2015 MotoGP World Championship

The 2015 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 67th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The championship was won by Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo, racing for Movistar Yamaha MotoGP. It was his third and final world title in the MotoGP category, his fifth overall in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The season had 18 races, beginning in Qatar and finishing in Valencia, which determined who would be world champion between Movistar Yamaha teammates Lorenzo and runner-up Valentino Rossi. It was first time since 2013 that the world title was decided on the final race of the season. Lorenzo also had the most pole positions, fastest laps and race wins throughout the season; while Rossi had the most finishes, completing every race throughout the season, while Lorenzo had one race retirement in San Marino.

Jorge Lorenzo (pictured in 2013) won his third MotoGP world title, and fifth world title overall, by winning the final race of the season in Valencia.

2015 was the final season that Bridgestone was the sole tyre supplier for MotoGP, as Michelin became the sole tyre supplier for the 2016 season.

The 2015 season also saw the début of the Suzuki GSX-RR and Aprilia RS-GP. The GSX-RR previously made an appearance at the 2014 Valencian Grand Prix ahead of a full-season return for Suzuki as a factory team for the first time since 2011 and the RS-GP was used by Gresini Racing after the team split from Honda at the end of last season.

This season is well known for the Sepang clash, which involved a collision between two-time defending champion Marc Márquez and then-championship leader, Rossi. The clash remains one of the most memorable and controversial moments in the sport's history, with Rossi's penalty (a grid demotion in Valencia) for the incident helping Lorenzo win the race in Valencia and clinch his third MotoGP world title.

Season summary

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Marc Márquez started the season as the defending riders' champion, having won his second consecutive title in 2014. He had been undefeated in championships throughout his MotoGP career and won a record breaking 13 wins in a season.

Valentino Rossi led the championship for almost the entire season as he chased a tenth world title, but ultimately, the honours went to his Yamaha Motor Racing teammate Jorge Lorenzo,[1] who took his third MotoGP title and a fifth world title overall.[2] Lorenzo started the season quietly with three finishes off the podium,[2] Rossi took wins in Qatar and an eventful win in Argentina, with Rossi chasing Márquez down for the lead before the two riders collided on the penultimate lap.[3][4] Rossi stayed upright but Márquez was unable to rejoin the race, with Rossi calling Márquez voicing his displeasure in the press conference after the race, beginning an estrangement between the two riders that would impact the season and Lorenzo's eventual championship.[5][6]

Thereafter, Lorenzo took four successive wins for the first time in his career to bring himself back into the championship race, before Rossi won at Assen.[7] Lorenzo did not win again until Brno, taking the championship lead on countback,[8] but ceded it back to Rossi, when he won at Silverstone.[9] Lorenzo crashed out at Misano,[2] while Rossi finished fifth ending a 16-race streak of podium finishes after both Yamaha riders were caught out by wet weather.[10]

Rossi and Márquez again collided at Assen on the final lap; Rossi rejoined the circuit through the gravel and went on to win the race, while race direction deemed the incident as a racing incident.[7]

At San Marino, Rossi was given a penalty point on his licence, for impeding Lorenzo in qualifying, an incident that would cause implications later on in the season.[11]

The Australian Grand Prix was won by Márquez, with Lorenzo in second and Rossi finishing fourth, in a race that is considered to be one of the greatest in MotoGP's history.[12] With the top three in the championship, along with Andrea Iannone's Ducati going head to head, with over 50 overtakes between the top four throughout the race, 13 lead changes and Márquez setting the fastest lap on the final lap to ensure victory.[13] Despite the incredible response from fans about the race, Rossi was not happy with how the race unfolded and made comments about Márquez, making accusing Márquez of helping Lorenzo in his title aspirations at Phillip Island in the pre-event press conference at Malaysia, a claim that Márquez refuted, leading up to one of the most infamous races in the sports history one week later.[14][15]

