80 per cent chance of Rossi/Stoner victory.

Valentino Rossi or Casey Stoner have taken victory in 80% of the races held since the 800cc MotoGP era began in 2007.

Between them, the pair have won 29 of the 36 races, with Stoner (Ducati) winning the 2007 title and Rossi (Yamaha) the 2008 crown.

However, Stoner has the historical edge heading into this weekend's 2009 season opener, since Ducati riders have won the first race of the year for the last three seasons - Loris Capirossi at Jerez in 2006, followed by Stoner in Qatar for the last two years.

The rider other than Stoner and Rossi to take more than a single MotoGP victory during the 800cc era is Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa, with four wins.

Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki), Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and Capirossi (Ducati) have each taken a single win.