2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
The 2007 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 59th F.I.M Road Racing World Championship season. The 2007 season was significant as it introduced a new regulation which specifies that competitors in the MotoGP class were allowed use up to 800 cc motorcycles; between 2002 and 2006, competitors had been allowed to use 990 cc motorcycles. While the 800cc motorcycles had less power than their 990cc counterparts, their ability to brake later and carry more speed through turns due to their lighter weight allowed them to break lap records in pre-season testing.
Casey Stoner won the MotoGP title, winning 10 of the 18 races to finish with a lead of 125 points over second placed Dani Pedrosa. Jorge Lorenzo won his second 250cc title, and Gábor Talmácsi won the 125cc title.
Stoner had a breakthrough season on the Ducati, the team winning its first world title on the Grand Prix scene. It was also the first time since 1973 that the premiere category had not been won by a Japanese constructor. The new 800 cc Ducati engine had a significant advantage over the other manufacturers in straightline speed but was tricky to ride through corners for Stoner's experienced teammate Loris Capirossi. Stoner was in strong contention early on but Valentino Rossi was very close for a long period of the season, before Stoner started to pull away at mid-season and sealed his title with several races to go, with Rossi's title challenge fading.
Up to the end of 2006, speculation suggested that Honda would have the advantage of the new 800cc engines, as they could modify their existing engines easier than other manufacturers. In practice, Honda suffered the most from the regulation change, with only Dani Pedrosa and Marco Melandri making any impression on the leaders. Stoner scored a string of wins for Ducati, Suzuki saw Chris Vermeulen take their first win since the advent of four-stroke regulations and John Hopkins posted his first podium finish. The Kawasaki team also made progress with improved results.
In addition to the capacity reduction, MotoGP teams were also restricted to 31 tires per race weekend per rider. This change seemed to have favored the Bridgestone's wider performance range over the more temperature- and track-specific Michelins. Pressure from top riders and declining viewership led Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta to propose a single-tire manufacturer for MotoGP. In the end, rules were amended to allow 9 more tires per weekend per rider, and Valentino Rossi switched to Bridgestone for the 2008 season while his FIAT Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo used Michelins.
, this was the only time since the introduction of MotoGP regulations that a rider and team from a non-Japanese manufacturer have won the season.
2007 Grand Prix season calendar
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 2007:| Round | Date | Grand Prix | Circuit |
| 1 | 10 March |  Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar | Losail International Circuit |
| 2 | 25 March |  Gran Premio bwin.com de España | Circuito de Jerez |
| 3 | 22 April |  Grand Prix of Turkey | Istanbul Park |
| 4 | 6 May |  Sinopec Great Wall Lubricants Grand Prix of China | Shanghai |
| 5 | 20 May |  Alice Grand Prix de France | Bugatti Circuit |
| 6 | 3 June |  Gran Premio d'Italia Alice | Mugello |
| 7 | 10 June |  Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya | Circuit de Catalunya |
| 8 | 24 June |  Nickel & Dime British Grand Prix | Donington Park |
| 9 | 30 June †† |  A-Style TT Assen | TT Circuit Assen |
| 10 | 15 July |  Alice Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland | Sachsenring |
| 11 | 22 July † |  Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca |
| 12 | 19 August |  Cardion ab Grand Prix České republiky | Brno Circuit |
| 13 | 2 September |  Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e Della Riviera di Rimini | Misano |
| 14 | 16 September |  bwin.com Grande Prémio de Portugal | Autódromo do Estoril |
| 15 | 23 September |  A-Style Grand Prix of Japan | Twin Ring Motegi |
| 16 | 14 October |  GMC Australian Grand Prix | Phillip Island Circuit |
| 17 | 21 October |  Polini Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix | Sepang International Circuit |
| 18 | 4 November |  Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana | Circuit Ricardo Tormo |
Calendar changes
- The Spanish and Qatar Grand Prix swapped places, with Qatar hosting the opening round instead of Spain.
- The Dutch TT and British Grand Prix swapped places, with Britain hosting the eighth round while the Netherlands hosted the ninth round.
- Only the MotoGP class raced during the United States Grand Prix because of a Californian law on air pollution, preventing the 125 and 250cc classes from racing.
- The San Marino Grand Prix was added on the calendar after an 18-year absence. The venue hosting the round was the Misano World Circuit instead of the previously used Mugello Circuit.