The Malaysian race, was originally at risk of being cancelled due to smoke from fires in Indonesia impacting the track, however the race would go ahead with Rossi and Márquez colliding for a third time during the season. After a series of 18 overtakes and exchanges of positions between the two, during the seventh lap of the race, Rossi made a move on Márquez at Turn 14, pushing Márquez to the outside of the circuit. The two riders made contact and Márquez fell from his bike. He remounted and returned to the pits but had to retire from the race. Rossi maintained the third place that the pair had been battling over until the end of the race.[16] The incident divided fans, pundits and the riders on the grid, with Lorenzo made a gesture showing his disapproval at the move and deemed the penalty as "inadequate" and was booed off the podium, with race winner Pedrosa criticising Rossi's reaction to the incident by calling it a contradiction based on his previous comments on racing incidents.[15][17] Race Direction reviewed the incident and deemed Rossi at fault for the collision, and three penalty points were added to his licence.[18] With this, it meant that Rossi was forced to start the final race in Valencia from the back of the grid, despite appealing the penalty to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the penalty was ultimately upheld; with Lorenzo submitting a statement towards the appeal and later apologised for his actions on the podium.[19] Rossi voiced his regret at his move on Márquez, but did not apologise for the incident occurring while Márquez stood his ground on his riding style in Malaysia.[15][20]

Following the fallout from Malaysia, which included a clash between the Márquez family and Italian television reporters who invaded the family property in Barcelona, Lorenzo being wrongfully accused of storming race direction demanding a penalty for Rossi, which the members of the media would later retract the story and Rossi's protest being overturned being met with hostile reactions from some fans; FIM president Vito Ippolito deemed the events as a "damaging effect on the staging of our competitions and poisoned the atmosphere around the sport", with Ippolito and Dorna Sports boss Carmelo Ezpeleta calling a private meeting for all riders and crew chiefs in Valencia, cancelling the pre-event press conference, also meeting with Lorenzo, Márquez and Rossi privately before the race weekend began.[20][21][22][23][24]

In the final five races, Rossi finished ahead of Lorenzo once, as Lorenzo continued to close the points gap; at a maximum of 23 after San Marino, Lorenzo pulled it back to 7 going into Valencia with the champion to be determined at the final race of the season for the first time in nine years when Nicky Hayden defeated Rossi for the title at Valencia.[25]

At the final race, Lorenzo took his seventh win of the season and won the world title by five points, leading the world championship for the first time all season while Rossi could only finish fourth gaining over 10 positions throughout the race.[1][26][27]

Third place in the final riders' championship standings went to Márquez, who won five races during the season, but six retirements during the campaign stopped him from challenging the Yamaha pair in the championship run-in. The only other rider to win a race during the season was Márquez's Repsol Honda teammate, Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa missed three races at the start of the season, after electing to undergo surgery to alleviate issues with arm-pump. Upon his return, he did not podium until Catalunya, and ultimately, took two wins in the closing four races at Motegi,[28] and Sepang.[16]

Other championship standings

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In the other championships, the eleven wins for Rossi and Lorenzo were enough for Yamaha to take the teams' title by over 200 points ahead of Repsol Honda,[29] and the manufacturers' title by 52 points ahead of Honda.[30] Amongst the class of rookies, Suzuki rider Maverick Viñales took the IRTA Cup, finishing in twelfth place overall,[31][32] while Héctor Barberá of Avintia Racing was the best-placed Open class rider, in fifteenth.[31][32]

Calendar

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The following Grands Prix took place in 2015:

RoundDateGrand PrixCircuit
129 March ‡ Commercial Bank Grand Prix of QatarLosail International Circuit, Lusail
212 April Red Bull Grand Prix of the AmericasCircuit of the Americas, Austin
319 April Gran Premio Red Bull de la República ArgentinaAutódromo Termas de Río Hondo, Termas de Río Hondo
43 May Gran Premio bwin de EspañaCircuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera
517 May Monster Energy Grand Prix de FranceBugatti Circuit, Le Mans
631 May Gran Premio d'Italia TIMMugello Circuit, Scarperia e San Piero
714 June Gran Premi Monster Energy de CatalunyaCircuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló
827 June †† Motul TT AssenTT Circuit Assen, Assen
912 July GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix DeutschlandSachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal
109 August Red Bull Indianapolis Grand PrixIndianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway
1116 August bwin Grand Prix České republikyBrno Circuit, Brno
1230 August Octo British Grand PrixSilverstone Circuit, Silverstone
1313 September Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di RiminiMisano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Misano Adriatico
1427 September Gran Premio Movistar de AragónMotorLand Aragón, Alcañiz
1511 October Motul Grand Prix of JapanTwin Ring Motegi, Motegi
1618 October Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand PrixPhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island
1725 October Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand PrixSepang International Circuit, Sepang
188 November Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat ValencianaCircuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia
Sources:[33][34][35]
‡ = Night race
†† = Saturday race

