Rossi on brink of record 200th podium

Victory in the MotoGP of Argentina marked Valentino Rossi's 199th podium in all grand prix classes.

The Italian could thus become the first rider in history to claim a double century of rostrums this Sunday at Jerez.

The omens are good: Rossi is the most successful rider at the Spanish Grand Prix with eight grand prix victories and the Doctor has only finished off the rostrum six times from 19 Jerez starts.

Official MotoGP statistics list Italian Giacomo Agostini as second for all-time GP podiums, with 159.

2015 world championship leader Rossi, fighting for a tenth title, has scored 66 points this year - his highest points total after the opening three rounds since 2005.

Rossi's last three MotoGP wins (Phillip Island last year, Qatar and Argentina this year) have all been achieved from eighth on the grid - but the most surprising statistic is that Rossi has only led across the line for a total of four laps in 2015.

The other riders who have led races year are: Marc Marquez - 40 laps, Jorge Lorenzo - 15 laps, Andrea Dovizioso - 9 laps.

Valentino Rossi's 199 GP podiums:
125cc Aprilia: 15 podiums
250cc Aprilia: 21
500cc Honda: 23
990cc Honda: 31
990cc Yamaha: 37
800cc Yamaha: 47
800cc Ducati: 1
1000cc Ducati: 2
1000cc Yamaha: 22
Total: 199