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Ben Spies confirms Yamaha MotoGP interest for 2010

08 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies has confirmed he sits high on a list of Yamaha MotoGP targets for 2010. The Texan is already being touted for a possible seat in the Tech 3 Yamaha squad, depending on how he performs in his...

Dakar day 5 - Simon Pavey Blog

08 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Honorary Brit, Simon Pavey dug deep on the hardest stage of the Dakar to secure an impressive 46th place finish on the arduous 506KM sixth stage. His strong result moves the BMW man up to 45th overall...

Carmelo Ezpeleta holds Kawasaki crisis talks

08 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has staged crisis talks with top Kawasaki management in Japan today in a bid to get the Japanese factory to race in MotoGP in 2009. Kawasaki has still not officially...

Dakar Day 5 – Strong showing by Brits on toughest stage so far

08 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Brits Mick Extance (Honda Europe Dakar Sport) and Stanley Watt (KTM Front Row GB) proved their credentials on the hardest day of the 2009 Dakar so far with impressive results. Dakar veteran Mick...

Donington Park revamp under consideration

08 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Local planners will consider the multi-million pound revamp of Donington Park at a meeting today (Thursday). North West Leicestershire District Council’s planning committee will consider the plans to...

Casey Stoner ready for wrist assessment

08 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Former world champion Casey Stoner will learn whether is on course for an early February comeback when he undergoes medical checks on his left wrist in Italy next week. The Australian is due to fly...

Coca Cola Zero backing announced for North West 200 and Rutter

08 January 2009 by Marc Potter

Coca Cola are backing motorcycle racing with the announcement that Coca Cola Zero will sponsor Michael Rutter in British Superbikes, and back the North West 200 races in May. This is the first...

MotoGP blog: MotoGP in crisis

07 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki’s bombshell decision to quit MotoGP was a wake up call of Big Ben proportions for the racing world. Well for MotoGP at least, which had previously seemed impregnable to the global economic...

Dakar day 4 – Simon Pavey Blog

07 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Six times Dakar veteran Simon Pavey secured his best result in the Rally Special Stages so far, of 48th position and moved up 20 places to 65th overall in the motorcycle category. Day four of the...

French rider killed in Dakar Rally

07 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Frenchman Pascal Terry has been found dead on the Dakar Rally in Argentina. The 49-year-old was found after the fourth stage having been missing since Sunday’s second stage between Santa Rosa and...

Engine development freeze can slash MotoGP costs

07 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Honda team boss Lucio Cecchinello believes costs could be cut by 20 to 30 per cent with a freeze on engine development in MotoGP. The LCR Honda boss is one of several teams treading a financial...

Chris Vermeulen backs rider aid reduction bid

07 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Factory Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen has backed Valentino Rossi’s bid for MotoGP to slash the influence of electronic rider aids. The Aussie sits on the influential MotoGP Safety Commission with Rossi...

Scott Russell races again

07 January 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Former WSB champion Scott Russell earned the nickname “Mr. Daytona” with his two-wheel prowess at Daytona International Speedway, winning the Daytona 200 five times. Now Russell joins fellow two-wheel...

Coma secures stage win, Despres takes fighting second

07 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Marc Coma continued his dominance of the 2009 Dakar by winning his third stage win in four days ahead of factory KTM team-mate Cyril Despres. Starting the revised 380KM stage first, Coma was unfazed...

Support the companies that support MotoGP

07 January 2009 by Anonymous

I’m a bit of a bike collector. On the road I have 3 “classic” bikes, namely 2 750 Kawasakis and a T150 Triumph and a “modern” bike, a Triumph Thunderbird. I have long been disappointed that Triumph have no presence or even aspiration for racing at the top level and am saddened by Kwak’s withdrawal. The time has come for me (and others?) to support those firms committed to top level racing so I...

Sykes: “I could ride now if I had to”

06 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Factory Yamaha WSB man Tom Sykes is confident of a quick recovery following his 100mph crash on the final day of the Kyalami test in South Africa four weeks ago. The 23 year old crashed his R1 after...

Kawasaki UK back McAdoo team on roads

06 January 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Kawasaki Motors UK has confirmed official support for the McAdoo Kawasaki racing team on the exciting and demanding pure road race level. With recent signing Conor Cummins on the team’s 2009 Kawasaki...

Dakar Day 3 - Coma reasserts dominance on 2009 Dakar

06 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Despite starting the day in 17th place, Spaniard Marc Coma dominated day three of the 2009 Dakar Rally to move clear at the top of the timing sheets. The factory Repsol KTM rider won the shortened 551KM timed special stage by 17m 49s and now leads the overall Dakar standings by a comfortable 39m 11s. The days riding saw the remaining 192 competitors head into Patagonia where they were faced with...

