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2011

Loris Capirossi at ease with retirement decision

15 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Loris Capirossi at ease with retirement decision

Loris Capirossi says he’s 100 per cent convinced that he made the right choice to quit MotoGP at the end of the 2011 campaign. The Italian veteran retired after 22 years in the world championship...

Manx GP under scrutiny

15 November 2011 by MCN Sportsdesk

Manx GP under scrutiny

The Isle of Man Department of Economic Development has launched a comprehensive consultative review to clarify the costs, benefits and future potential to exploit the Manx Grand Prix Festival. The...

Casey Stoner confident new Honda will get faster

14 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner confident new Honda will get faster

Casey Stoner believes Honda’s impressive new RC213V machine has plenty of room for improvement, despite the Aussie and team-mate Dani Pedrosa’s domination of last week’s 1000cc test in...

Suzuki poised to officially confirm MotoGP withdrawal

14 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki poised to officially confirm MotoGP withdrawal

Suzuki is expected to officially confirm it will withdraw from the MotoGP world championship before the end of this week. The Japanese factory was set a deadline by Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta to...

TT Legends fifth in Doha

14 November 2011 by MCN Sportsdesk

TT Legends fifth in Doha

The Honda TT Legends inaugural Endurance World Championship came to a close today with a fifth place finish in the Eight Hours of Doha at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The resulting...

Ducati happy with testing rule boost

11 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati happy with testing rule boost

New testing regulations for MotoGP will help Ducati try and bridge the gap to Japanese rivals Honda and Yamaha, according to the Bologna factory’s technical guru Filippo Preziosi. MotoGP bosses have...

Alvaro Bautista determined to honour Marco Simoncelli in 2012

11 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Alvaro Bautista determined to honour Marco Simoncelli in 2012

Alvaro Bautista has vowed to give his all to honour the memory of late Italian rider Marco Simoncelli in 2012 after he joined the Gresini Honda squad this week. Bautista quit Suzuki with the Japanese...

Ben Wilson and David Jones stick with Gearlink Kawasaki

10 November 2011 by MCN

Ben Wilson and David Jones stick with Gearlink Kawasaki

Gearlink Kawasaki have announced that Ben Wilson and David Jones are to ride for the team in 2012 Fuchs Silkolene British Supersport championship. Wilson missed out on the championship win by just one...

Great final race!

10 November 2011 by alan winstanley

Great final race!

Great race at the weekend to see out the 2011 MotoGP season!

Meeting Marco in 2009

10 November 2011 by den wilson

Meeting Marco in 2009

Marco and me at Donington, 2009.

Valentino Rossi looks ahead to crucial Sepang test

10 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi looks ahead to crucial Sepang test

Valentino Rossi quickly turned his attention to a crucial first test of 2012 at the Sepang track in Malaysia next January after he finished over 1.5s away from the fastest pace during a two-day test...

Andrea Dovizioso seeks rear stability from Yamaha

10 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso seeks rear stability from Yamaha

Andrea Dovizioso made a solid rather than spectacular Yamaha 1000cc debut in Valencia this week after he ended the first test for 2012 with the fifth quickest time. The Italian clocked a best time of...

Cal Crutchlow impresses on Yamaha 1000cc debut

10 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow impresses on Yamaha 1000cc debut

Cal Crutchlow made an impressive start to the new 1000cc MotoGP era in Valencia this week when he ended a two-day test session at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in fourth place. The British rider finished...

First pic: Alvaro Bautista tests Gresini Honda

09 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

First pic: Alvaro Bautista tests Gresini Honda

Alvaro Bautista has made his debut for the Gresini Honda squad at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia this morning. The Spaniard has moved to the Italian squad after confirming he was leaving Suzuki...

Alvaro Bautista leaves Suzuki

09 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Alvaro Bautista leaves Suzuki

Alvaro Bautista seems certain to move to the San Carlo Gresini Honda squad in 2012 after Suzuki confirmed in Valencia today that the former 125GP world champion has left the Japanese factory. Suzuki...

Valentino Rossi: “Some big problems remain.”

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi: “Some big problems remain.”

Valentino Rossi admitted Ducati still has to make huge improvements to its new GP12 1000cc bike after he made his long-awaited public debut on a new twin spar aluminium chassis in Valencia today. The...

Andrea Dovizioso satisfied with Yamaha debut

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso satisfied with Yamaha debut

Andrea Dovizioso was satisfied with the start to his Yamaha career in Valencia today after he posted the seventh best time on the opening day of 2012 testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. The Italian...

Dani Pedrosa fastest while adapting 1000cc riding style

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa fastest while adapting 1000cc riding style

Dani Pedrosa topped the timesheets at the end of the opening day of 1000cc MotoGP testing in Valencia today, the Spaniard working on adapting his riding style to suit the more powerful RC213V...

Broken wrist rules Nicky Hayden out of Valencia test

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Broken wrist rules Nicky Hayden out of Valencia test

Nicky Hayden was forced to withdraw from today’s crucial MotoGP test in Valencia after discovering he has broken his right wrist in two places after a first corner crash in Sunday’s race. The American...

