Kevin Schwantz was one of the stars of motorcycle racing between 1986 and 1995, winning the world championship once. At the time, the calendar was considerably smaller than today, with about 15 Grand Prix races per year – and without Sprint races, as happens today.

On the Paddock Pass Podcast, the former rider commented: ‘Especially on a 500cc I don’t think any of us could have survive to more than 40 races. My crash ratio was a little bit higher than most, and injuries probably they were a little bit higher’.

The number of Grand Prix races is much larger than during Schwantz’s time, who noted not only the quantity but also the intensity that exists in current races in a very leveled grid:

– We have to do twice as many… I mean, I think on the biggest season we ever had was 15 races, and then you do a couple after the season in Japan, so you might have to race 16 or 17 times. But to have to race like that against those guys at that level on a Saturday and on a Sunday… it gives you a chance to maybe redeem yourself if you don’t get things right on Saturday, but it’s also a big opportunity to take two big hits in the points if you make a mistake.