When
Troy Bayliss crossed the line in the second of the weekend's World Superbike Championship races at Brno, he became the winner of the 500th race in the series' history, twenty years after his Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi became the first victor.
Since that first World Superbike race was held at
Donington Park, there have been 252 race meetings, with 500 races overall. For the mathematicians who have worked out that 252 double-headers don't equal to 500, the 1988 Le Mans, 2001 Phillip Island, 2005 Imola and 2007
Silverstone rounds all features just a single race.
In that time, 878 riders from 39 different countries have all taken part in at least one race, with a total of 14,544 race presences. The most recent of these would be Niccoló Canepa.
Of these 39 different countries, Italy has been the most prolific, with a total of 127 riders managing a total of 3,509 appearances. Great Britain is next up with 79 riders (1751 appearances), although Australia are closing in third with 1733 appearances through 108 different riders.
Despite Italy's presence, they have never had a World Superbike Champion. Instead, the United States lead the way with eight titles, with Great Britain next on seven, Australia with four and France with a single victory to their name.
Some of the more obscure nations to compete in World Superbikes include Singapore, Mexico and Hong Kong, all of which have had one rider making two appearances over the last 20 years.
Unsurprisingly, Ducati are the most prolific manufacturer after 4,630 appearances, ahead of Yamaha on 2.843 and Kawasaki on 2,590. In all, ten manufacturers have competed in World Superbikes, including Honda, Suzuki, Bimota, Petronas, Aprilia, Benelli and MV agusta.
BMW makes it 11 in 2009.
Ducati have won the title 12 times, with Honda next up on six. Kawasaki and Suzuki make up one title each.
Beyond hosting the 500th race, Brno also saw Bayliss earn a milestone in becoming the third most successful podium winner after notching up rostrums 87 and 88, while
Troy Corser strengthened his status as the most experienced rider on the grid by becoming the first rider to complete more than 6,000 laps.
