Falls per manufacturer: Pushing hard or unpredictable?

On average, a Honda rider was almost twice as likely to fall compared with a Yamaha rider during the 2017 MotoGP season.

But Aprilia riders suffered almost three times the accident average of those at Yamaha.

Dorna records each accident during a grand prix weekend, but because the number of full-time riders at each manufacturer varies from two to eight, an average is needed:

Aprilia: 50 falls during the season / 2 full-time bikes = 25.0 (falls per bike average)

Honda: 84 falls / 5 bikes = 16.8

Suzuki: 25 falls / 2 bikes = 12.5

Ducati: 97 falls / 8 bikes = 12.1

KTM: 18 falls / 2 bikes = 9.0

Yamaha: 35 falls / 4 bikes = 8.8

Falls by wild-card riders were not included, since they were on machines that did not do the full season.

Accidents by replacement riders were included above. For example, falls for Jonas Folger and his replacements Kohta Nozane, Broc Parkes and Michael van der Mark were all totalled together as one full-time bike.

However, the list does not take into account cases where a rider missed an event due to injury and was not replaced; Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) at Misano and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) at Sepang.

The figures suggest Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro (19) and rookie Sam Lowes (31) pushed the limit most this season - or had the least feel for the limit from their bikes.

Honda was next up, with 51 of their 84 falls being accounted for by world champion Marc Marquez (27) and Cal Crutchlow (24).

"Historically, we [Honda riders] are crashing more than the other manufacturers," said Crutchlow.

"I don't think it's down to the riders necessarily, because three years ago Dani crashed [three times] all year and now he's crashed a lot more [nine times].

"It's because we are pushing so hard, but Marc won the title so you can't complain too much."

Suzuki and Ducati came out evenly matched with a 12 falls-per-rider average, with KTM (9.0) and Yamaha (8.8) the lowest.

Yamaha's average is all the more impressive given there were two rookies at the Tech 3 team, plus three last-minute replacements for Folger.

'Xaus used a trampoline'

Returning to the subject of Marquez's 27 falls - ten higher than the Spaniard had suffered in any previous MotoGP season - Crutchlow was asked if any kind of preparation can be done to limit injuries, given how the Spaniard walked away from his spills:

"No, I don’t think so. But Ruben Xaus used to crash a lot and I know he used to put his leathers, helmet and boots on and have a trampoline built into the floor, at floor level, in his house. He used to jump off it and then roll into different scenarios.

"I have to say, in his whole career, I think the only time I saw him get injured was when he broke his leg on the BMW at Brno.

"Marc, as we know, doesn’t get injured that much. And all he does all day is stretch. I've crashed probably the same amount as Marc and I've never stretched for a second of my life!

"So I don't know. But I'm scared to do it, because - touch wood - I've not been too bad injury-wise in terms of ligaments. Bones are different, because if you hit a bone there's not much you can do.

"I'm not going to start suddenly wrapping my legs around my head like he does, trying to do stuff that should be on an internet channel! But it could work."