May

North West 200: Steve Plater secures hat-trick whilst Dunlop brothers race in memory of father Robert

17 May 2008 by Phil Wain

Steve Plater scored a scintillating hat trick in Saturday’s North West 200, taking the feature Superbike race for the third year in a row, in a day which saw some of the finest racing ever witnessed...

French MotoGP: Casey Stoner happy at Ducati resurgence

17 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner reckons Ducati is back on course after he claimed his second successive front row start in the 2008 campaign in Le Mans today. Without a win since his dominant success in the season’s...

French MotoGP: Tough and painful day for Jorge Lorenzo

17 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo did little to ease the pain of his battered body after another crash in Le Mans today, yet the gritty Spaniard still qualified fifth on the grid for tomorrow’s 28-lap French MotoGP. The...

French MotoGP: Valentino Rossi confident despite missing front row

17 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi is confident he can fight for victory in tomorrow’s French MotoGP after he narrowly missed qualifying on the front row of the grid this afternoon. The Fiat...

French MotoGP: Colin Edwards angry at missing out on pole

17 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards was upset with Italian Marco Melandri after the factory Ducati rider wrecked his hopes of claiming a home pole position for the Tech 3 Yamaha team in Le Mans this afternoon. The American...

French MotoGP: New tactic helps James Toseland to seventh

17 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland opted to run four Michelin qualifying tyres for the first time today as he claimed seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s 28-lap French MotoGP in Le Mans. Normally the British rider would...

French MotoGP Exclusive: 250GP class to be replaced by 625/650cc four-strokes

17 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Four-stroke bikes between 625 and 650cc will replace the current world 250GP championship in 2011, MCN can exclusively reveal. Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta submitted a proposal for the new format at a...

French MotoGP: Alex Debon snatches pole for 250GP

17 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Alex Debon has snatched pole position from Alvaro Bautista in Le Mans this afternoon. It has looked as if Bautista’s time from yesterday would be enough, but in the final few seconds of the session,...

French MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa secures first pole of the season

17 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Dani Pedrosa continued his amazing French form to claim his first pole position of the season in Le Mans this afternoon. The Spaniard snatched the pole position and also a new lap record from Texan...

French MotoGP: Bradley Smith to start 125 race from second

17 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Britain’s Bradley Smith will begin tomorrow’s French 125GP from second on the grid. The rider from Oxfordshire did manage to improve on his Friday time by 0.07secs but it wasn’t enough to know Sergio...

French MotoGP: Julian Simon fastest in second 250 free practice

17 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Julian Simon has recorded the fastest lap in the second 250 practice session in Le Mans this morning. The Repsol KTM rider knocked half a second off his best qualifying lap from yesterday and was just...

French MotoGP: Colin Edwards set fastest time of the weekend in third free practice

17 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Shanghai pole man Colin Edwards has set the fastest time of the weekend so far in Le Mans this morning in the final MotoGP practice session ahead of this afternoon’s qualifying for tomorrow’s French...

French MotoGP: Mike di Meglio on the pace in second 125 free practice

17 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Mike di Meglio has put himself on the top of the timesheets from this morning’s second 125 free practice session in France. The Derbi rider was not one of the early contenders in the session for the...

French MotoGP: Valentino Rossi upbeat despite set-up problems

16 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi remained in upbeat mood in Le Mans today despite being the only rider not to post a faster time in the second French MotoGP free practice session. A lap of 1:34.886 secured the Italian...

French MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo lucky but confident after crash

16 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo remains confident that he will be fighting for a podium in Sunday’s French MotoGP as he was fortunate to escape further injury in a crash in Le Mans today. Still way short of full...

French MotoGP: Casey Stoner happier after claiming second

16 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner declared himself much happier with the performance of his factory Ducati machine after he posted the second fastest time in today’s opening free practice sessions. The reigning world...

French MotoGP: Danny Webb to undergo further medical checks

16 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Danny Webb will undergo a fitness check tomorrow morning before doctors decide whether he can continue to ride in this weekend’s French 125GP. Webb will have a check on his condition...

NOT SO LUCKY CUP RIDERS AT BRANDS

16 May 2008 by stephen dennis

JUST THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE CUP RACERS FROM BRANDS ON SAT PRACTICE. UNLUCKY LADS.

French MotoGP: Colin Edwards hopes to mount victory challenge

16 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards is hopeful he can mount a genuine challenge for his first MotoGP victory in France on Sunday as he made a positive start by clocking the third fastest time in today’s opening free...

French MotoGP: James Toseland admits set-up mistake

16 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland admitted a lack of rear grip cost him dearly as he finished 15th on the opening day of the French MotoGP in Le Mans today. A lack of weight on the rear of his Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 saw...

World Supersport: Graeme Gowland back in training after Monza crash

16 May 2008 by Michael Guy

Graeme Gowland is planning to get back into training and out on his motocross bike as soon as possible after receiving confirmation that there is no fracture in his right arm following last weekend’s...

French MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista puts himself on provisional pole for 250 race

16 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Alvaro Bautista has put himself on provisional pole position for Sunday’s 250GP in France after the first qualifying session this afternoon. Second going into tomorrow’s second qualifying session was...

French MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa on top again in practice in Le Mans

16 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Current MotoGP championship leader Dani Pedrosa was the fastest man on track in the second free practice session in Le Mans this afternoon. The Repsol Honda rider, who is still to have the benefits...

French MotoGP: Mixed fortunes for Brits as Bradley Smith finishes second but Danny Webb crashes out

16 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

There was mixed fortunes for the British riders in the first 125 qualifying session in France this afternoon as Bradley Smith finished second but Danny Webb crashed out. Smith had looked set to put...

french MotoGP: Hector Barbera tops the timesheets in 250 free practice

16 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Hector Barbera has got his season back on track by going fastest in this morning’s first 250 practice ahead of Sunday’s French GP. The Aprilia rider, who was on pole position in Qatar, finished down...

Just say thanks

16 May 2008 by Jim Annette

My complaint now seems to be trivial and less important today after the sad death of Robert Dunlop. I have been a biker for about 35 years and currently ride a BMW K1200lt. On Tuesday and Thursday I went to the practice nights for the best race in the world, the North West 200, as I have done for about the last 50 years. Circumstances dictated that on Tuesday I had to go in my car and not on the...