How and why this each of this year's crop of F1 drivers chose their new-for-2014 personalised race numbers has been well documented, but, with the tradition having been established in MotoGP for over a decade now, some of the stories behind the race numbers are harder to discover.
After much trawling across the web to find the reasons behind each of this year's riders' number choices, I have been able to find detailed descriptions for some, while others remain a mystery. If you have any more information on any of the rider numbers for which I haven't been able to find a satisfactory explanation, please don't hesitate to leave a comment!
Andrea Dovizioso - 4
Dovizioso originally used number 34 in his early career as a tribute to his childhood hero Kevin Schwantz, but with the number having been retired in the premier class in respect of the legendary American, 'Dovi' simply decided to ditch the first digit when he reached MotoGP.
Colin Edwards - 5
Upon joining MotoGP fresh from winning the World Superbike championship for a second time, Edwards ran the number 45, which dated back to his days in the AMA series. But, after finishing fifth in the 2004 championship, 'The Texas Tornado' decided to change to 5, which he'd previously carried in World Superbikes in 1999, in the hope it would bring him more luck.
Stefan Bradl - 6
Bradl adopted the number 65 when he joined the ranks in Moto2 in deference to a sponsor, having used 17 during most of his 125cc career. But, with 65 retired in MotoGP respect of Loris Capirossi, Bradl - like Dovizioso - got around the problem by dropping a digit. If you look closely, you can just about make out a '5' inside the black '6' formed by a series of thin red and yellow lines.
Hiroshi Aoyama - 7
Another rider to change his number upon entering MotoGP, Aoyama had used number 4 (assigned to him after finishing fourth in the 250cc standings in 2005), but with that already taken by Dovizioso, he switched to 7. The Japanese claims it's in memory of his late compatriot Daijiro Kato, who ran 74, a number which has also been retired. at the time of his fatal crash at Suzuka in 2003,
Hector Barbera - 8
Barbera claims to have always liked number 8, but used number 80 for much of his early career as the number was taken by other riders. His MotoGP debut was made using 40, again at the behest of a sponsor (Maverick Vinales currently bears the same number in Moto2 in the same style), but in 2011 Barbera was able to finally begin using the number he wanted all along.
Danilo Petrucci - 9
Having used number 9 throughout his time in World Superstock, Petrucci continued with the number when he moved to MotoGP in 2012.
Karel Abraham - 17
Abraham switched to 17 when he entered the 250cc class in 2007, having used 44 prior to that, and chose to keep it upon graduating to MotoGP in 2011.
Alvaro Bautista - 19
19 has been the number used by Bautista ever since he made his full-time Grand Prix debut in the 125cc class back in 2003. For a trio of one-off appearances in the lightweight class the previous year, he used 51.
Broc Parkes - 23
Parkes has carried number 23 since making his debut in World Supersport in 2003, keeping it for his MotoGP debut this year. During his two-year stint in World Superbikes in 2001-2, he used numbers 36 and 12.
Dani Pedrosa - 26
The ubiquitous 26 is a legacy of Pedrosa being one of the first three riders (the others being Toni Elias and Joan Olive) taken under the wing of former MotoGP rider Alberto Puig, who devoted his efforts to unearthing new talent after his own career came to an end.
Puig had assigned numbers 24, 25 and 26 to his trio of young charges in the 2001 125cc class, Pedrosa getting 26 - and the Spaniard has stuck with it since, except for a two-year period in 2008-09 where he used number 2 and 3 to reflect his championship placing of the previous year.
NB: Casey Stoner, famous for using 27 throughout most of his career, was another rider picked up by Puig, who simply continued the sequence started in 2001 when he assigned the Australian rider a number to use on his 250cc debut in 2002.
Andrea Iannone - 29
Iannone began his career bearing number 9 (the date of his birthday), but decided to add the 2 used by his brother Angelo when he stopped racing to form 29, which the Italian has used throughout his MotoGP career.
Cal Crutchlow - 35
35 has been the number worn by Crutchlow since his British Supersport debut a decade ago, the Briton having stuck with it through British Superbikes, World Supersport, World Superbikes and his four years of MotoGP. He began his career using 5, but when that wasn't available he simply decided to attach a 3 to it to form the now-familiar 35.
Bradley Smith - 38
Smith has used the number 38 throughout his MotoGP career, starting with his maiden 125cc campaign in 2006, although he frequently used the similar-looking 88 in his early career.
