Qatar voted 'most entertaining' MotoGP race
Crash.net viewers voted Qatar as the most entertaining MotoGP race of 2015, just edging out the Australian Grand Prix.
Five of this year's 18 rounds exceeded 9 out of 10 for entertainment value, with the top four grands prix all outscoring the best race of last year.
Nevertheless, the season average dropped from 7.3 to 7.1.
Polls were set-up after each race, asking Crash.net viewers to: "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'.
Qatar - runner-up to Catalunya last year - topped the 2015 list with a stunning average of 9.7, putting it top by just 0.1 over Phillip Island.
The Losail season opener saw Valentino Rossi take victory from eighth on the grid, having snatched the lead from Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso on the penultimate lap and winning by just 0.174s.
Eventual champion Jorge Lorenzo had led for much of the race before suffering helmet issues, while Honda's reigning champion Marc Marquez fought his way from the back of the pack to fifth after a mistake at turn one.
Although Dovizioso narrowly missed out on what would have been Ducati's first win since 2010, it was still a stunning debut for Gigi Dall'Igna's GP15 with Andrea Iannone claiming third place.
The Phillip Island race is famous for no less than 52 passes between the lead quartet of Marquez, Lorenzo, Iannone and Rossi - culminating in Marquez passing Lorenzo for victory with just a few corners to go, with Iannone likewise seizing third from Rossi.
The race subsequently proved controversial, with Rossi later claiming Marquez had been 'playing with them' to try and assist Lorenzo, an accusation the Honda rider flatly denied.
On-track tangles between Rossi and Marquez were the memorable moments of the third and fourth ranked races, in Argentina (9.5) and Assen (9.4).
Argentina saw Marquez bolt to a four-second lead using the softer rear tyre, while Rossi fought his way through the field from eighth on the opening lap using the harder rubber. Their paths dramatically crossed moments after Rossi passed the Spaniard (at the second attempt) on the penultimate lap, leaving Marquez on the ground.
Marquez' exit elevated Dovizioso to another runner-up finish, while LCR's Cal Crutchlow grabbed the season's first podium for a satellite rider with a last turn pass on Iannone.
Victory at the Dutch TT was decided after controversy at the very final chicane - Marquez launching a pass on race leader Rossi and the pair colliding at the apex. Rossi ran off track, but was able to re-join in front of Marquez and kept the victory after an investigation by Race Direction avoided punishing either rider.
The wet British Grand Prix rounded out the fantastic five with an average of 9.1. Silverstone saw Rossi's fourth and final victory of the season, after fending off a shock challenge from Pramac's Danilo Petrucci - who rode from 18th to 2nd!
At the other end of the entertainment ranking were the races at Jerez, Brno and Valencia respectively. All three saw start-to-finish victories for Lorenzo. The full list can be seen below...
2015 MotoGP races - Average fan vote for entertainment:
1. Qatar Grand Prix = 9.7 out of 10
2. Australian Grand Prix =9.6
3. Argentine Grand Prix =9.5
4. Dutch TT =9.4
5. British Grand Prix9.1
6. San Marino Grand Prix = 8.2
7. Japanese Grand Prix =8.1
8. Aragon Grand Prix = 7.6
9. Italian Grand Prix = 7.5
10. French Grand Prix =7.2
11. Indianapolis Grand Prix = 7
12. Catalunya Grand Prix = 6.1
13. Americas Grand Prix =6.0
14. Malaysian Grand Prix = 5.9
15. German Grand Prix = 5.5
16. Spanish Grand Prix = 4.3
17. Czech Republic Grand Prix =4.0
18. Valencia Grand Prix =3.96Average for season =7.1 out of 10