Calendar changes

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  • The British Grand Prix had been scheduled to return to Donington Park for the first time since 2009, ahead of a planned move to the brand-new Circuit of Wales in 2016.[36] However, Donington Park pulled out of hosting the event on 10 February 2015, citing financial delays.[37] The following day, it was announced that Silverstone would host the British Grand Prix in 2015 and 2016.[38]

Teams and riders

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As in 2014, the MotoGP class was divided into two categories: Factory and Open. Manufacturers who had not won a dry race since the start of the 2013 season or were new to the class could enter the Factory category with all the Open concessions.

A provisional entry list was released by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme on 23 October 2014.[39] An updated entry list was released on 2 February 2015.[40]

Factory entries
TeamConstructorMotorcycleNo.RiderRounds
Aprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia[41]RS-GP19 Álvaro Bautista[42]All
33 Marco Melandri[43]1–8
70 Michael Laverty[44]9
6 Stefan Bradl[45]10–18
Octo IodaRacing Team
E-Motion IodaRacing Team[46]
ARTART15 Alex de Angelis[47]1–15
55 Damian Cudlin[48]16–17
23 Broc Parkes[49]18
Ducati TeamDucatiDesmosedici GP1504 Andrea Dovizioso[50]All
29 Andrea Iannone[51]All
51 Michele Pirro[52]6, 13, 18
Pramac Racing
Octo Pramac Racing[53]
Desmosedici GP14[54]9 Danilo Petrucci[55]All
68 Yonny Hernández[56]All
Repsol Honda TeamHondaRC213V26 Dani Pedrosa[57]1, 5–18
7 Hiroshi Aoyama[58]2–4
93 Marc Márquez[59]All
Team HRC with Nissin72 Takumi Takahashi[60]15
CWM LCR Honda
LCR Honda[61]
35 Cal Crutchlow[62]All
EG 0,0 Marc VDS45 Scott Redding[63]All
Team Suzuki EcstarSuzukiGSX-RR25 Maverick Viñales[64]All
41 Aleix Espargaró[64]All
Movistar Yamaha MotoGPYamahaYZR-M146 Valentino Rossi[65]All
99 Jorge Lorenzo[66]All
Yamaha Factory Racing Team21 Katsuyuki Nakasuga[60]15
Monster Yamaha Tech 338 Bradley Smith[67]All
44 Pol Espargaró[68]All
Open entries
TeamConstructorMotorcycleNo.RiderRounds
Avintia RacingDucatiDesmosedici GP14[69]8 Héctor Barberá[70]All
63 Mike Di Meglio[39]All
AB MotoracingHondaRC213V-RS17 Karel Abraham[71]1–7, 11–14
7 Hiroshi Aoyama[72]9
24 Toni Elías[73]10
64 Kousuke Akiyoshi[60]15
13 Anthony West[74]16–18
CWM LCR Honda
LCR Honda[61]
43 Jack Miller[75]All
Aspar MotoGP Team50 Eugene Laverty[76]All
69 Nicky Hayden[77]All
Athinà Forward Racing
Forward Racing[78]
Yamaha ForwardYamaha Forward6 Stefan Bradl[79]1–8
71 Claudio Corti[80]9
71 Claudio Corti11–13
24 Toni Elías[81]14–18
76 Loris Baz[82]1–9, 11–18
Key
Regular rider
Wildcard rider
Replacement rider

All the bikes used Bridgestone tyres.

