Derek Leitner
Erik Leitner is an Austrian Grand Prix motorcycle racer, and the 2013 MotoGP World Champion. He was born on March 1, 1988. Leitner started his motorcycling career with Aprilia in 125cc and 250cc before moving on to LCR Honda in 2010 at the age of 22, and then later to JiR Team Scot in 2011. He bcame the first rider to win in a customer bike in three years, and his late season form earned Leitner a position with the factory Respol Honda team, where he grew a bitter rivalry with teammate Dani Pedrosa.
125cc
For his first season Leitner signed with Aprilia on a development deal that would put him through the ranks of the lower series until he signed for a team in MotoGP.
The first race in Qatar was crash filled, but Leitner recovered to finish 10th. He also crashed heavily in Jerez on the Dry Sac corner, ending his race. Leitner did better in Portugal and China, finishing fourth in both (despite crashing heavily with Pol Espargaro in China). He claimed pole position in the wet at France, but a poor start and a poor setup sent him to the back, though he recovered to finish 8th. Another pole followed in Mugello, but another poor start relegated him back at the beginning. Still, he rebounded and had a memorable duel with Simone Corsi, Joan Olive and Nicolas Terol to finish second, in the closest Top 4 in the history of the 125cc class. After two races in which Leitner could not compete with the Top Four (Corsi, Olive, De Meglio and Terol), he finally responded back with a podium at Assen, even taking the lead for a couple of laps at one point.
Leitner claimed pole position in a wet Brno but technical problems forced him out of the race. Leitner finished in the points in San Marino and Indianapolis, having crashed into many bikes at Indy, claiming brake troubles. Leitner was in a podium position in Japan but fell on the last lap, though he did recover to finish 5th. He recovered in Australia by claiming pole and finishing 2nd, behind Mike De Meglio and ahead of Simone Corsi, the top two championship contenders, in the closest top three in 125cc. Leitner then crashed in Malaysia through driver error, and finished fifth at Valencia despite being sent to the back of the grid due to an infringement of the technical regulations on Leitners' bike.
250cc
Leitner advanced to the 250cc series in 2009, having amassed enough points to be able to qualify for a licence in that series. Leitner started out on the front row in Qatar, though a bad start meant he had to force his way through the positions, though he did eventually finish fourth on a close finish. Leitner claimed pole in Jerez, and despite a bad start, he eventually found his way back in the lead in the middle of the race to take his first win in motorcycle racing. Leitner took another win after a great start in China.
After that race, he had some poor form in Donington, crashing out in the first lap, and in Assen, when he crashed out after a small tangle with Julian Simon at the chicane. He crashed out again during qualifying and during the race at Sachsenring in Turn 8, but managed to recover to finish 8th place in that race. Afterwards, he said that he was "thankful just to finish the race," considering his poor form and the weather conditions. He claimed pole and fastest lap in Brno, but tire issues meant that Leitner fell off the track at inopportune times, causing him to drop down the field. He eventually finished in 5th. He took an electrifying victory at Misano coming from the back of the field and breaking the track record for the 250cc class in the process.
After a short race in Japan cut short due to a crash while sliding his bike at the last corner of the first lap, Leitner came back with a pole and second place in Australia, pulling off great passes around the outside of the fast corners to make up for a slow start. He finished off the year with two points scoring finishes, despite falling off his bike in Malaysia after riding a kerb, and fears that he injured his shoulder on the fall.
MotoGP
2010-11
His contract with Aprilia ran out after the last season, and fears that Leitner might not have a ride at all in the 2010 season were nullified after he signed a last minute deal with LCR Honda, after Randy de Puniet's bike did not bring enough sponsorship. He started out well scoring 6th in Qatar, but crashed his car in Spain on the first corner of the race. A eighth place finish in Portugal was nullified by another crash in China, this time when coming out of the hairpin after the long straight, sliding off when accelerating. Leitner was heavily criticized for this, as this caused a big pileup. Leitner responded with points scoring finishes in France, Italy, and Barcelona, the last two being in wet weather. Leitner said that he was disappointed in his performance in Barcelona, saying that he felt that the rain was his "natural element," and said that he shouldn't have slipped coming out of Turn 12.
His form continued into the midseason, when he stringed together impressive and consistent performances. He had a great result at Donington Park, placing fourth in a clearly underpowered bike, making passing moves around the outsides of most corners. Leitner followed with seventh in the Netherlands and 6th in Germany. Leitner finished 10th in Laguna Seca having fallen at the Corkscrew in the second lap, after coming in too quickly and sliding onto the front wheel. Leitner had positive thoughts on Laguna Seca, saying that the track was difficult to drive on. Leitner responded with a fifth place finish at Brno, passing Nicky Hayden on the last corner of the race. A 10th in San Marino followed with a 4th place finish in Indianapolis, with key passes on Dovizioso, Hayden and Jorge Lorenzo late in the race. Leitner was running well in Japan but crashed out on the back straight after losing control trying to pass Carl Edwards, ending his points streak in the process. He was also forced to miss the race in Australia due to injury. Leitner finished with two points finishes in Malaysia and Valencia, despite wet weather hampering Leitner's setup in the latter.
