Motorcycle Sport & Racing News

Yamaha optimistic new Ben Spies deal is close

Yamaha optimistic new Ben Spies deal is close

Yamaha bosses remain optimistic that an extended MotoGP deal for impressive American Ben Spies will be finalised in the near future. Yamaha management and representatives of Spies have been locked in...

Honda fear Jorge Lorenzo in 2011

Honda fear Jorge Lorenzo in 2011

Honda management fear the biggest threat to the Japanese factory’s bid to win the last 800cc MotoGP title in 2011 will come from Yamaha rival and reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard...

Top doctors withdraw from TT

Top doctors withdraw from TT

MCN has received a statement which says TT Chief Medical Officer Dr Heike Rommer and Medical Director Dr Stevens will not be involved in the 2011 TT, but will continue to work at the 2011 Manx GP. The...

Guy Martin tests Relentless Suzuki

Guy Martin tests Relentless Suzuki

TT hero Guy Martin completed his first test with the Relentless by TAS Suzuki team at Almeria on Sunday, completing over 90 laps on their 2010 TT superbike. In bright sunshine and 20-degree...

Star line-up for Sheffield Indoor trial

Star line-up for Sheffield Indoor trial

International trials riders Dougie Lampkin, Toni Bou, Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo headline the Sheffield Indoor Trial on January 8, 2011. Five of the sport’s leading lights have switched camps this...

Baz and Westmoreland testing in Spain

New Motorpoint Yamaha signing Loris Baz and prospective team-mate James Westmoreland are testing at Cartagena today. Baz is a confirmed runner with the team for next year’s British Superbike championship but Westmoreland is having a try out on the R1 before any decisions are reached. Team boss Rob McElnea said: “We’ve got some time at a track day to give both of them a run-out on the bikes before...

Positive shakedown test for BMW Motorrad Italia at Portimao

Positive shakedown test for BMW Motorrad Italia at Portimao

The BMW Motorrad Italia team of James Toseland and Ayrton Badovini finally enjoyed some dry track time in Portimao toady where they begun their first shakedown test of their new S1000RR’s which the...

Hopkins to BSB rumours: The facts

Hopkins to BSB rumours: The facts

Crescent Suzuki have admitted they are courting former MotoGP star John Hopkins to race in BSB next year. Rumours that the American may ride for Crescent Suzuki in BSB next year surfaced on the web...

Plater and Lowes to ride indoor shorttrack

Plater and Lowes to ride indoor shorttrack

British Supersport champion Sam Lowes and recent Honda TT Legends World Endurance signing Steve Plater are just two of the top names lined up to race in the Braintree Bonanza indoor short track...

Toseland’s Portimao test delayed by mudslides

Toseland’s Portimao test delayed by mudslides

The BMW Motorrad Italia team of James Toseland and Aryton Badovini have been forced to sit out of their scheduled test at Portimao this morning after a heavy storm caused mudslides at the Portuguese...

Ducati ponders seven-bike entry in 2012

Ducati ponders seven-bike entry in 2012

Ducati could extend its involvement in the new look 1000cc four-stroke MotoGP world championship to seven bikes in 2012. The Bologna factory will field six bikes in 2011 having agreed to lease a GP11...

Laverty: “I could have been even faster”

Laverty: “I could have been even faster”

In last weeks WSB test at Phillip Island Eugene Laverty topped the time sheets beating Max Biaggi, Leon Camier and Marco Melandri in the process. His performance and progress since jumping on the...

New approach crucial to Jorge Lorenzo’s success

New approach crucial to Jorge Lorenzo’s success

A calmer approach and revised strategy proved crucial in helping Jorge Lorenzo become only the second Spanish rider in history to capture the MotoGP title in 2010. The 23-year-old was a model of...

Alex Criville warns Honda against major changes

Alex Criville warns Honda against major changes

Former world champion Alex Criville has warned Honda not to make radical winter changes to its factory RC212V contender to help Dani Pedrosa win the last 800cc MotoGP title in 2011. Criville said...

Niall Mackenzie’s son lands 125GP ride

Niall Mackenzie’s son lands 125GP ride

Kenny Roberts and Kenny Roberts Junior, Graziano and Valentino Rossi and Ron and Leon Haslam are all father and sons to have raced in the Grand Prix world championship. Now Niall and Taylor Mackenzie...

Cal Crutchlow starts rehab after shoulder surgery

Cal Crutchlow starts rehab after shoulder surgery

Cal Crutchlow has started the long rehabilitation process after he underwent successful surgery on a long-standing left shoulder injury in Manchester last week. The Coventry rider needed tendon and...

Jerry Burgess expects big Honda challenge

Jerry Burgess expects big Honda challenge

Jerry Burgess reckons Honda could pose the most serious threat to Valentino Rossi’s hopes of winning the MotoGP crown at the first attempt with Ducati in 2011. The Aussie, who is currently in Bologna...