Suzuki set Friday deadline to commit to MotoGP in 2012

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki set Friday deadline to commit to MotoGP in 2012

Suzuki has until Friday to commit to the 2012 MotoGP world championship, MCN can reveal. Suzuki team boss Paul Denning and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta met in Valencia yesterday (Monday) to discuss the...

First pic: Valentino Rossi tests Ducati GP12 with new frame

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

First pic: Valentino Rossi tests Ducati GP12 with new frame

Valentino Rossi has started evaluating Ducati’s new twin spar aluminium frame at the Valencia circuit in Spain this morning. The nine-times world champion was one of the first on to the Ricardo Tormo...

First pic: Cal Crutchlow makes Yamaha 1000cc debut

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

First pic: Cal Crutchlow makes Yamaha 1000cc debut

British rider Cal Crutchlow has completed his first laps on board Yamaha’s new YZR-M1 1000cc MotoGP machine in Valencia today. The 26-year-old waited for small damp patches to dry out before he...

First pic: Ducati’s new twin spar aluminium frame

08 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

First pic: Ducati’s new twin spar aluminium frame

This is Ducati’s radical new twin spar aluminium frame that Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will test on the GP12 Desmosedici MotoGP bike over the next two days in Valencia. The Bologna factory has...

Improved safety must be Simoncelli's legacy

08 November 2011 by Ryan Eckford

Marco Simoncelli was a character and a great aggressive rider who was willing to give his all to the cause, even if it meant crashing out of races, or causing controversy. But his talent and success on the track, which included a 250cc World Championship should not be his only legacy. Safety must be improved significantly to prevent incidents like the one in Malaysia. I know present and former...

Hector Barbera joins Pramac Ducati

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Hector Barbera joins Pramac Ducati

Spaniard Hector Barbera has signed a deal with the Pramac Ducati squad for 2012 and he will make his debut on the new GP12 machine in Valencia tomorrow. The Italian squad will cut its involvement to...

Melissa Paris to test Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP bike in Valencia

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Melissa Paris to test Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP bike in Valencia

Melissa Paris, the racer wife of double American Superbike champion Josh Hayes, will test Yamaha’s YZR-M1 800cc MotoGP bike in Valencia tomorrow (Tuesday). Paris was due to test Bradley Smith’s Tech 3...

Jorge Lorenzo ruled out of 1000cc test in Valencia

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo ruled out of 1000cc test in Valencia

Jorge Lorenzo will miss this week’s crucial 1000cc MotoGP test in Valencia having failed to recover from a serious left hand injury sustained in Australia last month. The Spaniard lost 8mm off the tip...

Ducati to test twin spar aluminium chassis in Valencia

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati to test twin spar aluminium chassis in Valencia

Ducati has confirmed that Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will give a public debut to Ducati’s new twin spar aluminium frame during the traditional post race test in Valencia tomorrow...

Cal Crutchlow eager to assess Yamaha’s new 1000cc bike

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow eager to assess Yamaha’s new 1000cc bike

Cal Crutchlow says he can’t wait to make his debut on Yamaha’s new 1000cc MotoGP bike in Valencia tomorrow (Tuesday) after witnessing the new machine dive under lap record pace in Misano recently. The...

Valencia MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista sorry for first corner chaos

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valencia MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista sorry for first corner chaos

Alvaro Bautista’s hopes of ending a tough 2011 MotoGP campaign with a rostrum in the season’s final race in Valencia ended less than 10 seconds into Sunday’s 30-lap race. The factory Suzuki rider lost...

Valencia MotoGP: Casey Stoner ends 800cc era in style

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valencia MotoGP: Casey Stoner ends 800cc era in style

Casey Stoner ended the 800cc MotoGP era in Valencia yesterday just as he started it in 2007 – blasting past a factory Yamaha to take another impressive victory. The awesome Aussie won the first race...

Andrea Dovizioso keen to debut new Yamaha

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso keen to debut new Yamaha

Andrea Dovizioso’s focus immediately turned to 2012 and his much anticipated Yamaha 1000cc debut after he secured third place in the MotoGP world championship in Valencia yesterday. The Italian’s...

Valencia MotoGP: Nicky Hayden fit for 1000cc test

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valencia MotoGP: Nicky Hayden fit for 1000cc test

Nicky Hayden has been passed fit to take part in this week’s crucial 1000cc test in Valencia after he was caught up in a four-rider collision at the first corner of yesterday’s final Grand Prix of...

Valencia MotoGP: Ben Spies happy despite last gasp defeat

07 November 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valencia MotoGP: Ben Spies happy despite last gasp defeat

Ben Spies came within inches of claiming a slice of history for himself when he suffered a last gasp defeat to 2011 world champion Casey Stoner in the final race of the 800cc in Valencia yesterday...

Ciao Marco #58

07 November 2011 by Jill Elliott

Ciao Marco #58

I don’t really have a story, I just wanted to send this tribute picture for Marco Simoncelli.

Valencia MotoGP: Stoner snatches victory from Spies

06 November 2011 by Tom Cambio

Valencia MotoGP: Stoner snatches victory from Spies

2011 MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) stole his tenth win of the year from Ben Spies on the finish line, having managed to get the drive out of the final corner to power past Spies...