2014

Year: 2014

Month: ALL

Westmoreland competes shakedown at home circuit

16 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Westmoreland competes shakedown at home circuit

James Westmoreland has completed his first test of 2014 for the Buildbase BMW team, taking to the track at Mallory Park, the circuit now co-managed by team boss Stuart Hicken, to shake down the team’s...

Pirelli to offer free BSB tickets to customers

16 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Pirelli to offer free BSB tickets to customers

Prielli have launched a deal that will give customers the opportunity to attend the 2014 MCE British Superbike Championship, where Pirelli are the official tyre supplier, for free, simply by...

Triumph Tristar R&G Triple Challenge ready to rock for 2014

15 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Triumph Tristar R&G Triple Challenge ready to rock for 2014

The Triumph Triple Challenge will be back for 2014, with the Daytona 675 one-make series officially set to be launched at London’s iconic Ace Café on the 5th April, with organisers T3 Racing also...

Lowes' Philip Island damage much worse than initially thought

15 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Lowes' Philip Island damage much worse than initially thought

Alex Lowes has returned to the UK after an enforced stay in Australia after the opening round of the World Superbike championship. The reigning British Superbike Champion was originally set to return...

Kirkham returns to track in Valencia test

15 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Kirkham returns to track in Valencia test

Jon Kirkham has returned to track for the first time in 2014, as he completed his first test of the year for the Tsingtao WK Kawasaki team at Valencia, alongside National Superstock 1000 teammates...

Hutchinson completes hundreds of laps in Spanish testing

14 March 2014

Hutchinson completes hundreds of laps in Spanish testing

Ian Hutchinson has had a successful return to two wheels for the first time since winning the Macau Grand Prix in November, and only his second time on a bike since the onslaught of surgery and...

Oversubscribed TT entries close

14 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Oversubscribed TT entries close

Entires have now closed for the 2014 Isle of Man TT, with the event once again oversubscribed in almost every class as riders from around the world now battle simply to get a race start at the iconic...

Miller fastest Moto3 on final day; McPhee 6th, Kent 7th

14 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Miller fastest Moto3 on final day; McPhee 6th, Kent 7th

Jack Miller has taken the top spot on the final day of the 2014 preseason at Jerez, holding off the Estrella Galicia Honda of Alex Marquez by 0.1 to take the top sport with a 1:46.259 lap of the...

Coghlan looking forwards to Aragon after Oz podium

14 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Coghlan looking forwards to Aragon after Oz podium

Scotsman Kev Coghlan says that his performances at the opening round of the World Supersport championship last month in Philip Island is proof that he can run at the front in the 600cc class, and that...

Nakagami takes top spot in final Moto2 test

14 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Nakagami takes top spot in final Moto2 test

Moto2 preseason testing has concluded for 2014, with Honda Asia rider Takaai Nakagami taking the top spot in the absence of the Marc VDS and Aspar teams of Tito Rabat and Mika Kallio and Jordi Torres...

Lowes sits out Jerez test with tendonitis

14 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Lowes sits out Jerez test with tendonitis

Reigning world supersport champion Sam Lowes has been forced to sit out most of the final three-day Moto2 test that concluded yesterday at Jerez, after a bout of tendonitis in his right wrist meant he...

Miller fastest as Kent remains top three in Moto3 testing

13 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Miller fastest as Kent remains top three in Moto3 testing

Jack Miller was fastest on day two of the final Moto3 preseason test, but British teammate Danny Kent was able to put in another strong performance to finish third, separated by the Calvo KTM machine...

Lowes sits out day two with mystery injury

13 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Lowes sits out day two with mystery injury

Takaai Nakagami was again fastest on day two of Moto2 testing at Jerez, topping the timesheets by a slim 0.015 from Swiss rider Thomas Luthi and former Moto3 world champion Sandro Cortese. However,...

Suzuki: Rossi not a candidate for 2015 ride

13 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki: Rossi not a candidate for 2015 ride

Suzuki boss Davide Brivio has admitted it will be highly unlikely for the Japanese factory to convince Valentino Rossi to spearhead its MotoGP return in 2015. Suzuki is currently extensively testing...

Aspar: No shock at Aleix Espargaro’s speed

13 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Aspar: No shock at Aleix Espargaro’s speed

Aleix Espargaro’s impressive performances in winter testing might have surprised a few MotoGP observers, but one of them is not the Spaniard’s ex-Aspar team boss Gino Borsoi. Espargaro has been the...

Braking stability still a concern for Yamaha

13 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Braking stability still a concern for Yamaha

Braking stability is still a key area for Yamaha to improve on its factory YZR-M1 once the new MotoGP world championship campaign gets underway in Qatar on March 23. Honda has taken a huge step...

Meet the riders for North West 200 launch

12 March 2014 by Stephen Davison

Meet the riders for North West 200 launch

The launch of the Vauxhall International North West 200 will have a new look for 2014 with the announcement that there is to be a special “meet the riders” event on Monday March 31. Following the...

Was Ducati’s move to the Open Class in MotoGP inspired thinking or lunacy?

12 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Was Ducati’s move to the Open Class in MotoGP inspired thinking or lunacy?

Last week Ducati made the shock decision that they would be running in the Open Class in MotoGP for 2014. Some have called the move inspired, and less controls on engine development plus sticky tyres...

