2005
D'Antin Ducati signs duo
16 December 2005
Alex Hofmann and Jose Luis Cardoso will race for the D’Antin Ducati team in 2006, although it isn’t known which tyres the team will use. Cardoso returns to the MotoGP paddock following time in World...
Davies wins BBC award
09 December 2005
Chaz Davies has won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year’s award for young sportsmen and women. Davies shared the Carwyn James prize with teenage runner Non Stanford, at the ceremony in...
Pons team loses Stoner
09 December 2005
Casey Stoner will ride a Honda RCV in 2006 – but not for the Sito Pons squad as expected. Stoner’s former Aprilia 250 boss Lucio Cecchinello confirmed late last night that he had secured a deal with...
KTM's junior GP team
09 December 2005
KTM will field a Junior Team in the 125cc GP championship in 2006, to run alongside the official works team of Mika Kallio and Julian Simon. The KTM Junior Team will consist of Austrian Michael...
Audio file: Biaggi in crisis
02 December 2005
MCN’s award-winning MotoGP reporter Matthew Birt has broken yet another world exclusive in this week’s issue of MCN (out Wednesday, December 7) – this time revealing the crisis facing Max Biaggi. ...
Award for Kallio
02 December 2005
Finnish fans have shown their appreciation for MotoGP, by making 125cc KTM rider Mika Kallio the “Best Driver of the Year.” A TV and print election saw Kallio ranked ahead of Formula 1 star Kimi...
Phillip Island revamp
02 December 2005
A $300 million development of facilities at the Phillip Island track in Australia has been anounced. GP legend Mick Doohan attended the press conference to announce plans for a major upgrade and...
We ride Honda RCV
02 December 2005
MCN road tester Michael Neeves is just back from riding Honda’s awesome 260bhp MotoGP bike in Sepang, Malaysia. Read his full report in MCN, out on Wednesday, December 6 and download the five-minute...
Loris fastest in Jerez
01 December 2005
Ducati GP riders Loris Capirossi and new team-mate Sete Gibernau completed the final day of their three-day Jerez test in bitter cold with Capirossi putting in the fastest lap. The cold wind kept the...
Suzuki await new motor
01 December 2005
Team Suzuki MotoGP say they are pleased with consistent results from their tests in Malaysia this week and are now looking forward to testing with a new engine after the seven week MotoGP test ban...
Pedrosa tops final day
01 December 2005
MotoGP rookie Dani Pedrosa set the fastest lap on the final day of testing at Sepang despite awkward weather conditions. Intermittent rain made it difficult for riders to get out on track as it was...
Rossi takes control
25 November 2005
Valentino Rossi has broken the Honda dominance of the Sepang MotoGP test. Rossi beat yesterday’s best time of 2:02.99, set by Marco Melandri, by 0.38 seconds riding the 2006 Yamaha M1. Melandri...
Melandri tops 1st day
25 November 2005
Early reports from the MotoGP testing session in Sepang have shown the Hondas dominating the first day with Marco Melandri setting the fastest time. Rain caused some delay in the morning but it soon...
Gibernau ups the pace
25 November 2005
The Ducati GP team has had a much-improved second day of testing at Jerez, despite the cold weather, with Sete Gibernau setting the best lap. Loris Capirossi and new team-mate Gibernau spent the day...
Three in a row for Smith
25 November 2005
British youngster Bradley Smith won the final round of the Spanish 125cc championship at the weekend, just missing out on the championship win by one point. The MotoGP Academy rider, who celebrated...
Damp start for Ducati
25 November 2005
The Ducati GP team’s run of bad luck has continued with yet another day of testing disrupted by wet weather. The team’s previous test session in Valencia was abandoned to rain, and now their first...
WCM to use KTM
18 November 2005
With the WCM team still waiting for the brand new Blata V6 engine to appear it seems they might be able to run the ditched KTM engine for some of next year. The Proton KR team ran the engine in 2005...
