Just nine races into the 2012
MotoGP season and new Tech 3 signing
Andrea Dovizioso has already scored twice as many podiums in a season than any other rider in the team's history.
Tech 3 graduated to the 500cc class after finishing first and second with Olivier Jacque and
Shinya Nakano in the 2000 250cc World Championship.
Always on satellite Yamaha machinery, initially two-strokes and then the four-stroke M1 from late-2002, the following list shows the number of podiums per season by each Tech 3 competitor.
But while Dovi has scored four third-places in the last five races, he is not yet the highest finishing Tech 3 rider in a
MotoGP race. That honour goes to Texans'
Colin Edwards (2009) and Ben Spies (2010) who both claimed second place finishes for the team.
Dovizioso is currently fourth in the world championship, the top satellite rider and the second best M1 competitor after Factory rider Jorge Lorenzo. If Dovi can hold the position until the end of the year it would be a new high for a Tech 3 rider.
Dovizioso's team-mate Cal Crutchlow is 13 points and one place behind the Italian with a best finish of fourth (twice) during his second year at Tech 3. Tech 3's Moto2 star Bradley Smith will move up to the
MotoGP team next year, but his team-mate – like the second factory seat - is still to be decided.
Tech 3: 500cc/MotoGP podiums:2012*:4th Championship
Andrea Dovizioso: 4 podiums
5th Championship
Cal Crutchlow: 0
2011:9th
Colin Edwards: 112th
Cal Crutchlow: 0
2010:6th
Ben Spies: 211th
Colin Edwards: 0
2009:5th
Colin Edwards: 111th
James Toseland: 0
2008:7th
Colin Edwards: 211th
James Toseland: 0
2007:16th
Sylvain Guintoli: 0
18th
Makoto Tamada: 0
2006:15th
Carlos Checa: 0
18th
James Ellison: 0
2005:12th
Toni Elias: 0
16th
Ruben Xaus: 0
2004:12th
Marco Melandri: 213th
Norick Abe: 0
2003:9th
Alex Barros: 112th
Olivier Jacque: 0
2002:10th
Olivier Jacque: 0
11th
Shinya Nakano: 0
2001:5th
Shinya Nakano: 1 15th
Olivier Jacque: 0
* After nine of 18 rounds.