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Catalunya MotoGP: Ben Spies looks to revive fortunes

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Catalunya MotoGP: Ben Spies looks to revive fortunes

Ben Spies is confident he can put a disappointing start to his second season in the MotoGP world championship behind him in this weekend’s Catalunya clash near Barcelona. The Texan is currently...

Catalunya MotoGP: Rivals surprised by Dani Pedrosa withdrawal

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Catalunya MotoGP: Rivals surprised by Dani Pedrosa withdrawal

Dani Pedrosa’s late withdrawal from his home race in Catalunya was a big surprise for his MotoGP rivals. Repsol Honda team-mate Casey Stoner and factory Ducati rider Valentino Rossi both said they...

Catalunya MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo urges restraint from Spanish fans

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Catalunya MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo urges restraint from Spanish fans

Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo has urged Spanish fans to refrain from giving Marco Simoncelli a hostile reception during this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP round. After Simoncelli’s controversial...

Honda unveils new NSF250R Moto3 bike

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Honda unveils new NSF250R Moto3 bike

Honda has taken the wraps off its new Moto3 250cc four-stroke racer in Catalunya this afternoon. The new NSF250R was given its first public viewing during a special HRC presentation in the Montmelo...

Lorenzo practices start at Barcelona traffic light GP

02 June 2011 by Tom Cambio

Lorenzo practices start at Barcelona traffic light GP

Commuters in downtown Barcelona faced some tough competition at the traffic light GP yesterday, with reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team descending on the...

Isle of Man TT blog: Anstey setting pace

02 June 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Isle of Man TT blog: Anstey setting pace

I can’t believe how busy the Island is so early. Normally things are quiet early in the week then there’s a huge influx of visitors on the Thursday and the atmosphere comes alive. This year I was...

Pedrosa to miss Catalunya race

01 June 2011 by Tom Cambio

Pedrosa to miss Catalunya race

Dani Pedrosa will miss this weekend’s race at Catalunya, as the Spaniard is still recovering from surgery to repair his right collarbone that was broken in a controversial collision with Marco...

Double fatality in TT sidecar practice

01 June 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Double fatality in TT sidecar practice

Sidecar practice was marred by a double fatality. Bill Currie and Kevin Morgan both lost their lives when they crashed their Yamaha outfit at Ballacrye on the first lap of practice. The session was...

Isle of Man TT blog: TT is go!

01 June 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Isle of Man TT blog: TT is go!

I don’t know why the Thruxton BSB round had to be scheduled to clash with the opening of TT 2011 but it certainly played havoc with those teams who compete in the short circuit series and the...

Marco Simoncelli remorseful over Pedrosa collision

01 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli remorseful over Pedrosa collision

Marco Simoncelli has moved to calm the storm of controversy surrounding his collision with Dani Pedrosa in the recent French Grand Prix by admitting his aggressive overtake was wrong. In the initial...

Marco Simoncelli kicks off contract talks with Honda

01 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli kicks off contract talks with Honda

Honda has kicked off talks with Italian star Marco Simoncelli over a new two-year factory deal. Although the former 250GP world champion rides for the satellite San Carlo Gresini Honda squad, he is a...

Marco Simoncelli to face Race Direction in Catalunya

31 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli to face Race Direction in Catalunya

Marco Simoncelli has been summoned for talks with Race Direction ahead of this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP clash near Barcelona. The Italian was embroiled in a storm of controversy after an aggressive...

Checa does the double at Miller, winning second WSB race

31 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Checa does the double at Miller, winning second WSB race

Championship leader Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) completed his consistent domination at Miller Motorsports Park to win the second World Superbike race on a considerably drier track, enabling...

Checa wins race one in Utah

30 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Checa wins race one in Utah

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing Ducati) won an eventful race one at Miller Motorsports Park, Utah. Leading an all-Ducati podium, Checa took first on the seventh lap and pulled away from the chasing pack,...

Thruxton BSB: Byrne dominates race two to secure victory

30 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Thruxton BSB: Byrne dominates race two to secure victory

Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) dominated the second race at Thruxton. Starting from pole, the championship leader set the fastest lap of the day and created a 10 second lead over the following...

Thruxton BSB: Laverty takes race one win

30 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Thruxton BSB: Laverty takes race one win

Michael Laverty took his first win of the season for Swan Yamaha at a rain-soaked Thruxton. In a closely contested race one, Michael Rutter (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) finished second ahead of...

Checa snatches pole position at Miller

29 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Checa snatches pole position at Miller

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) continued his domination at Miller Motorsports Park, snatching pole position back from Jakub Smrz (Team Effenbert-Liberty Racing) in the last lap of the wet, cold...

Thruxton BSB: Alex Lowes takes pole

29 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Thruxton BSB: Alex Lowes takes pole

Alex Lowes (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) secured pole position in qualifying at Thruxton this afternoon, finishing the final session ahead of John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) and Swan Yamaha rider...

TT Preview: Bruce Anstey - new team, new focus

29 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

TT Preview: Bruce Anstey - new team, new focus

There’s something very different about Bruce Anstey this year. He smiles a lot. He’s chatty (well, more so than ever before). He’s training. He’s out and about at official engagements. And he seems...