Team changes

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  • Suzuki returned to MotoGP as a constructor after a four-year hiatus.
  • Aprilia made an official return to the championship entering two factory-supported bikes with Gresini Racing. The Italian team ended its long partnership with Honda, having raced their bikes since 1997.
  • Marc VDS Racing expanded its operations to enter a Honda bike in the MotoGP category, having taken on the Factory class bike previously run by Gresini.
  • LCR Honda entered a second bike in the Open category.
  • Avintia Racing left its Kawasaki-based machinery to switch to Ducati bikes.
  • Paul Bird Motorsport left MotoGP at the end of the 2014 season to concentrate on their British Superbike Championship campaign.[83]

Rider changes

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Mid-season changes

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Results and standings

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Grands Prix

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RoundGrand PrixPole positionFastest lapWinning riderWinning teamWinning constructorReport
1 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix[85] Andrea Dovizioso Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
2 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas[86] Marc Márquez Andrea Iannone Marc Márquez Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
3 Argentine Republic motorcycle Grand Prix[87] Marc Márquez Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
4 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix[88] Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
5 French motorcycle Grand Prix[89] Marc Márquez Valentino Rossi Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
6 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix[90] Andrea Iannone Marc Márquez Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
7 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix[91] Aleix Espargaró Marc Márquez Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
8 Dutch TT[92] Valentino Rossi Marc Márquez Valentino Rossi Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
9 German motorcycle Grand Prix[93] Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
10 Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix[33] Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
11 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix[33] Jorge Lorenzo Marc Márquez Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
12 British motorcycle Grand Prix[94] Marc Márquez Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
13 San Marino and Rimini Riviera motorcycle Grand Prix[95] Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Marc Márquez Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
14 Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix[96] Marc Márquez Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport
15 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix[97] Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
16 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix[98] Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
17 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix[99] Dani Pedrosa Jorge Lorenzo Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team HondaReport
18 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix[100] Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Movistar Yamaha MotoGP YamahaReport

Riders' standings

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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 
Points252016131110987654321
PosRiderBikeOpenTeamQAT
AME
ARG
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
INP
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
Pts
1 Jorge LorenzoYamahaMovistar Yamaha MotoGP445111134214Ret13221330
2 Valentino RossiYamahaMovistar Yamaha MotoGP131323213331532434325
3 Marc MárquezHondaRepsol Honda Team51Ret24RetRet2112Ret1Ret41Ret2242
4 Dani PedrosaHondaRepsol Honda Team6164382455921513206
5 Andrea IannoneDucatiDucati Team35465244554874Ret3RetRet188
6 Bradley SmithYamahaMonster Yamaha Tech 38668655766772871046181
7 Andrea DoviziosoDucatiDucati Team22293RetRet12Ret96385513Ret7162
8 Cal CrutchlowHondaLCR Honda7734RetRetRet678RetRet1176759125
9 Pol EspargaróYamahaMonster Yamaha Tech 39Ret8576Ret5878RetRet9Ret895114
10 Danilo PetrucciDucatiOcto Pramac Racing121011121099119101026RetRet12610113
11 Aleix EspargaróSuzukiTeam Suzuki Ecstar11877RetRetRet910149910611978105
12 Maverick ViñalesSuzukiTeam Suzuki Ecstar1491011976101111Ret111411Ret681197
13 Scott ReddingHondaEG 0,0 Marc VDS13Ret913Ret11713Ret131263121011111584
14 Yonny HernándezDucatiOcto Pramac Racing10RetRet10810Ret14121211RetRet101417121356
15 Héctor BarberáDucatiOpenAvintia Racing15121314131316Ret131516131816916131633
16 Álvaro BautistaApriliaAprilia Racing Team GresiniRet151915151410171418131015131614151431
17 Loris BazYamaha ForwardOpenForward Racing221714Ret12121315191516417Ret18Ret1928
18 Stefan BradlYamaha ForwardOpenAthinà Forward Racing16Ret1516RetRet8Ret17
ApriliaAprilia Racing Team Gresini2014Ret161818211018
19 Jack MillerHondaOpenLCR HondaRet141220RetRet11Ret15Ret19Ret1219Ret15172117
20 Nicky HaydenHondaOpenAspar MotoGP Team1713161711RetRet1616161712171513Ret161716
21 Michele PirroDucatiDucati Team8Ret1212
22 Eugene LavertyHondaOpenAspar MotoGP Team18161718141512Ret1719Ret171914171919Ret9
23 Katsuyuki NakasugaYamahaYamaha Factory Racing Team88
24 Mike Di MeglioDucatiOpenAvintia Racing19Ret1822Ret161418Ret1718141320152018Ret8
25 Hiroshi AoyamaHondaRepsol Honda Team11RetRet5
OpenAB MotoracingRet
26 Takumi TakahashiHondaTeam HRC with Nissin124
27 Toni ElíasHondaOpenAB Motoracing222
Yamaha ForwardOpenForward Racing2120221420
28 Alex de AngelisARTE-Motion IodaRacing Team2018222117Ret15Ret1821Ret15RetRetDNS2
Karel AbrahamHondaOpenAB MotoracingRetRet21RetRet17DNS211921Ret0
Marco MelandriApriliaAprilia Racing Team Gresini21Ret20191818Ret190
Claudio CortiYamaha ForwardOpenForward RacingRet2018200
Kousuke AkiyoshiHondaOpenAB Motoracing190
Anthony WestHondaOpenAB Motoracing2320220
Michael LavertyApriliaAprilia Racing Team Gresini200
Damian CudlinARTE-Motion IodaRacing TeamRetRet0
Broc ParkesARTE-Motion IodaRacing TeamRet0
PosRiderBikeOpenTeamQAT
AME
ARG
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
INP
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
Pts
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap
Light blue – Rookie

