Silverstone voted 'most entertaining' MotoGP race

9.1 out of 10 sees Silverstone voted most entertaining MotoGP race of the season.

14 Dec 2016

Silverstone voted 'most entertaining' MotoGP race

Crash.net viewers voted Silverstone as the most entertaining MotoGP race of the 2016 season.

While five of last year's races exceeded 9 out of 10 for entertainment value, the British Grand Prix was the only event to break that mark this year.

However, the season average still increased from 7.1 to 7.2.

Polls were set-up after each race, asking Crash.net viewers: "Tell us exactly how entertaining you, the watching fans, thought it was by awarding a mark out of 10." A score of 10 meant 'fantastic', while 1 meant 'dull'.

Silverstone, ranked fifth last season, emerged on top by a margin of 0.3 over the Czech Republic round at Brno.

The British GP saw Maverick Vinales storm to his first every MotoGP victory, and the first for Suzuki since 2007, while behind him a thrilling battle raged between Cal Crutchlow, Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Andrea Iannone and Dani Pedrosa.

After some close moves, and a little contact, home hero Crutchlow emerged on top of that battle to finish 3.4s from Vinales. LCR Honda's Crutchlow had taken his first MotoGP victory in the previous wet-dry Brno round, fighting his way from 15th on the grid as several of the leaders struggled with tyre wear.

Completing the 2016 top three, and just edging out Phillip Island, was the Catalunya round - where Valentino Rossi rose from sixth to catch and pass local star Marc Marquez. Dani Pedrosa was elevated to third after a dramatic clash between Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Iannone.

At the lower end of your entertainment ranking were Qatar, Japan and Austin. Losail won last year's vote with a massive 9.7 out of 10, but could only manage 5.7 this time around. Motegi saw Marquez surprisingly wrap up the title with three rounds to go, after mistakes from both Rossi and Lorenzo.

Austin was again dominated by Marquez, who led from the first to last lap - at an event no other rider has won at since it joined the MotoGP calendar in 2013.

The full list can be seen below...

2016 MotoGP races - Average fan vote for entertainment:
1. British Grand Prix = 9.1 out of 10
2. Czech Republic Grand Prix =8.8
3. Catalunya Grand Prix = 8.43
4. Australian Grand Prix =8.41
5. Malaysian Grand Prix = 8.2
6. German Grand Prix = 7.9
7. Argentine Grand Prix =7.63
8. Dutch TT =7.61
9. San Marino Grand Prix = 7.4
10. Valencia Grand Prix =7.2
11. Italian Grand Prix = 7.13
12. Aragon Grand Prix = 7.11
13. Spanish Grand Prix = 6.5
14. French Grand Prix =6.3
15. Austrian Grand Prix = 5.9
16. Qatar Grand Prix = 5.7
17. Japanese Grand Prix =5.4
18. Americas Grand Prix =4.4Average for season =7.2 out of 10

Victory margin increases in MotoGP 2016

Despite a record nine different race winners, including the first satellite victories since 2006, the average winning margin increased from 3.2 to 4.2s this year. If only dry races are taken into consideration the difference becomes 2.6s (2015) and 3.6s (2016).

While five of last year's races were won by less than one-second (Qatar, Catalunya, Indianapolis, Australia and Valencia) - not including late-race lead clashes between Rossi and Marquez at Assen and Argentina - only two events broke the sub one-second victory margin in 2016 (Mugello and Austria).

The biggest dry victory margin in 2015 was 5.685s by Rossi in Argentina (after he and Marquez clashed on the penultimate lap). In 2016 it was 10.654s by Lorenzo at Le Mans.

2016 was the first year of Michelin tyres and a single ECU system.

MotoGP victory margin: 2015 vs 2016 races:
Qatar Grand Prix = 0.714s (2015), 2.019s (2016)
Argentine Grand Prix = 5.685s (2015), 7.679s (2016)
Americas Grand Prix = 2.354s (2015), 6.107s (2016)
Spanish Grand Prix = 5.576s (2015), 2.386s (2016)
French Grand Prix = 3.820s (2015), 10.654s (2016)
Italian Grand Prix = 5.563s (2015), 0.019s (2016)
Catalunya Grand Prix = 0.885s (2015), 2.652s (2016)
Dutch TT = 1.242s (2015), 1.991s* (2016)
German Grand Prix = 2.226s (2015), 9.857s* (2016)
Austrian Grand Prix = NA (2015), 0.938s (2016)
Indianapolis Grand Prix = 0.688s (2015), NA (2016)
Czech Grand Prix = 4.462s (2015), 7.298s* (2016)
British Grand Prix = 3.010s* (2015), 3.480s (2016)
San Marino Grand Prix = 7.288s* (2015), 2.837s (2016)
Aragon Grand Prix = 2.683s (2015), 2.740s (2016)
Japanese Grand Prix = 8.573s* (2015), 2.992s (2016)
Australian Grand Prix = 0.249s (2015), 4.218s (2016)
Malaysian Grand Prix = 3.612s (2015), 3.115s* (2016)
Valencia Grand Prix = 0.263s (2015), 1.185s (2016)
* wet.