Bradley Smith destroys Moto2 bike in test crash

Bradley Smith destroys Moto2 bike in test crash

Bradley Smith escaped unhurt but destroyed a Tech 3 Racing Moto2 machine as he took part in a freezing cold and wet testing double-header in Spain earlier this week. The 20-year-old braved chilly...

Casey Stoner backs four-rider Honda assault

Casey Stoner backs four-rider Honda assault

Casey Stoner has dismissed concerns that Honda might struggle to give equal support to its quartet of factory riders in 2011. Stoner will ride with Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in the factory HRC...

Me and Cameron Donald

Me and Cameron Donald

Me and Cameron Donald at the Isle of Man. He was more than happy to have this photo taken.

Jorge Lorenzo expects strong challenge from Ben Spies

Jorge Lorenzo expects strong challenge from Ben Spies

MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo is expecting new factory Yamaha team-mate Ben Spies to pose a major threat in the 2011 premier class series. Spies will join the 23-year-old next year after the...

Padgetts sign Anstey

Padgetts sign Anstey

Padgetts of Batley have signed Bruce Anstey for the three major international road races in 2011. The veteran TT star was cut loose after several years with the Relentless by TAS team but now returns...

Antonio Banderas team quits Moto2

Antonio Banderas team quits Moto2

The Moto2 team supported by Hollywood star Antonio Banderas has collapsed, leaving former 125GP world champion Gabor Talmacsi and American Kenny Noyes without a ride for 2011. Title sponsor Jack &...

Cameron Donald signs for Wilson Craig

Cameron Donald signs for Wilson Craig

Australian Cameron Donald has signed to race for Wilson Craig in next year’s international road races.
  The Australian left Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing only a week ago by mutual consent, less...

Danny Webb secures 125GP ride with new Indian manufacturer

Danny Webb secures 125GP ride with new Indian manufacturer

Danny Webb will contest the last 125GP world championship next season and first ever Moto3 four-stroke series in 2012 for the Indian-based Mahindra and Mahindra squad. The British rider has agreed a a...

Cal Crutchlow to undergo shoulder surgery

Cal Crutchlow to undergo shoulder surgery

Cal Crutchlow is facing a race to be fit for the opening MotoGP test of 2011 having been due to undergo identical shoulder surgery to Valentino Rossi in Manchester today (Wednesday). The British rider...

Xaus tops day two of testing in Portimao

New Ten Kate Honda signing Ruben Xaus finished the second day of testing at Portimao at the top of the time sheets with an accomplished and convincing wet weather riding performance. The 32 year old Spaniard completed a massive 114 laps in fully wet conditions with a best time of 1m 55.8s. It’s clear that Xaus has impressed his new team with his enthusiasm and commitment to understand his new...

Loris Capirossi expects Suzuki development to suffer in 2011

Loris Capirossi expects Suzuki development to suffer in 2011

Loris Capirossi reckons Suzuki will slip even further behind successful rivals Honda, Yamaha and Ducati by cutting its involvement in MotoGP next season to just one bike. The Japanese factory will...

McGuinness and Amor to miss NW200?

McGuinness and Amor to miss NW200?

Race fans in Northern Ireland have been shocked to hear that John McGuinness and Keith Amor may be forced to miss the 2011 North West 200. The race on May 21 clashes with the second round of the World...

Toseland gets first taste of BMW

Toseland gets first taste of BMW

James Toseland has completed his first ever laps onboard the BMW S1000RR at a wet and cold Portimao this morning. The two time WSB champion rode the BMW test team’s bike in preparation for his future...

Ben Spies closing in on new Yamaha contract

Ben Spies closing in on new Yamaha contract

Ben Spies is closing in on an extension to his current factory Yamaha MotoGP contract. Talks about extending the Texan’s current deal have been in progress for a number of weeks with Spies and Yamaha...

Splitlath Aprilia with Kennaugh in BSB

Splitlath Aprilia with Kennaugh in BSB

Splitlath Aprilia will run Leicester-based South African Hudson Kennaugh in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship next year. Kennaugh narrowly missed-out on the BSB-Evo title by just three...

Honda Racing confirm endurance plans

Honda Racing confirm endurance plans

Honda Racing in Louth confirmed their World endurance racing plans during the Carole Nash Motorcycle Live Show at the NEC today (Sunday). The team, to be known as the TT Legends, will be funded by...

ITV increases TT coverage

ITV increases TT coverage

ITV has announced that it will increase coverage of the TT races with a new long-term deal. Fourteen hours of daily highlights from the event will be shown on ITV4 throughout the road race festival,...

New Manx GP race programme

New Manx GP race programme

The Manx Motor Cycle Club have restructured the Manx Grand Prix Races ahead of the 2011 event – including new classes and a revised calendar that will see the meeting ending with a high profile...

Buildbase Hawk team switch to BMW

Buildbase Hawk team switch to BMW

The Buildbase Hawk Racing team owned by Stuart Hicken has made a dramatic switch from Kawasaki to BMW – with backing from BMW Motorrad UK. The team will field three riders on S1000RR machines: John...