IconClass
OpenOpen Entry

Constructors' standings

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Each constructor received the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.

PosConstructorQAT
AME
ARG
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
INP
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
Pts
1 Yamaha131111113211212221407
2 Honda513244321125121112355
3 Ducati222632445542645367256
4 Suzuki11877976910119910611678137
5 Aprilia21151915151410171418131015131614101436
6 Yamaha Forward1617141612128151915164172018141935
7 ART2018222117Ret15Ret1821Ret15RetRetDNSRetRetRet2
PosConstructorQAT
AME
ARG
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
INP
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
Pts

Teams' standings

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The teams' standings were based on results obtained by regular and substitute riders; wild-card entries were ineligible.

PosTeamBike
No.
QAT
AME
ARG
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
INP
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
Pts
1 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP46131323213331532434655
99445111134214Ret13221
2 Repsol Honda Team711RetRet453
266164382455921513
9351Ret24RetRet2112Ret1Ret41Ret2
3 Ducati Team0422293RetRet12Ret96385513Ret7350
2935465244554874Ret3RetRet
4 Monster Yamaha Tech 3388668655766772871046295
449Ret8576Ret5878RetRet9Ret895
5 Team Suzuki Ecstar251491011976101111Ret111411Ret6811202
4111877RetRetRet910149910611978
6 Octo Pramac Racing9121011121099119101026RetRet12610169
6810RetRet10810Ret14121211RetRet1014171213
7 LCR Honda357734RetRetRet678RetRet1176759142
43Ret141220RetRet11Ret15Ret19Ret1219Ret151721
8 EG 0,0 Marc VDS4513Ret913Ret11713Ret131263121011111584
9 Avintia Racing815121314131316Ret131516131816916131641
6319Ret1822Ret161418Ret1718141320152018Ret
10 Forward Racing616Ret1516RetRet8Ret39
242120221420
71Ret201820
76221714Ret12121315191516417Ret18Ret19
11 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini62014Ret16181821101839
19Ret1519151514101714181310151316141514
3321Ret20191818Ret19
7020
12 Aspar MotoGP Team5018161718141512Ret1719Ret171914131919Ret25
691713161711RetRet1616161712171517Ret1617
13 E-Motion IodaRacing Team152018222117Ret15Ret1821Ret15RetRetDNS2
23Ret
55RetRet
AB Motoracing7Ret0
13232022
17RetRet21RetRet17DNS211921Ret
2422
6419
PosTeamBike
No.
QAT
AME
ARG
SPA
FRA
ITA
CAT
NED
GER
INP
CZE
GBR
RSM
ARA
JPN
AUS
MAL
VAL
Pts

References

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