2017 MotoGP World Championship
The 2017 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The 2017 season saw the début of the KTM RC16, which was previously used by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing at the 2016 Valencian Grand Prix ahead of a full season début. Season Summary. Marc Márquez started the season as defending World Champion, having secured his fifth overall title at the 2016 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix with three races remaining. Whilst Yamaha's new rider Maverick Viñales started the season off with two consecutive victories, the following  spring season proved to be unpredictable with four different winners in as many races, following the trend from 2016. Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso then took his first dry-track MotoGP win at Mugello before repeating the feat the following week in Barcelona. With Viñales not finishing the race at Assen, this allowed Dovizioso to lead the championship by four points after eight races, becoming the first Ducati rider to lead the championship since Casey Stoner in . Márquez took the championship lead after winning the German Grand Prix. He held the championship lead until the British Grand Prix, where Dovizioso regained  the lead after Márquez's engine blew up late in the race. Márquez bounced back immediately to take consecutive victories in the next two rounds to reestablish himself as championship leader. Over the following three races, Dovizioso claimed two more wins to Márquez's one, but a poor result in Australia for the Ducati rider meant that Márquez's points lead remained intact. Going into the final round in Valencia Márquez topped the standings, 21 points ahead of Dovizioso, with both riders winning six races apiece. Viñales was third, 56 points behind Márquez. Therefore, Márquez needed to finish 11th or  higher to guarantee a championship, whereas Dovizioso was forced under all circumstances to win in Valencia. Márquez was on pole in Valencia, and Dovizioso started 9th. After Márquez saved a high-speed potential crash into turn 1, he dropped back behind Dovizioso. The title chances of Dovizioso ended when he crashed with five laps of the race remaining, losing the hope in taking the championship. Meanwhile, Márquez finished third behind Dani Pedrosa and the season's top rookie and independent rider Johann Zarco. Márquez won his sixth title and fourth MotoGP title overall. Calendar. The following Grands Prix took place  in 2017: Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points. Points are awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider has to finish the race to earn points.