Honda sensationally stop Ducati from breaking their unique MotoGP record
Ducati denied a spot in MotoGP record books
Honda halted Ducati’s desire to break their MotoGP record for consecutive wins at Le Mans on Sunday.
A victory at the French MotoGP for any Ducati rider would have broken the all-time record (in 500c/MotoGP) for most grand prix wins in a row for a single manufacturer.
Ducati had already equalled the record - held by Honda - of 22 consecutive wins when Gresini’s Alex Marquez won in Jerez.
Ducati were, as usual, heavily favoured to win again in Le Mans but were poetically denied by LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco.
Honda deny Ducati a MotoGP record
Zarco’s historic win - a Frenchman winning in France as a huge underdog - thwarted Ducati’s attempt to break the record.
It means Honda and Ducati share the record, with 22 wins apiece, for the most consecutive grand prix wins in MotoGP.
Ducati's wins had come via both Marquez brothers most recently, Pecco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini.
The run of Ducati dominance stretched back to the 2024 Circuit of the Americas, which Maverick Vinales won on an Aprilia.
Honda's original record stretched from the 1997 Malaysian Grand Prix to the 1998 Dutch TT at Assen.
Zarco's win in France was Honda's first premier class win for two years.
Alex Rins, also with the LCR satellite team, won the 2023 Americas MotoGP which was the Japanese manufacturer's prior success.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
