Bridgestone era ends with ten more lap records
The final season of the Bridgestone era saw ten new MotoGP race lap records set over the 18 rounds.
Five of those were by eventual champion Jorge Lorenzo, as Yamaha made inroads into what had previously been a Honda dominated list.
Former champion Marc Marquez still finished the year holding the most lap records (seven) on the present calendar, plus two for team-mate Dani Pedrosa, but Yamaha is now just one behind courtesy of Lorenzo and team-mate Valentino Rossi.
The fastest race lap on the current schedule remains Marquez's 181.7km/h (112.9mph) average from Phillip Island 2013. Meanwhile the Spaniard's new back-to-back records at the Sachsenring and Indianapolis were both at a speed of exactly 162.0km/h.
But perhaps the standout statistic is for Qatar, where Casey Stoner's 2008 record still stands unbeaten.
It is the only surviving record on the present calendar from the 800cc era, and the only one by a Ducati rider, but might Stoner be back to set a few new records in 2016? Qatar aside, all other race lap records have been set since 2013, using 1000cc engines.
Bridgestone has been MotoGP's exclusive tyre supplier since 2009, with Michelin now taking over the role.
It remains to be seen how many of the Bridgestone records will be broken this season, when the sport will also introduce a single ECU system, but the top five riders were under Lorenzo's new Valencia record (albeit during short 2-4 lap runs) at November's test.
New Pramac Ducati signing Scott Redding then reportedly got to within 0.2s of Lorenzo's race record during private testing at Jerez, underlining that the Michelins are already in the ballpark in terms of outright pace.
MotoGP Race Lap Records by Circuit: 2015 calendar:
1.Losail: Casey Stoner Ducati 2008 (168.1km/h average speed)
2.COTA: Marc Marquez Honda 2014 (160.6km/h)
3.Argentina: Valentino Rossi Yamaha 2015 (174.7km/h)
4.Jerez: Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2015 (161.2km/h)
5.Le Mans: Valentino Rossi Yamaha 2015 (162.2km/h)
6.Mugello: Marc Marquez Honda 2013 (175.4km/h)
7.Catalunya: Marc Marquez Honda 2014 (166.5km/h)
8.Assen: Marc Marquez Honda 2015 (174.6km/h)
9.Sachsenring: Marc Marquez Honda 2015 (162.0km/h)
10.Indianapolis: Marc Marquez Honda 2015 (162.0km/h)
11.Brno: Dani Pedrosa Honda 2014 (167.6km/h)
12.Silverstone*: Dani Pedrosa Honda 2013 (174.1km/h)
13.Misano*: Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2015 (163.1km/h)
14.Aragon: Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2015 (169.0km/h)
15.Motegi*: Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2014 (164.0km/h)
16.Phillip Island: Marc Marquez Honda 2013 (181.7km/h)
17.Sepang: Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2015 (165.4km/h)
18.Valencia: Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 2015 (157.8km/h)
* Rain during race in 2015.
MotoGP Lap Records by Rider:
1. Marc Marquez 7 (out of 18)
2. Jorge Lorenzo 6
=3. Valentino Rossi 2
=3. Dani Pedrosa 2
5. Casey Stoner 1
MotoGP Lap Records by Manufacturer:
1. Honda 9 (out of 18)
2. Yamaha 8
3. Ducati 1
