June

Aragon WSB: Sykes dominates to take pole

30 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Brit Tom Sykes took his sixth pole position of the season in spectacular fashion at Aragon today. Sykes was 0.708secs faster than second quickest man Max Biaggi. Biaggi’s team-mate Eugene Laverty...

Assen MotoGP: Stoner eases to victory

30 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner has taken his first victory since announcing his retirement ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa. It’s the first Honda victory at Assen since Nicky Hayden in 2006. Stoner...

Assen MotoGP: Marquez takes Moto2 win

30 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Suter rider Marc Marquez has extended his championship lead with victory in the Moto2 race at Assen after two of his championship rivals failed to score points. Fellow Spaniard Pol Espargaro – who was...

Assen MotoGP: Vinales wins hard fought Moto3 battle

30 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Spaniard Maverick Vinales has increased his championship lead after taking a hard fought victory in an incredible battle with championship rival Sandro Cortese. Cortese finished second, with team-mate...

Assen MotoGP: Valentino Rossi urges Ducati action

29 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi urged Ducati to devise a clear plan for future development of the struggling Desmosedici machine after he qualified in 10th position for tomorrow’s Dutch TT at Assen. The Italian...

Assen MotoGP: Casey Stoner bounces back from huge crash

29 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner bounced back from what he described as one of the biggest crashes of his career to snatch a dramatic pole position at Assen today. The Australian was...

Aragon WSB: Melandri ups the pace to take provisional pole

29 June 2012 by Michael Guy

Factory BMW man Marco Melandri demonstrated his affinity with the Aragon circuit to secure provisional pole ahead of fellow Italian and rival Max Biaggi. Last year Melandri and Biaggi shared the...

Assen MotoGP: Barbera cost me front row, says Cal Crutchlow

29 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

British rider Cal Crutchlow blasted Spanish rival Hector Barbera for costing him the chance to score a fourth front row start of 2012 at the historic Assen circuit in Holland this afternoon. Crutchlow...

Assen MotoGP: Stoner storms to pole

29 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner will start tomorrow’s MotoGP race from pole position after a last minute fast lap bumped team-mate Dani Pedrosa off the top spot. It looked as though Pedrosa would claim...

Assen MotoGP: Cortese claims Moto3 pole

29 June 2012 by MCN

KTM rider Sandro Cortese will start Saturday’s Moto3 race at Assen from pole position ahead of team-mate Danny Kent, who secured his first front row start. Gresini rider Niccolo Antonelli also claims...

Aragon WSB: Biaggi makes ominous start to top first session

29 June 2012 by Michael Guy

World Superbike championship leader Max Biaggi made an ominous start to the Aragon race weekend by setting the fastest time in the opening Free Practice session at Aragon. Biaggi, traditionally a slow...

Assen MotoGP:Cal Crutchlow could suit Ducati, says Valentino Rossi

28 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi believes British rider Cal Crutchlow could be competitive on Ducati’s struggling factory Desmosedici machine. The 26-year-old Midlander has been offered a two-year deal to join the...

Assen MotoGP: Nicky Hayden uncertain of Ducati future

28 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden has admitted his future at Ducati is an uncertain one after the Bologna factory offered British rider Cal Crutchlow a two-year factory deal. With Ducati also stating its intention to keep...

Assen MotoGP: Casey Stoner launches fresh attack on Bridgestone

28 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner’s frustration with the performance of Bridgestone’s 2012 tyres continued on the opening day of the Dutch TT at Assen today. The Australian was languishing down in seventh position on the...

Assen MotoGP: Injured Cal Crutchlow aims for top six

28 June 2012

Cal Crutchlow says he will be happy to finish Saturday’s historic Dutch TT inside the top six, despite a heroic ride to set the second fastest time on the opening day of practice at Assen today. Only...

Assen MotoGP: Ben Spies sets practice pace ahead of heroic Cal Crutchlow

28 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies proved once again today why the legendary Assen circuit in Holland is one of his favourites after he ended the opening day of practice on top of the timesheets. The Texan, who claimed his...

2013 speculation no distraction for Cal Crutchlow

27 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow is adamant that intense speculation about his MotoGP future is not a distraction as he ponders a two-year offer to join Ducati’s factory squad. The British rider was due to sit down with...