In 2011, Leitner signed with JiR Team Scot alongside rising star Andrea Dovizioso. He started the season poorly with a number of collisions in Qatar, ending up in 18th place. He did recover by placing just outside the podium in the next three races, showing good pace. After two more points performances in France and Italy, Leitner became the first Austrian to score a podium in MotoGP in Catalunya, placing 3rd and closing in on Casey Stoner, who finished 2nd. Leitner also got his first pole position in Donington Park, but a poor start left him down the order. Leitner still finished on the podium in 3rd. In the Netherlands, Leitner ran well early but got involved with a heavy crash with Carl Edwards, putting him in last place before retiring with an unrelated clutch problem.
The race at the Sachsenring in Germany was riddled with rain, but Leitner was able to compete for 2nd place early in the race. Running in 3rd, Leitner spun out and fell down the grid, before slowly making his way up through to the end of the race. A late battle with Jorge Lorenzo put Leitner into fourth place at the end. The next race at Laguna Seca showed great promise for Leitner, and after claiming pole position, a small blip at the start of the race with Dani Pedrosa (who wound up falling back later in the race to finish 14th) would be th only setback as Leitner claimed his first victory in MotoGP. Following a third place in Brno after claiming pole position, a clutch problem in San Marino caused Leitner to start at the back of the grid, but a determined and gritty drive put him on the podium again, beating Valentino Rossi in a straight duel with him. Afterwards, Leitner took pole and fastest lap in a dominant race victory at Indianapolis.
The next two races were gritty affairs, with second place finishes in each race. Both times he was mixing it in with the likes of title contenders Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner; this caught the attention of Repsol Honda, the factory Honda team, who was interested in adding another bike alongside Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden. After another podium place in Malaysia (his seventh in a row), Leitner was awarded the third Repsol Honda contract for 2012. Leitner finished off the year in a tough wet race in Valencia, placing 4th.
2012
In his first race in Qatar, promising pace put him into second place and in immediate title contention, despite the fact that Leitner admitted the Losail track wasn't his favourite to ride on. Despite placing on pole in Jerez, an accident early in the race put him down the order after he slid off his bike, though he did recover to place third. He did take pole and victory in Estoril, however, tying him in points with teammate Dani Pedrosa. In China, despite claiming pole position, a poor start put Leitner down the order, and although he recovered to finish third, Pedrosa and Stoner battled for the lead in a very rainy race, with Pedrosa winning and taking the title lead. Leitner won in France in dominant fashion to tie the standings again, but Pedrosa won the next race in Mugello, handing the advantage down to Pedrosa again. Leitner claimed pole in the rainy Barcelona circuit, but he crashed out in the rain on the first lap, sending him down the order. Pedrosa won again while Leitner finished 10th. In Donington, Leitner was up front until he got close to Pedrosa, when Pedrosa crashed out of the race. Leitner was dubiously handed a drive-through penalty and finished 7th - he was not happy with the stewards following the decision.
The next race in the Netherlands ended in third place as Leitner was passed by Valentino Rossi on the last corner. He was aided in his title quest when Pedrosa, who finished fourth initially, was disqualified for a technican infringement, boosting Leitner's title credentials. Leitner responded by winning the next race at the Sachsenring in dominant fashion, taking the lead of the title by one point, and having a two point advantage over Casey Stoner in third place. In Laguna Seca, Leitner and Pedrosa battled for the lead, though Leitner could not catch Pedrosa and he ended up finishing second. A similar but more intense battle ensued in Brno, with Stoner winning and Leitner and Pedrosa swapping second place. In the end, Pedrosa won what was considered an all-time battle. Leitner denied after the race that he had a conflict with Pedrosa, praising his riding during the race. Despite a poor qualifying session in San Marino, Leitner charged through to win the race. However, the next race in Indianapolis ended in a crash involving Colin Edwards, while Leitner's bike unintentionally slammed into Nicky Hayden's. The race ended in retirement for Leitner, and Leitner apologized for the collision with Hayden, but was not happy at Edwards. After a tough podium in Japan, Leitner was ordered not to pass Pedrosa for position in Australia, since Casey Stoner was in the lead of the race. Leitner finished in fourth and admitted defeat in the title race shortly afterwards. Leitner dominated the next race in Malaysia, but he was hardly in any mood for celebrating. A second place finish after one last battle with Stoner closed off the season on a high as Pedrosa won his third straight title.
2013
The first race in Qatar ended disappointingly as a first lap crash sent Leitner down the order, but he recovered to finish sixth. He took his first podium of the season despite another poor start by finishing second, and fought intensely with Dani Pedrosa. After the race, it was rumoured that the Honda team wanted to enforce team orders to prevent the possibility of getting into a crash, but Pedrosa denied any of this. Leitner dominated the next race in Portugal, and finished second to Chris Vermeulen in the Ducati in China. In the same race, Pedrosa crashed in the middle of the race, vaulting Leitner ahead in the standings. Leitner finished on the podium again in France, mainly due to another crash from Pedrosa on the last lap. A win in Mugello after battling with Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi put Leitner in the lead of the championship one-third into the season. Leitner then dominated Catalunya to fully launch his title challenge with Chris Vermeulen.
