2001
Lampkin honoured by Queen
30 December 2001
Dougie Lampkin’s 10 world trials titles have finally earned public recognition. He has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours. The accolade enters him in an exclusive biking hall of fame...
Haslam tries factory R7 but signs to return to GP 250s
16 December 2001
Leon Haslam has tested the factory Virgin Yamaha R7 British superbike but he is still going to sign his world 250 championship contract. Haslam will link up with fellow British rider Jason Vincent in...
Plater signs to join Crafar at Virgin Yamaha
16 December 2001
Steve Plater will join Simon Crafar in the Virgin Yamaha squad next season. Team boss Rob McElnea swooped for the 31-year-old after losing James Haydon to Carl Fogarty’s Petronas WSB team. Plater...
Rossi goes even quicker in final day of test
16 December 2001
Valentino Rossi signed off an unbelievable 2001 by going even faster on the final day of Honda’s four-stroke test at Phillip Island today. The Nastro Azzurro rider got his time down to 1.32.00 which...
Plater faces competition from WSB pair
16 December 2001
Steve Plater could secure the second berth in the fledging Renegade Racing Ducati British superbike team. But he faces competition from last year’s NCR Ducati WSB pairing Broc Parkes and Giovanni...
World’s biggest GP round to become finale
16 December 2001
THE biggest GP of the year will now act as the final round of next year’s world championship. Valencia, which attracted over 200,000 fans over three days this year, will now be held on November 3...
Jefferies, McGuinness, Moodie and Rutter for Formula One TT
16 December 2001
After the disappointment of 2001, Isle of Man race organisers are pulling out all the stops with the intention of making 2002 the best TT. Already they’ve lined up David Jefferies, John McGuinness,...
Borrowed from a Gazelle
16 December 2001
She’s just heard she hasn’t got a seat by the emergency exit on the flight home.
Superbike support classes to join Silverstone 200
16 December 2001
The British superbike supporting cast will be heading to Silverstone as part of the May 6 World Endurance round. Unlike the BSB round held there the previous month, the Endurance meeting will see the...
GPs tune into pit-to-lid radio
16 December 2001
Formula One-style helmet radios could be seen in GPs for the 2003 season. The radios will allow riders to communicate with their team while out on the track. They are under development by American...
Rain cut Hodgson’s test time
16 December 2001
Neil Hodgson’s first test of his 2002 Ducati was a washed out. The MCN Man of the Year was desperate to get on his Testastretta 998R and claw back some of the ground he’s already lost to Chris Walker,...
Try an off-road day with CAS Honda
16 December 2001
CAS Honda, the official Honda UK 250cc World Motocross championship team, is running motocross riding schools at Corby Trials Park. Courses cost £80 a day per rider, which starts at 10am and runs...
Whitham grinning after first test on 2002 R6
16 December 2001
Jamie Whitham has been given a first taste of his new 2002-spec Belgarda Yamaha R6 in a test at Cartagena in Spain. Riding with team-mate Paolo Casoli, the test gave Whitham a chance to put new...
Aprilia lets us loose on Corser’s RSV
16 December 2001
Aprilia hasn’t exactly made a habit of letting anyone other than racers and factory testers on its works machinery, yet here I am, waiting to ride the bike that took Troy Corser to fourth in the World...
Borja returns to Ducati for 2002 WSB season
16 December 2001
Spaniard Juan Borja will be making a return to Ducati in 2002… but with a customer race bike rather than the works 996R he had in 2000. Borja will be racing for the De Cecco Ducati team – the same...
Rossi beats lap-record pace in first Aussie session
16 December 2001
Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi might not be 100 per cent happy with Honda’s new four-stroke GP bike but he was still well under lap record pace on the first day of testing at Phillip Island...
Elias admits he has to be fitter to move up to 250s
16 December 2001
Teenager Toni Elias says he needs to toughen up to cope with the extra power and weight of the 250 he’ll ride in 2002, compared to the 125 he came close to taking the title on in 2001. Elias, who...
Nothing like him
16 December 2001
It was the shiney bra which cost her a place in the final of the Colin Edwards look-a-like competition
Yamaha boss searches for partner for Crafar
16 December 2001
Virgin Yamaha’s team-building plans have been thrown into turmoil by James Haydon’s decision to leave for Foggy’s WSB team. Team boss Rob McElnea was fully expecting the 28-year-old to line-up...
McWilliams signs to ride Roberts’ KR3
16 December 2001
Jeremy McWilliams signed his contract with Kenny Roberts on Monday to ride a Proton KR3 in next year’s world GP championship. ” I am really happy to have a rider like Jeremy on board, ” said...
Ukawa proves costly… as Rossi goes faster still
16 December 2001
Tohru Ukawa is already proving to be an expensive acquisition to Honda’s new four-stroke camp. He crashed on Thursday at the second day of HRC’s test at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, hot on...
