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2008

Pick your fantasy fight

22 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Pick your fantasy fight

The bike racing world is currently awash with speculation and rumour about a possible dream World Superbike clash between record-breaking MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi and Aussie Troy...

How the single tyre rule will work in MotoGP

22 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

How the single tyre rule will work in MotoGP

Details of the single tyre rule that will be introduced in MotoGP for the first time in 2009 have finally been confirmed. The new rule, which was exclusively revealed by MCN back in August, will see...

KTM to debut RC8 R in 2009 German superbike series

19 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

KTM to debut RC8 R in 2009 German superbike series

KTM has taken to its first steps towards a World Superbike assault in 2010 with the Austrian factory confirming today it will enter the German Superbike championship next season. German Stefan Nebel...

Video: Biaggi satisfied with new Aprilia RSV4 at Kyalami test

19 December 2008 by Michael Guy

Video: Biaggi satisfied with new Aprilia RSV4 at Kyalami test

Max Biaggi finished the Kyalami test an encouraging eighth fastest onboard the all new Aprilia RSV4. The Italian remained satisfied with the progress he and the team had made, but sighted corner entry...

Bayliss: ‘I’d need £1million to race Rossi’

19 December 2008 by Michael Guy

Bayliss: ‘I’d need £1million to race Rossi’

Troy Bayliss has revealed he’s tempted by the gauntlet thrown down by MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi for a one off race on Superbikes in 2009, but he’d need a lot of money to do it. Bayliss who...

Valentino Rossi leads prestigious sports poll

19 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi leads prestigious sports poll

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi is currently leading a poll by the Telegraph newspaper in its search for the most important sports star of 2008. The Fiat Yamaha rider, who won nine races to...

MotoGP stars help Red Cross

18 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP stars help Red Cross

Spanish MotoGP duo Jorge Lorenzo and Sete Gibernau were among a star-studded line-up that took part in a special charity sporting event this week. 250GP rider Alvaro Bautista joined the pair as world...

Cash injection not answer to improving Suzuki GSV-R

18 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Cash injection not answer to improving Suzuki GSV-R

Factory boss Paul Denning doesn’t believe Suzuki has to increase its budget to compete with the likes of Yamaha, Ducati and Honda in the 2009 MotoGP world championship. Chris Vermeulen and Loris...

Sofuoglu talks about his blistering pace at Kyalami test

18 December 2008 by Michael Guy

Kenan Sofuoglu was in stunning form at last weeks Pirelli tyres test in Kyalami. The 2007 World Supersport champion has been reunited with the Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR after a tough season in World Superbike with the one goal of retaining the title. During the three day test, Sofuoglu was significantly quicker than his team mate and 2008 World Supersport Champion, Andrew Pitt, but the humble Turk...

Yamaha hoping to remain dominant in 2009

18 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha hoping to remain dominant in 2009

Top Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis is confident the 2009 YZR-M1 will remain the dominant brand in MotoGP next season. The Japanese factory had a phenomenal return to form last season by collecting a clean...

Shane Byrne: “No Ducati is sad for the fans”

18 December 2008 by Rob Hull

Shane Byrne: “No Ducati is sad for the fans”

Reigning British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne says the championship will be missing an important element without the presence of Ducati in 2009. Byrne took his second BSB title this season and his...

Dougie Lampkin to make last appearance at Sheffield Indoor Trials

17 December 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Dougie Lampkin to make last appearance at Sheffield Indoor Trials

Twelve times World Trials champion Dougie Lampkin will make his final appearance at the Sheffield Indoor Motorcycle Trials in the new year. Lampkin will take on the current world indoor and outdoor...

Yamaha play down Valentino Rossi/Troy Bayliss WSB scrap

17 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha play down Valentino Rossi/Troy Bayliss WSB scrap

Yamaha has again played down persistent reports linking star rider Valentino Rossi with a sensational one-off World Superbike clash against Troy Bayliss. Ever since Rossi claimed that World...

Maxtra 125GP boss happy with progress

17 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Maxtra 125GP boss happy with progress

Maxtra 125GP team boss Garry Taylor has declared himself satisfied with progress so far on the Chinese-backed world championship venture. The former factory Suzuki MotoGP team chief though admits...

BSB title winning bikes for sale

17 December 2008 by Rob Hull

BSB title winning bikes for sale

How does a British Superbike championship winning Ducati 1098 sound to you? Well owning one could well become a reality because GSE Racing has all four of their ’08 British Superbike machines up for...

James Toseland eager to test 2009 Yamaha

17 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland eager to test 2009 Yamaha

British rider James Toseland is confident that reigning world champion Valentino Rossi will make Yamaha’s factory YZR-M1 an even more formidable package in 2009. Rossi has been conducting in-depth...

Video: Rea on the pace in World Superbike Kyalami testing

17 December 2008 by Michael Guy

Jonathan Rea made his mark on the World Superbike paddock by finishing his first official test onboard the Ten Kate Honda fourth fastest. The 22 year old Brit lapped faster than his experienced team-mates Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari on the final day having spent the opening two days establishing a base setting for the Superbike. MCN spoke with the 2008 World Supersport runner-up for his...

Ducati UK confirm BSB split

17 December 2008 by Rob Hull

Ducati UK confirm BSB split

It’s official: there will be no top Ducati team in British Superbikes in 2009. A statement has been released by Ducati to confirm they will not have any representation in the championship next...