After a tough race in Donington Park, placing fourth, Leitner battled with Pedrosa for the lead in the Netherlands, eventually finishing second place. The same happened in Germany, but Leitner this time came out on top. Following the race, where Pedrosa claimed pole position, Pedrosa claimed that their friendship had "finished," and that he wasn't too happy with how he was being handled when battling for position during the race. Pedrosa won in Laguna Seca while Leitner finished third after a battle with Chris Vermeulen, which was won by Leitner as Vermeulen finished fourth in the race, extending his championship lead. However, Leitner crashed out in the Czech Republic, and Vermeulen took the lead of the title by winning that race. Leitner responded with a dominant victory in San Marino, claiming a grand slam in the process, and did the exact same in Indianapolis, reclaiming the title lead.
In Japan, Leitner ran in third place until falling off in the midpoint of the race, after calls to let Leitner through past teammate Dani Pedrosa went unheeded. Leitner still finished in third after making a remarkable recovery, but his relationship with Pedrosa soured considerably afterwards. Leitner dominated the next race in Philip Island in Australia, the first person other than the retired Casey Stoner to win the race in six years. Leitner battled with Chris Vermeulen in Malaysia, but crashed out twice in the same lap, sending him down the order. Despite this, Leitner still recovered to finish second, pulling remarkable moves on Rossi and Leitner to get within one point of Vermeulen heading into the final race. Leitner claimed pole in Valencia and took the lead of the race early on, but couldn't find the pace to fully pull away. However, Dani Pedrosa ran in second and wouldn't let Vermeulen past, who was running in third place, keeping Leitner at bay and allowing him to win the race and the title by eight points. Leitner was thankful for Pedrosa's efforts during the race to hold off Vermeulen, saying that Vermeulen would have caught him had he been passed, though Pedrosa insisted that he wasn't trying to aid Leitner in his title bid in any way, and didn't seem receptive to Leitner's congratulations on the podium.
Races by Year
Year | Class | Team | Manufacturer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | 125cc | I.C. Team | Aprilia | QAT 10 |
ESP DNF |
POR 4 |
CHN 4 |
FRA 8 |
ITA 2 |
CAT 5 |
GBR 5 |
NED 3 |
GER 3 |
CZE DNF |
RSM 8 |
IND 9 |
JPN 5 |
AUS 2 |
MAL DNF |
VAL 5 |
6th | 171 | |
2009 | 250cc | Cardion AB Motoracing | Aprilia | QAT 4 |
ESP 1 |
POR 5 |
CHN 1 |
FRA 11 |
ITA 6 |
CAT 6 |
GBR DNF |
NED DNF |
GER 8 |
CZE 5 |
RSM 1 |
IND 5 |
JPN DNF |
AUS 2 |
MAL 6 |
VAL 7 |
5th | 193 | |
2010 | MotoGP | LCR Honda MotoGP | Honda | QAT 6 |
ESP DNF |
POR 8 |
CHN DNF |
FRA 8 |
ITA 7 |
CAT 7 |
GBR 4 |
NED 7 |
GER 6 |
USA 10 |
CZE 5 |
RSM 10 |
IND 4 |
JPN DNF |
AUS | MAL 7 |
VAL 11 |
8th | 126 |
2011 | MotoGP | JiR Team Scot MotoGP | Honda | QAT DNF |
ESP 4 |
POR 4 |
CHN 4 |
FRA 6 |
ITA 5 |
CAT 3 |
GBR 3 |
NED DNF |
GER 4 |
USA 1 |
CZE 3 |
RSM 3 |
IND 1 |
JPN 2 |
AUS 2 |
MAL 3 |
VAL 4 |
4th | 256 |
2012 | MotoGP | Repsol Honda | Honda | QAT 2 |
ESP 3 |
POR 1 |
CHN 3 |
FRA 1 |
ITA 3 |
CAT 10 |
GBR 7 |
NED 3 |
GER 1 |
USA 2 |
CZE 3 |
RSM 1 |
IND DNF |
JPN 3 |
AUS 4 |
MAL 1 |
VAL 2 |
3rd | 309 |
2013 | MotoGP | Repsol Honda | Honda | QAT 6 |
ESP 2 |
POR 1 |
CHN 2 |
FRA 3 |
ITA 1 |
CAT 1 |
GBR 4 |
NED 2 |
GER 1 |
USA 3 |
CZE DNF |
RSM 1 |
IND 1 |
JPN 3 |
AUS 1 |
MAL 2 |
VAL 1 |
1st | 351 |
2014 | MotoGP | Repsol Honda | Honda | QAT 1 |
ESP 1 |
POR 1 |
CHN 1 |
FRA 1 |
ITA 1 |
CAT 1 |
GBR 1 |
NED 1 |
GER 1 |
USA 1 |
CZE 1 |
RSM 1 |
IND DNF |
JPN 1 |
AUS 1 |
MAL | VAL | 1st | 375 |