- The Malaysian and Australian Grand Prix were moved back, from 10 and 17 September to 21 and 14 October respectively.
- The Malaysian and Australian Grand Prix swapped places, with Australia hosting the sixteenth round while Malaysia hosting the seventeenth round.
- The Japanese and Portuguese Grand Prix were moved forward, from 24 September and 15 October to 23 and 16 September respectively.
- The Japanese and Portuguese Grand Prix swapped places, with Portugal hosting the fourteenth round while Japan hosted the fifteenth round.
2007 Grand Prix season results
Participants
MotoGP participants
† Ilmor withdrew before Spanish race.Mid-season changes
- On 15 March 2007, Mario Illien of Ilmor announced that the team would be taking a break from the Moto GP series as a result of funding issues.
- During practice for the Chinese GP, Olivier Jacque injured his arm in a crash and withdrew from the event. He missed his home race, at Le Mans, and was replaced by Fonsi Nieto.
- Team Roberts announced they expanded to a second bike from the Mugello race onwards, which was ridden by Kurtis Roberts.
- Kenny Roberts, Jr. withdrew from the series in June. In those rounds the sole KR212V was ridden by his brother Kurtis.
- On 21 June, it was announced that Anthony West would be replacing Olivier Jacque at Kawasaki for the remainder of the season.
- During practice for the Dutch TT, Toni Elías broke his left femur. He was replaced by Michel Fabrizio at the German Grand Prix and Miguel Duhamel at the United States Grand Prix.
- During the first practice session at the US GP, Alex Hofmann broke a bone and sustained a soft tissue injury in his left hand in a collision with Sylvain Guintoli and he was unable to compete during the remainder of the weekend. Chaz Davies was invited to take his ride for the remainder of the weekend despite having no experience on any MotoGP bike or Bridgestone tyres. Hofmann was also sidelined from Czech GP, where Iván Silva replaced him.
- Shinichi Itoh rode as a replacement rider on a Pramac d'Antin Ducati after Alex Hofmann was released from the team following the Portuguese Grand Prix.
250cc participants
Mid-season changes
- Roberto Locatelli was seriously injured in a practise session crash at the Spanish GP weekend. Gilera didn't replace him and Locatelli returned to the series in the French GP.
- As a result of a crash in qualifying in China, Yuki Takahashi broke his left arm and missed the French GP, which he won in 2006. He was not replaced for the event.
- Starting from the French GP, Humangest Racing was officially called Kopron Team Scot.
- Following Anthony West's step up to the Moto GP class with Kawasaki, Dan Linfoot was signed to replace him from the Donington Park round. Also, Arturo Tizón was sacked by his team and replaced by Efrén Vázquez.
- Federico Sandi replaced Dan Linfoot from Australian GP onwards.
- Taro Sekiguchi missed couple of rounds after being injured in Czech Republic Grand Prix. Having had lots of injuries during last couple of seasons, he decided to change his race number in his return, in the Australian Grand Prix.
125cc participants
Mid-season changes
- Fontana Racing was called Skilled Racing Team before the season started following the withdrawal of their sponsor ISPA for Team Sicilia.
- Stefano Musco missed the Qatar & Spanish GPs through injury and was replaced by Dino Lombardi. Later Lombardi replaced Musco on regular basis.
- Mike Di Meglio sustained a broken collarbone in a crash in qualifying for the Spanish GP and was told by doctors to allow more time to recover. He was replaced at the Turkish GP by Kev Coghlan, who had been originally on the 250cc entry list prior to the withdrawal of his team, Winona Racing.
- Starting from the French GP, Scot Racing Team was officially called Kopron Team Scot.
- At the British GP, Enrique Jerez replaced Dino Lombardi.
- From Portuguese GP onwards, Stefan Bradl replaced Hugo van den Berg on regular basis.
- Following Federico Sandi's move to 250cc class, Ferruccio Lamborghini replaced him in Skilled Racing Team, starting from Australian Grand Prix.
- Glenn Scott replaced Stefano Bianco in Australian Grand Prix.
Standings
MotoGP riders' standings
Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. Rider has to finish the race to earn points.| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
| Points | 25 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
- Riders marked with light blue background were eligible for Rookie of the Year awards.
250cc riders' standingsPoints are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. Rider has to finish the race to earn points.
|
KTM