Rob Mac confirms 2009 team

17 December 2008 by Rob Hull

Rob Mac confirms 2009 team

Rob McElnea will have a busy 2009 after confirming his full line-up for next season. A new Superbike, new sponsors and four new riders have come on board with McElnea as he goes in search of his...

Ducati boss confident in Mika Kallio

17 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Ducati boss confident in Mika Kallio

Factory Ducati boss Livio Suppo believes Finnish rider Mika Kallio could be one of the surprise packages of the 2009 MotoGP world championship. The Pramac Racing rookie was in dazzling form at the...

GSE -Airwaves deal continues

17 December 2008 by Rob Hull

GSE -Airwaves deal continues

GSE Racing, arguably the most successful team in the modern era of the British Superbike Championship, will continue to be sponsored by chewing gum brand Airwaves in 2009, continuing an association...

Michael Rutter joins Chris Walker at Rob Mac Yamaha

16 December 2008 by Rob Hull

Michael Rutter joins Chris Walker at Rob Mac Yamaha

Michael Rutter will partner Chris Walker in a resurgent Rob Mac Racing Yamaha team next year which means there will be no major Ducati team in BSB for the first time since the series was revamped in...

MotoGP confirms 19-rider field for 2009

16 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP confirms 19-rider field for 2009

Valentino Rossi will head a 19-strong field in the 2009 MotoGP world championship after next year’s provisional entry list was announced today. The only addition to the 2008 grid will be Spanish...

No Brits in 2009 250GP class

16 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

No Brits in 2009 250GP class

In what is expected to be the last season in which the two-strokes 250s will race exclusively on their own at Grand Prix level, no British rider will compete in the quarter-litre class in 2009. MCN...

Matt Hoyle joins 125GP ranks in 2009

16 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Matt Hoyle joins 125GP ranks in 2009

Emerging British star Matt Hoyle will ride for the new John Surtees-inspired Maxtra team in the 2009 125GP world championship. Although there has been no official announcement from the Chinese-backed...

Video: World Superbike Kyalami video blog

16 December 2008 by Michael Guy

MCN’s World Superbike reporter, Michael Guy spent three days at the first official top team Pirelli test in South Africa last week. With Noriyuki Haga riding the Xerox Ducati for the first time, Brits Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes on track, plus the first public appearance of the BMW Superbike there was a lot going on at the Kyalami track.  Watch the video below to hear Guy’s thoughts on the test...

Plum Pudding Races at Mallory Park

16 December 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Plum Pudding Races at Mallory Park

Classics, scooters, 125s, CB500s, Formula 600s and Pro-bikes will all appear at the traditional Plum Pudding races at Mallory Park on December 26. The 13-race programme also includes events for...

No Ducati in BSB

16 December 2008 by Rob Hull

No Ducati in BSB

Ducati will not have a major presence in the British Superbike Championship in 2009 for the first time since the series was launched in its present form in 1995, it has emerged today. The Italian...

Lucio Cecchinello: Honda won’t quit MotoGP

16 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Lucio Cecchinello: Honda won’t quit MotoGP

LCR Honda team boss Lucio Cecchinello has told MCN he is convinced that the Japanese factory will honour its commitment to supply six bikes in the 2009 MotoGP world championship. Honda’s involvement...

Crescent boss says Suzuki WRC split won’t have affect

15 December 2008 by Rob Hull

Crescent boss says Suzuki WRC split won’t have affect

Crescent Suzuki Team Manager Jack Valentine said Suzuki’s withdrawal from the World Rally Championship will not have any affect on his official Suzuki British Superbike team’s budget. Suzuki announced...

Suzuki’s MotoGP future safe

15 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki’s MotoGP future safe

Suzuki’s factory MotoGP squad will remain largely unaffected by the current global economic crisis, MCN can reveal. The Japanese factory has announced it is to quit the world rally championship after...

Marco Melandri looking for Kawasaki engine boost

15 December 2008 by Matthew Birt

Marco Melandri looking for Kawasaki engine boost

New Kawasaki rider Marco Melandri says it is imperative that the 2009 ZX-RR takes a big step in engine performance for next season. The Italian has tested the ’08 spec ZX-RR twice in Valencia and...

Video: First look at Haga on 2009 Xerox Ducati

15 December 2008 by Michael Guy

Noriyuki Haga completed a successful debut onboard the 2009 specification Xerox Ducati at Kyalami. The Japanese rider overcame three crashes on the first day to end the test third fastest and finally feel comfortable on the 1200cc v-twin Ducati. Although the 2009 bike doesn’t look any different to Troy Bayliss’ title winning machine it has a number of changes including new fly by wire throttle,...

Tom Sykes suffers broken foot on final day of Kyalami test

15 December 2008 by Michael Guy

Tom Sykes suffers broken foot on final day of Kyalami test

Tom Sykes has broken his right foot and sustained tissue damage in his right shoulder after crashing at the end of the final day of testing in Kyalami on Friday. The Yamaha Italia rider who had been...

Honda quit AMA superbikes

15 December 2008 by Henny Ray Abrams

Honda quit AMA superbikes

Former World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson was gutted when he found out late on Friday night that he has no ride. Neil Hodgson was getting into bed at his home on the Isle of Man just after 10:00...

The new doctor?

14 December 2008 by Annwen Barrie

The new doctor?

This is Loris my little boy. No prizes for guessing that my husband and I are MotoGP fans!