There was a point in Sunday’s MotoGP race at Estoril when Loris Capirossi was running inside the top ten. There wasn’t exactly much going on in the race, so I checked his recent results, and the last time he finished a race in the top ten was the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in July 2010.

There are times when I forget that he’s still racing, and his cheery face popping up on the TV coverage gives me a little surprise. It’s easy to forget, too, just how successful a career he’s had in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Let’s have a graph.

He won the 125cc world championship at his first attempt, and retained the title the following year. Then it was straight to 250cc, and he eventually won that championship when he returned after a brief stint in 500cc. His best championship result in the top class is 3rd, which he has achieved twice, once in 500cc and once in MotoGP.

Along the way, he’s taken 29 race wins (9 in MotoGP/500cc) and 99 podiums (42 in MotoGP/500cc). Wouldn’t it be nice for him to grab one more podium, and hit three figures?

It doesn’t look likely, though. His last podium was in 2008, his last win in 2007. When he eventually retires, will he be remembered for his early success, or his later career on mediocre machinery? Hopefully the former.

I think it’s useful to keep people like Capirossi in mind when talking about high achievers in the lower classes. Marc Marquez, for example: after his 125cc season last year, he looks like an obvious future MotoGP champion. But it doesn’t always work out that way.