Dall’Igna delighted with Ducati line-up for 2014

12 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Dall’Igna delighted with Ducati line-up for 2014

New Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna reckons Ducati could not have better riders than Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow to revive its fortunes in MotoGP. Ducati has endured a torrid recent history in...

Colin Edwards: Teaching an old dog new tricks

12 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: Teaching an old dog new tricks

Having just turned 40 and been racing motorcycles for longer than Marc Marquez has been on the planet, you’d think if anybody would find it difficult to embrace a new riding technique it would be...

Smith and Espargaro impressed with new Yamaha gearbox

12 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Smith and Espargaro impressed with new Yamaha gearbox

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 duo Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro have both hailed the benefits of Yamaha’s seamless shift gearbox ahead of the start of the 2014 MotoGP campaign. Smith and Espargaro tested...

Lowes third as Nakagami tops day one at Jerez

12 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Lowes third as Nakagami tops day one at Jerez

Takaai Nakagami has topped the timesheets on day one of the final Moto2 and Moto3 pre-season test at Jerez, but the surprise performance of the day was British rookie Sam Lowes, who finished the day...

ITV to show MotoGP in 2014

11 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

ITV to show MotoGP in 2014

ITV have confirmed to MCN that, contrary to reports that BT Sport would be the exclusive right holders for MotoGP in the UK, they will also be showing a delayed highlights package on ITV Four during...

Schwantz to return to Suzuka

11 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Schwantz to return to Suzuka

Yoshimura Suzuki will run not one but two teams for this year’s Suzuka 8 Hours, as they expand to celebrate the 60th anniversary of racing legend Pop Yoshimura founding the tuning firm back in 1954. A...

Waters to race Suzuka with Yoshimura

11 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Waters to race Suzuka with Yoshimura

Yoshimura Suzuki have announced their main rider line-up for the Suzuka 8 hours, with Tyco Suzuki MCE British Superbike racer Josh Waters joining Takuya Tsuda, last year’s runner-up with the team, as...

Aleix Espargaro: Aspar ride boosted my career

11 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Aleix Espargaro: Aspar ride boosted my career

Aleix Espargaro says he owes a big debt of gratitude to Spanish legend Jorge Martinez’s Aspar squad for helping him develop into a more competitive MotoGP rider. The 24-year-old has been the major...

Honda announce 2014 British plans

11 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Honda announce 2014 British plans

Honda Racing UK have finalised their 2014 British championship racing plans, with three machines in the National Superstock 1000 series alongside their already confirmed wildcard appearances in the...

No new bike for Cal in 2014

11 March 2014 by Michael Guy

No new bike for Cal in 2014

Cal Crutchlow and team-mate Andrea Dovizioso will campaign their existing Desmosedici GP14 throughout the 2014 season with no all new bike expected until the 2015 season. Speaking at the official...

Suzuki keen on MotoGP test for Eugene Laverty

11 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki keen on MotoGP test for Eugene Laverty

Suzuki is keen to get the input of Eugene Laverty on its new factory 1000cc MotoGP contender during 2014. The Irish rider is locked in talks over selected rides on the new Suzuki and he met new MotoGP...

Dall’Igna talks ‘Open’ at 2014 Ducati MotoGP team launch in Munich

10 March 2014 by Michael Guy

Dall’Igna talks ‘Open’ at 2014 Ducati MotoGP team launch in Munich

The 2014 Ducati MotoGP squad was officially unveiled to the worlds press in Munich today. Ducati launches historically take place in the mountains of Madonna di Campiglio, but in 2014, Ducati owners...

Ducati unveil 2014 Desmosedici

10 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Ducati unveil 2014 Desmosedici

Ducati have unveiled their 2014 MotoGP contender in an impressive ceremony at parent company Audi’s showrooms inside Munich Airport in the presence of a host of top names and vehicles from the German...

Hopper at home on Tyco Suzuki

10 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Hopper at home on Tyco Suzuki

Former MotoGP podium finisher John Hopkins says that he feels at home already on the Tyco Suzuki machine he will compete in the 2014 MCE British Superbike championship on, with the similarities to his...

Philip Neil: “Waters has that big smile back”

10 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Philip Neil: “Waters has that big smile back”

Former Australian Superbike champion Josh Waters has left Cartagena having made positive steps forwards on his Suzuki return, after a woeful 2013 season on the Milwaukee Yamaha, finishing the test...

Seeley pleased with Cartagena progress

10 March 2014 by Simon Patterson

Seeley pleased with Cartagena progress

Alastair Seeley has left a four day test at Cartagena pleased with the progress he has made with his new Mar-Train team, with the Ulsterman able to run competitive times not only on his British...

Bradley Smith rebounds from crash to claim top three

10 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith rebounds from crash to claim top three

Bradley Smith experienced an eventful but ultimately very productive final night of MotoGP testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was relieved to emerge...

'Unbelievable' race simulation thrills Aleix Espargaro in Qatar

10 March 2014 by Matthew Birt

'Unbelievable' race simulation thrills Aleix Espargaro in Qatar

Aleix Espargaro continued his outstanding winter testing form in Qatar last night by finishing the final pre-season action of 2014 on top of the timesheets. The Forward Yamaha rider was doubly happy...