Checa dominates opening day at Miller, Camier second

29 May 2011 by Michael Guy

Checa dominates opening day at Miller, Camier second

Championship leader Carlos Checa lived up to all the hype that he will be the man to beat by decimating his rivals during the opening free practice and qualifying sessions at Miller. The Althea Ducat...

Byrne quickest in Thruxton BSB practice

28 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Byrne quickest in Thruxton BSB practice

Shane Byrne topped the first day of practice at Thruxton today for Bank Holiday Monday’s fourth round of the MCE British Superbike championship. The HM Plant Honda rider set the pace with a 1:15.248...

TT Preview: Michael Dunlop, the Maverick

27 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

TT Preview: Michael Dunlop, the Maverick

Michael Dunlop. Twenty-two years old. TT winner. Privateer. Maverick. Dunlop was courted by top teams this winter but eventually stuck with his gang of friends and backers, who have supported him so...

Valentino Rossi pleased with second GP12 test

27 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi pleased with second GP12 test

Valentino Rossi completed his second test on Ducati’s new 2012 MotoGP prototype at the Mugello circuit yesterday (Thursday), the Italian declaring  a 60-lap run as positive. The nine-times world...

Aspar Ducati confirms MotoGP expansion plan

26 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Aspar Ducati confirms MotoGP expansion plan

Ducati could expand its MotoGP involvement to seven bikes in 2012 with the Aspar squad confirming to MCN it is negotiating a deal to run a two-rider effort next season. The Spanish squad, run by...

Ducati’s GP12 unlikely to repeat 2007 dominance

26 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati’s GP12 unlikely to repeat 2007 dominance

Ducati is unlikely to replicate its domination of MotoGP after the last time the premier class instigated a major rule change back in 2007. When engine capacity was reduced from 990cc to 800cc, Ducati...

James Ellison’s meet and greet party

26 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

James Ellison’s meet and greet party

Since James Ellison is racing abroad this year and won’t get as much of an opportunity to meet his fans in the UK as he likes, he’s organized his own meet and greet party in Matlock, this Sunday (May...

Dorna expects Motegi race to go ahead

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Dorna expects Motegi race to go ahead

A letter updating teams and paddock personnel of the current situation relating to the staging of the rescheduled Japanese MotoGP race makes it clear that Dorna believes the event will go ahead in...

TT Preview: Now or never for Martin

25 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

TT Preview: Now or never for Martin

Relentless by TAS Suzuki team owner Philip Neill has given Martin every opportunity to focus 100% on preparation for this year’s TT – more than the 29-year old from Kirmington has ever enjoyed: four...

Stuart Easton's injuries and recovery

25 May 2011 by Andy North

This story is in relation to Stuart Easton’s crash at the NW200. According to news reports he has broken both femurs and sustained other injuries. I had a motorcycle accident in May 2002 in Central London where I broke both my femurs and sustained other injuries. I had to be operated on at the roadside to stabilise my condition before being airlifted to hospital, where I underwent a nine hour...

Minitwins at Brands Hatch - Chris Green's crash

25 May 2011 by Steve Dyke

Minitwins at Brands Hatch - Chris Green's crash

I attended Brands Hatch GP circuit over the weekend and managed to capture some great pictures of a dramatic crash in the Minitwins BMCRC MRO Championships race. Chris Green (number 60) took a big off...

Valentino Rossi’s development skills vital for Ducati

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s development skills vital for Ducati

Ducati is finally starting to reap the rewards of having the technical skills of Valentino Rossi develop its factory GP11 MotoGP machine, according to factory team boss Vittoriano Guareschi. Rossi has...

Casey Stoner praises Marc Marquez

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner praises Marc Marquez

Casey Stoner has praised Marc Marquez and tipped the talented Spaniard to develop into a MotoGP star of the future. The reigning 125GP world champion won an army of admirers in 2010 and Aussie Stoner...

TT Preview: McGuinness' Mountain Desire

24 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

TT Preview: McGuinness' Mountain Desire

15 TT wins. 29 podiums. Outright lap record holder. TT legend. With his record on the TT mountain course, John McGuinness could be forgiven for being a bit of a superstyar be he’s more like your best...

Tinmouth resigns from BSB ride

24 May 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Tinmouth resigns from BSB ride

Jenny Tinmouth has resigned from the Splitlath Aprilia team after a brief flirtation of just two BSB rounds. The news came as no surprise to team owner John Dimbylow who said: “We were expecting it...

Croft BSB: Results - Kirkham wins race one, Byrne takes race two

24 May 2011 by MCN

Croft BSB: Results - Kirkham wins race one, Byrne takes race two

Samsung Crescent Suzuki rider Jon Kirkham won the first BSB race at Croft, finishing ahead of American team mate John Hopkins. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) took third place. In race two Shane...

Ducati confident GP12 will suit more styles

24 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati confident GP12 will suit more styles

Ducati is confident its new 1000cc MotoGP bike will suit a range of styles and won’t be the extreme and hard to tame package like previous versions of its factory Desmosedici machine. Valentino Rossi...