Dakar Day three – Simon Pavey Blog

06 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Simon Pavey used his experience gained from competing in seven Dakar rallies during his careers to post another strong result on day three of the 2009 event. The 41 year old Australian claimed an...

Harley-Davidson announce XR1200 prize money and tyre details

06 January 2009 by Rob Hull

Harley-Davidson has confirmed today that the one-make XR1200 series that will run as part of British Superbike weekends in 2009 will have Dunlop solely supplying tyres for the championship. Dunlop,...

Marco Melandri rules out World Superbike move

06 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Not that there are any top factory rides going vacant in World Superbikes, Marco Melandri has ruled out saving his 2009 season with a switch to WSB. The Italian is currently searching for a ride...

Jorge Lorenzo: I want to spend my whole career with Yamaha

06 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo will tell Yamaha bosses he wants to spend his entire MotoGP career with the Japanese factory as he prepares to thrash out a new deal. Yamaha management confirmed to MCN in late October...

600cc Moto2 class to feed MotoGP talent

06 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

The new 600cc class could be used by some of the non-factory teams in MotoGP as ‘feeder’ outfits to help them nurture talented young riders for a premier class future. The Scot Honda team that will...

Can I have my bike back please?

06 January 2009 by kev cooper

Here is a photo sequence of Karl Harris getting a face full of Tom Sykes’s Rizla Suzuki in BSB

Lucio Cecchinello rules out Marco Melandri swoop

05 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

LCR Honda team boss Lucio Cecchinello has told MCN he won’t be offering Marco Melandri a MotoGP lifeline in 2009. Former world 250 champion Melandri is frantically searching for a ride following the...

MotoGP calendar cut not answer to cost saving

05 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP team bosses believe a reduction in the number of MotoGP races would have little or no impact on slashing costs. With the global credit crunch forcing the likes of Honda, Yamaha and Ducati to...

Tech 3 Yamaha boss dismisses John Hopkins move

05 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 Yamaha team manager Herve Poncharal has categorically denied considering bringing in John Hopkins to partner James Toseland for the 2009 MotoGP campaign. Rumours circulated that Hopkins was...

Simoncelli keen but unlikely to make WSB wild card appearance

05 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Reigning 250GP World Champion Marco Simoncelli has expressed his desire to compete as a wild card in WSB in 2009 following a brief but successful test on the new Aprilia RSV4 Superbike in Valencia...

2009 Dakar Rally: Simon Pavey day two blog

05 January 2009 by Michael Guy

BMW’s Simon Pavey raced his BMW G 650 Xchallenge to 81st position on day two of the 2009 Dakar. His strong results see’s the Australian move up to 100th overall, 14 places higher than his day one...

Dakar Day two: Coma slowed by mechanical problem but stays in control

05 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Spaniard Marc Coma had his day one lead slashed by over nine minutes after a technical problem slowed the factory KTM man during the second special stage of the 2009 Dakar. Coma dominated the opening...

Dakar: Simon Pavey Blog

04 January 2009 by Michael Guy

BMW Off-Road Skills instructor Simon Pavey got his 2009 Dakar off to a solid start on Saturday. The honorary Brit returns to the Dakar Rally after a two-year break. His last outing was back in 2006,...

Mark Coma dominates opening day of the Dakar

04 January 2009 by Michael Guy

Repsol KTM rider Marc Coma got his Dakar off to the best possible start by winning the opening 733KM day from Buenos Aires to Santa Rosa, whilst his rivals faltered. The Spanish rider finished a...

Llewellyn to make track comeback?

03 January 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Former BSB racer Matt Llewellyn is contemplating a comeback to racing – in the all-new Harley-Davidson XR1200 Trophy that will at BSB meetings this year. It is three years since Llewellyn, now 40,...

Is anybody else need help?

02 January 2009 by Anonymous

it was made earlier this year for laughs but now it comes somehow closer to reality…

Telford Ice Speedway cancelled

02 January 2009 by MCN News Desk

Telford Ice Speedway chiefs have reluctantly cancelled their plans for February’s big event. An upgrade of plant machinery at the venue has meant there’s a strong chance the ice rink will not be ready...

Ducati forced to revise 2009 line-up

02 January 2009 by Matthew Birt

Ducati has been forced to revise its 2009 line-up, with rookie Niccolo Canepa now to campaign his first MotoGP season for the new Onde 2000 squad. Canepa will now partner returning Spanish veteran...

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