of course, goes to our fans. Thank you all for your passion and love for this sport. You’ve made it a truly historic day here for MotoGP and at the 1000th FIM Grand Prix!”
Currently, Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi (#72) holds the lead, with Team Red’s Jorge Martín (#89) and Johann Zarco (#5) coming in hot; fourth and fifth place are taken up by KTM’s Augusto Fernández and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaró, while Yamaha and Honda show up further down the lists, in ninth (Quartararo) and tenth place (Rins), respectively.