Stats: Zarco tops 2019 MotoGP falls list

Johann Zarco took over from Marc Marquez as MotoGP's most frequent faller during the 2019 season, official statistics show.

The Frenchman may have requested an early exit from his KTM contract but he certainly couldn't be accused of not pushing the limits.

Zarco fell 13 times during 13 events on the RC16 then - after sitting out three rounds - had four more accidents (three at Sepang, including being clipped by Mir) while substituting for Takaaki Nakagami at LCR Honda.

However - in a year that saw the total number of MotoGP accidents (220) at its lowest level since 2015 - Zarco's tally of 17 was well below the 23 falls recorded by Marquez last season and peak of 27 for the reigning world champion in 2017.

Likewise, Zarco was only joint sixth in terms of most falls in all grand prix classes, with Moto3 rider Tom Booth-Amos heading the combined list with 22 accidents this season (scroll down for the full table).

MotoGP.com, which compiles the statistics annually, defines a 'fall' or 'crash' as the bike 'physically touching the ground and remaining on the ground'. As such, the kind of amazing saves produced by Marquez are not included. Testing accidents are also not on the list.

Marquez was ranked joint third for MotoGP class falls, pleasing his Honda mechanics by cutting his crash tally from 23 to 14 in the space of a season. That's the least number of times he's had to abandon ship since 2015. His best remains 11 falls during 2014.

Second to Zarco on this year's MotoGP tally was Jack Miller with 15 spills, although that's two less than in 2018 and ten below his 2016 campaign. Miller's rookie Pramac Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was tied with Marquez on 14 falls.

Further down the list, eight accidents for KTM's Pol Espargaro was the least in his six MotoGP seasons to date, despite the troubles experienced by team-mate Zarco.

But eight was still double the falls for Andrea Dovizioso, the Ducati rider having the least accidents of any full-time MotoGP rider this season with just four tumbles over the 19-rounds.

That includes being caught up in the multi-rider incident triggered by Jorge Lorenzo in Catalunya and hitting Fabio Quartararo's fallen bike at turn one of the British MotoGP.

Also brought down in Catalunya was Maverick Vinales. The Yamaha rider was next best after Dovizioso with six falls this season, despite being taken out by another competitor three times (Argentina, Le Mans and Catalunya).

Just one less than Booth-Amos on the combined fallers list was fellow Moto3 rookie Can Oncu, on 21, with Sam Lowes (20) falling more times than any other Moto2 rider in the debut Triumph season.

While MotoGP and Moto2 both saw fewer accidents this season, the Moto3 class increased from 356 to 404, its highest level since 2016.

Nonetheless, in total there were 971 accidents across all three classes (220 for MotoGP, 347 Moto2, 404 Moto3) marking the least number of total accidents since 2013 and well below the peak of 1126 in 2017.

The MotoGP calendar consisted of 18 events from 2010-2017, rising to 19 last year (although the Silverstone races were cancelled).

The most treacherous round of the 2019 season was the French Grand Prix at Le Mans with 90 accidents, followed by Catalunya and Phillip Island on 73.

The most dangerous corner of the season was Turn 3 (the first chicane) at Le Mans, which produced 32 falls. The Turn 4 hairpin at Phillip Island also gave trackside marshals little time to rest with 27 accidents.

Track conditions play a major part when it comes to falls and it's no surprise that both the French and Australian Grands Prix were blighted by bad weather.

Nonetheless, the 90 crashes at Le Mans this year is below last year's top three of Valencia (155), Le Mans (109) and Catalunya (100).

The 'safest' circuit to ride at this season was Aragon, with just 15 accidents.

That was the least number of falls at any grand prix weekend since Qatar 2009 (excluding the Laguna Seca events, which only featured the MotoGP class).