MotoGP heads to the Adriatic coast this weekend as the 2026 championship battle continues at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
Jorge Martin arrives with a slender advantage over Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi, while Aprilia and Ducati are separated by only 15 points in the constructors’ standings.
Ahead of the action from September 11-13, live on SPOTV NOW, here are five interesting tidbits to know about the San Marino Grand Prix.
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Another Marquez playground
After his sensational victory at Aragon, Marquez will relish the upcoming challenge at another circuit where he has enjoyed remarkable success.
The defending world champion has nine victories at Misano across all classes, including six in MotoGP: five San Marino Grands Prix and the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Another victory would make the Spaniard only the second rider after Jorge Lorenzo to win MotoGP races at Misano in three consecutive seasons.
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Pole offers little protection
Starting from pole has provided surprisingly little guarantee of victory at Misano. Since MotoGP returned to the circuit in 2007, the pole sitter has converted qualifying success into a Sunday victory only six times across 22 premier-class races, a rate of just 27.3%.
Only Casey Stoner (2007), Valentino Rossi (2009), Dani Pedrosa (2010), Maverick Vinales (2020 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix), Francesco Bagnaia (2021) and Jorge Martin (2023) have managed to do so.
Marquez provides another striking example. Despite his six MotoGP victories at Misano, he has taken just one premier-class pole at the circuit, which came during his rookie season in 2013. He finished second behind Jorge Lorenzo that day, meaning none of his six Misano victories have come from pole.
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Ducati on verge of outright record
Ducati and Yamaha are tied on seven San Marino Grand Prix victories apiece since MotoGP returned to Misano, but the balance has shifted emphatically towards the Italian manufacturer in recent years.
Ducati have won six of the past eight editions, including five consecutively since Bagnaia began the current streak in 2021. Marquez extended that run last year after defeating Bezzecchi by just 0.568s.
Another victory would give Ducati an outright record of eight San Marino Grand Prix wins in the MotoGP era, moving the Bologna manufacturer ahead of Yamaha at the event for the first time.
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Aprilia’s missing home victory
Despite being based just a few hours away in Noale, Aprilia have never won a premier-class race at Misano. However, with the manufacturer enjoying a dominant 2026 campaign, that drought could finally come to an end this weekend.
Few will feel that absence more keenly than Rimini-born Bezzecchi. The local favourite took pole and won the Sprint in 2025 before Marquez denied him the Grand Prix victory by just 0.568 seconds.
Winning this year would simultaneously deliver Aprilia their first premier-class victory at Misano and strengthen Bezzecchi’s championship challenge on home soil.
MotoGP meets FIBA
Bezzecchi, Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli will begin their San Marino Grand Prix preparations on a very different surface by participating in a special FIBA 3×3 basketball exhibition in Rimini.
The free event will take place at the Moab Court in Piazzale Kennedy on Wednesday, September 9. Morbidelli will lead one team against a side featuring Bezzecchi and Bagnaia, with professional FIBA 3×3 players and other guests joining the MotoGP trio.
Their basketball abilities may be less established than their braking skills, but the exhibition gives the three Italians an early opportunity to claim local bragging rights before the serious competition begins at Misano.
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