Ben Spies not worried about future speculation

27 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies has said he is not worried about intense speculation about his future as he aims for a second successive victory in Assen’s legendary Dutch TT this weekend. The Texan’s place next to...

Ducati making little progress, admits Nicky Hayden

27 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ducati is no closer to challenging Honda and Yamaha than it was at the start of the new 1000cc era, according to factory rider Nicky Hayden. The Bologna factory has only scored one rostrum in the...

Valentino Rossi: ‘I hope I can race next year with a competitive bike’

27 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has again insisted his prime focus is on making Ducati’s struggling Desmosedici a race-winning package. Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta was quoted in a recent interview saying that the...

Bemsee Premier 1000 racing blog: A weekend to forget

27 June 2012 by Michael Neeves

Lap four of the final race of the weekend and I’m vainly trying to hunt down race leader Danny Fowler. Up to second place from the third row of the grid and I’m on a good lap. The little green light...

Video: Honda classic corners trailer

27 June 2012 by MCN

The Honda World Superbike Team has spent much of the 2012 SBK season looking at some of the most iconic corners on the World Superbike calendar. The team will be releasing five videos looking at five...

Video: John McGuinness on a lap of the TT

27 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Hona TT Legends rider John McGuinnes now has 19 TT wins to his name, so who better to talk us through some of the most iconic sections of the 37-mile TT course?

Four flyaway races to kick off 2013 MotoGP campaign?

26 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

The European phase of the 2013 MotoGP world championship might not get underway until round five, with flyaway double headers in Qatar and India and then Argentina and Texas potentially kicking off...

Ben Spies hunting more Dutch delight

26 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies is determined to fire some momentum into his 2012 MotoGP world championship campaign by challenging for a second successive victory in the legendary Dutch TT at Assen this weekend. The...

Knockhill BSB: Laverty victorious in race two

24 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Samsung Honda’s Michael Laverty won the second British Superbike race at Knockhill this afternon, his second race win of the season. Swan Yamaha rider Tommy Hill took the lead from the line and...

Knockhill BSB: Byrne takes race one win

24 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider Shane Byrne took his 35th BSB win in dominant fashion during the first race at Knockhill today. Samsung Honda rider Michael Laverty got off to a good start and took the...

Knockhill BSB: Hill takes pole

23 June 2012 by Liam Marsden

Reigning champion Tommy Hill will start the first of tomorrow’s superbike races from pole position at Knockhill after setting the pace early in superpole. Samsung Honda’s Michael Laverty will start...

Ducati plan more tests on aluminium swingarm

22 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ducati’s aluminium swingarm project hasn’t been axed and Valentino Rossi could evaluate it again during a one-day test immediately after his home race at Mugello next month. Rossi liked the new...

Jorge Lorenzo’s boss praises Yamaha improvement

22 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo’s factory Yamaha boss Wilco Zeelenberg believes a vastly improved new YZR-M1 1000cc machine is the key reason for the Spaniard dominating the early stages of the 2012 MotoGP campaign. It...

No factory bike at Tech 3 for Cal Crutchlow

22 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha won’t offer Cal Crutchlow full factory support if he remains with its satellite Tech 3 squad in 2013. The British rider has told Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal that the perfect scenario for his...

Checa completes first test on 1199 Superbike

21 June 2012 by Michael Guy

World champion Carlos Checa completed his first official test on the all new Ducati 1199 Panigale at Misano today. Riding at the Italian circuit which is currently playing host to World Ducati Week...

Honda to roll out production MotoGP racer in 2014

21 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Honda will sell a production version of its current 1000cc prototype RC213V machine for the 2014 MotoGP world championship. The bike is currently under development in Japan and MCN understands it will...

No Tech 3 return for Ben Spies in 2013

21 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies won’t be making a move back to the Tech 3 Yamaha if Cal Crutchlow or Andrea Dovizioso land the Texan’s place in Yamaha’s official factory squad for 2013. With Jorge Lorenzo signed on a new...

Yamaha not surprised by interest in Crutchlow and Dovizioso

21 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha says it would have been shocked if Honda and Ducati didn’t try and lure Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso off a YZR-M1 for 2013. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo are enjoying a brilliant 2012...

Ducati in talks with Cal Crutchlow

20 June 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ducati is locked in talks with Cal Crutchlow and has offered the British rider a two-year deal to quit Yamaha next season, MCN can reveal. Crutchlow doesn’t have a contract with his Monster Yamaha...