The 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 52nd F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.
Kenny Roberts Jr. fulfilled the promise of his 2nd place in 1999 by winning the championship for 2000 with 2 races to spare. The season also saw the premier class-debut of Valentino Rossi , who began the year with crashes in the first two rounds and also had a third at Valencia ; nonetheless, he came in second as a rookie in the class with 2 wins and 8 podiums. Garry McCoy achieved 3 wins with his spectacular 2-wheel sliding style, and his use of 16.5-inch (420 mm) tires began a general transition to that size,[1] though it had been used previously in 500 cc by Kevin Schwantz .[2] It was the last time a Suzuki rider clinched the title until Joan Mir secured his maiden title in 2020 edition.
Defending champion Àlex Crivillé had a disappointing season, bothered by an undetermined illness and a new NSR engine with a power curve that was difficult to manage. Said Jeremy Burgess : "In the middle of the corner, in the transition of getting back onto the power, the engine was weak, because all the power had gone to the top. You couldn't transfer the weight with the throttle from the front to the rear without feeling this weakness. That led to a tendency to over-open the throttle... and things would happen." By the third round, Honda started going back to much of the 1999 parts, though Rossi and Burgess decided to use the 2000 chassis with the 1999 engine.[3]
2000 Grand Prix season calendar edit
The following Grands Prix were scheduled to take place in 2000:[4]
†† = Saturday race 2000 Grand Prix season results edit Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider
Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Shell Advance Honda Team Honda Honda NSR250 4 Tohru Ukawa All 14 Anthony West All Aprilia Germany Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 6 Ralf Waldmann All 26 Klaus Nöhles 1–15 Petronas Sprinta Team TVK Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 8 Naoki Matsudo All 18 Shahrol Yuzy All Edo Racing Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 9 Sebastián Porto All Antena 3 Yamaha d'Antin Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 10 Fonsi Nieto All 31 Lucas Oliver Bultó 1–2, 4–16 32 Taro Sekiguchi 3 Campetella Racing Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 11 Ivan Clementi 1–14, 16 Yamaha Kurz Aral Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 12 Mike Baldinger 1–2 23 Julien Allemand 4–16 78 Dirk Reissmann 10 Aprilia Grand Prix Racing Blu Aprilia TeamAprilia Aprilia RSV 250 13/35 Marco Melandri All 34 Marcellino Lucchi 4, 6–7 QUB Team Optimum Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 15 Adrian Coates 1–14, 16 77 Jamie Robinson 1–15 Dee Cee Jeans Racing Team TSR-Honda Honda NSR250 16 Johan Stigefelt 1–10, 13–16 Chesterfield Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 19 Olivier Jacque All 56 Shinya Nakano All CC Valencia Airtel Aspar Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 20 Jerónimo Vidal 4, 7 30 Alex Debón All Motoracing Battaini Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 21 Franco Battaini All Tino Villa Racing TSR-Honda Honda NSR250 22 Sébastien Gimbert 5–16 44 Roberto Rolfo 1–4 Padgetts M/C Sales Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 24 Jason Vincent All AXO Honda Gresini TSR-Honda Honda NSR250 25 Vincent Philippe 1–2, 4–5, 8–16 27 Fabrizio de Marco 7 74 Daijiro Kato All PR2 - Circuito de Almería Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 20 Jerónimo Vidal 10–14, 16 33 David Tomás 7–9 54 David García 1–2, 4–7 D&B Bradgate Honda Honda NSR250 34 Gary Haslam 9 Diesel Vasco Rossi Racing Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 37 Luca Boscoscuro All Rizla Honda TSR-Honda Honda NSR250 41 Jarno Janssen All Team Fomma TSR-Honda Honda NSR250 42 David Checa All Racing Factory Aprilia Aprilia RSV 250 44 Roberto Rolfo 7–10, 15–16 66 Alex Hofmann 1–6, 11–13 Team Kotake Honda Honda NSR250 48 Shinichi Nakatomi 3 Motorex Daytona Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 49 Osamu Miyazaki 3 SP Tadao Racing Team Yamaha Yamaha YZR 250 50 Nobuyuki Ohsaki 3 Team 2000 Penguin Honda Honda NSR250 88 Yasumasa Hatakeyama 15 Harc-Pro Honda Honda Honda NSR250 89 Hiroshi Aoyama 15 Source:[6]
Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider
Team Constructor Motorcycle No. Rider Rounds Telefónica Movistar Honda Honda Honda RS125R 1 Emilio Alzamora All 29 Ángel Nieto Jr. 1–13, 15–16 Benetton Playlife Honda Honda Honda RS125R 3 Masao Azuma All 32 Mirko Giansanti 1–6, 9–14 33 Stefano Bianco 16 Diesel Vasco Rossi Racing Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 4 Roberto Locatelli All 16 Simone Sanna All GiVi Honda LCR Honda Honda RS125R 5 Noboru Ueda All 9 Lucio Cecchinello All Bossini Fontana Racing Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 8 Gianluigi Scalvini All Antinucci Racing Team Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 10 Adrián Araujo 1–3, 6–8, 12–13 19 Alessandro Brannetti 4–6 34 Eric Bataille 10, 14–16 Racing Service Honda Honda Honda RS125R 11 Max Sabbatani All SCRAB Compétition Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 12 Randy de Puniet All Chupa Chups Matteoni Rg. Honda Honda Honda RS125R 15 Alex de Angelis All 18 Antonio Elías All 66 Alex Baldolini 6 ADAC Sachsen Honda Honda Honda RS125R 17 Steve Jenkner All Circuito Valencia Aspar Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 21 Arnaud Vincent All 44 Héctor Faubel 4, 13 Festina Derbi Derbi Derbi 125 GP 22 Pablo Nieto All 41 Youichi Ui All 54 Manuel Poggiali 1, 3–16 LAE UGT 3000 Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 23 Gino Borsoi All Italjet Moto Italjet Italjet F125 24 Leon Haslam 1–4, 6–16 39 Jaroslav Huleš 1–14 67 Marco Tresoldi 6, 15–16 Fomma Honda Honda Honda RS125R 26 Ivan Goi All Queroseno Racing Team Honda Honda Honda RS125R 34 Eric Bataille 7–9, 12–13 RS ADAC Esch Racing Honda Honda Honda RS125R 35 Reinhard Stolz 1–8, 10–16 Semprucci Biesse Aprilia Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 39 Jaroslav Huleš 16 51 Marco Petrini 1–15 53 William De Angelis 1–13, 16 Team Boydis-Beatriz Hoteles Aprilia Aprilia RS125R 45 Ivan Martínez 4, 7 JHA Racing Honda Honda RS125R 55 Hideyuki Nakajoh 3 Team Plus One Honda Honda RS125R 56 Yuzo Fujioka 3, 15 ACT Corp - Team Wheelie Honda Honda RS125R 57 Hiroyuki Kikuchi 3 JRacing Motul Yamaha Yamaha TZ125 58 Katsuji Uezu 3 ADAC Junior Team Germany Honda Honda RS125R 74 Jarno Müller 10 Budweiser Budvar Elit Team Hanusch Honda Honda RS125R 78 Jakub Smrž 10–11 Source:[7]
Key Regular Rider Wildcard Rider Replacement Rider
500cc riders' standings edit Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had 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
Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX)
Bold – PoleItalics – Fastest Lap
500cc manufacturers' standings edit 250cc riders' standings edit [8]
Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had 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
Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX)
Bold – PoleItalics – Fastest Lap
250cc manufacturers' standings edit 125cc riders' standings edit [9]
Scoring system Points were awarded to the top fifteen finishers. A rider had 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
Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Did not arrive (DNA) Excluded (EX)
Bold – PoleItalics – Fastest Lap
125cc manufacturers' standings edit Büla, Maurice & Schertenleib, Jean-Claude (2001). Continental Circus 1949-2000 . Chronosports S.A. ISBN 2-940125-32-5