Aleix Espargaro - 41
The elder of the Espargaro brothers idolised sometime 125cc rider Youichi Ui, who ran with the number 41. Aleix has always used 41 for that very reason since making his full-time 125cc debut in 2005, although he was forced to change to 42 (as 41 was in use) during his part-time 250cc campaign in 2006 and to 40 in Moto2 in deference to the same sponsor that forced Barbera (see above) to change.
Pol Espargaro - 44
Espargaro the younger has used 44 since he joined the 125cc class full-time in 2007, but for the same reason as his brother, Pol was forced to ditch it in favour of 40 for a two-year stint in Moto2 with the Pons team.
Scott Redding - 45
Since making his 125cc debut in 2008, Redding has never veered from his favoured number 45, wearing it throughout his time in Moto2 and in his debut MotoGP season.
Valentino Rossi - 46
The most famous of all the MotoGP numbers, Rossi began his career in the 125cc class in 1996 with the number 46 used by his father Graziano when he took his three Grand Prix wins in 1979. In fact, it was Rossi who really sparked the trend of riders keeping a particular number for their whole careers.
In 2001, the first five riders from the previous year's standings - besides Rossi, who finished second but stuck resolutely to his lucky number 46 - used numbers 1 to 5 according to traditional methodology. The following year, Rossi eschewed the coveted #1 plate that he had earned the right to use, becoming the first champion to do since Barry Sheene in 1978.
Meanwhile, virtually every other rider in 2002 stuck to their number from the previous season. Since then, on only sporadic occasions have riders in MotoGP taken the number of their championship finish from the previous year, with the #1 plate having become something of a rare find in any form of motorcycle racing.
It would be a great surprise if 46 didn't join Schwantz's 34, Capirossi's 65 and Kato's 74 on the FIM's list of retired numbers when Rossi decides to hang up his leathers.
Mike di Meglio - 63
Di Meglio hasn't wavered from the number 63 he used on his Grand Prix debut in 2003 in the 125cc class, carrying it all the way up to MotoGP for his debut season in 2014.
Yonny Hernandez - 68
Hernandez is a relative newcomer to the MotoGP paddock, having only made his debut in 2010 in the Moto2 class, and has used number 68 throughout his fledgling career.
Nicky Hayden - 69
Like Rossi, Hayden has opted to use the same number used by his father for most of his career. His Earl Hayden is said to have used 69 because it looked the same upside down - handy for whenever he crashed - and Nicky adopted it for his career, wearing it for his two seasons of AMA Superbikes and maintaining it for his MotoGP debut in 2003.
The 'Kentucky Kid' has used it every season since, except for when he exercised his right to use the #1 plate in 2007 as reigning champion - incidentally, the first appearance for the #1 since 2001 as a result of Rossi's refusal to use it in the intervening years.
Michael Laverty - 70
During his final three years in British Superbikes from 2010 to 2012, Laverty had made the number 7 his own, having used 33, 2, 4 and 8 in previous seasons in various classes. With 7 already belonging to Aoyama when Laverty made his MotoGP bow in 2013, he adopted the next best thing, 70, although some provisional entry lists for that season have the Ulsterman listed as number 33, his original BSB number.
Marc Marquez - 93
The reasoning behind Marquez's 93, which he has used since his Spanish 125cc days, is quite simple - much like this writer, he was born in the year 1993. He could have used the #1 plate in 2014, but like his spiritual predecessor Rossi he chose not to - meaning it could be a while before the #1 next returns to use...
Jorge Lorenzo - 99
Lorenzo started out in the 125cc class in 2002 using number 48, which is the number his then-manager Dani Amatriain had used during his career. He switched to #1 in 2007 after winning the 250cc title the preceding year, reverting to 48 when he graduated to the premier class in 2008 after winning the intermediate class title a second time.
By 2009, Lorenzo had split with Amatriain, and decided to hold a vote for his fans to decide whether he should continue to use 48 or switch to a new number. 23, 87 and 99 were the alternatives the Mallorcan proposed, with 99 getting the nod. He switched to #1 (using a neat design incorporating his initials) in 2011 as per his right as reigning champion, but interestingly chose to stick with 99 after winning his second MotoGP title in 2012.
This article will be updated should any fresh information comes to light.
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