Yamaha test for Ellison
18 November 2005
James Ellison will test a factory Yamaha YZR-M1 in Sepang at the multi-team MotoGP test beginning on November 28. The British rider’s future took a dramatic twist this week when he began negotiations about riding a full factory YZR-M1 in 2006 for the French-based Tech 3 squad on Dunlop tyres. MCN understands a deal is close to being clinched, and Ellison will then line-up on next year’s MotoGP...
Smith wins again in Spain
18 November 2005
14-year-old British star-in-the-making – Bradley Smith – has bagged his second win in Spanish racing. The MotoGP Academy youngster claimed his second success in the Spanish 125cc Championship at the Ricardo Tormo track near Valencia last weekend. He celebrates his 15th birthday next week.
Suzuki test washed out
11 November 2005
Chris Vermeulen’s Thursday (Nov 10) test with Suzuki’s MotoGP team had to be abandoned on as strong winds swept rain showers across an increasingly slippery Valencia circuit. He and John Hopkins had...
Friday practice in Spain
04 November 2005
Marco Melandri was fastest in second free practice for the Valencia season finale MotoGP, on Friday (Nov 4). His time of 1.33.464 beat Carlos Checa’s FP1-topping time by a fraction. Checa clocked...
Vermeulen tests Suzuki
04 November 2005
Chris Vermeulen made his Suzuki GSV-R debut on Monday (Nov 7) as preparations for the 2006 MotoGP world championship kicked off in Valencia – less than 24 hours after the final race. The Australian,...
Gibernau on Spanish pole
04 November 2005
Sete Gibernau has qualified on pole position for the final race of the 2005 MotoGP season, which takes place at Valencia in Spain on Sunday, November 6, 2005. The Spanish Movistar Honda rider...
Melandri wins in Valencia
04 November 2005
Marco Melandri has won the final MotoGP race of the year at Valencia. The Italian rider lead the race from start to finish after getting the best start. Hayden was on his tale throughout but could...
Checa RCV test disaster
04 November 2005
Carlos Checa made a disastrous Honda RCV debut this morning at Valencia. The Spaniard crashed on only his third lap at turn three as he returned to Michelin tyres after a season with Bridgestone on...
Melandri mobbed at NEC
01 November 2005
Honda GP rider Marco Melandri got completely mobbed at the NEC motorcycle show today, Tuesday November 1. The Telefonica Movistar rider came to the show to meet fans and sign autographs on the Honda...
Shakey loses GP ride
01 November 2005
Shakey Byrne’s topsy-turvy season took another dramatic twist today (Nov 1) when his deal to ride the Camel Honda RC211V at Valencia this weekend fell apart. The team did a last-minute U-turn and...
Rossi goes retro
01 November 2005
Valentino Rossi will be racing in the traditional red, yellow and white Yamaha racing colours at this weekend’s Valencia GP. The Yamaha team has decided to go with the retro colours for the final...
Bid on Rossi kit at NEC
28 October 2005
YOU could get your hands on some amazing signed Valentino Rossi gear this Sunday while watching the man himself bid for victory in the final GP of the season at Valencia. Riders for Health is staging...
See Rossi lift his crown
21 October 2005
You could be rubbing shoulders with the stars of MotoGP and witness Valentino Rossi receiving his 2005 trophy in Valencia on November 6. The MotoGP Awards Ceremony has never previously been open to...
Turkish GP practice
21 October 2005
125cc free practice one: 1. Kallio 2:05.571. 2. Gadea 2:06.621. 3. Luthi 2:06.782. 4. Pasini 2:07.041. 5. Faubel 2:07.404. 6. Rodriguez 2:07.686. 7. Zanetti 2:07.799. 8. Koyama 2:07.815. 9. De Rosa...
Bid for Rossi's own lid
21 October 2005
Every now and again a signed Valentino Rossi replica helmet comes up for grabs in an auction or a competition. Much more rare is an actual helmet raced in by Rossi and also signed by the world...
Gibernau on pole
21 October 2005
Sete Gibernau is on pole for the first Turkish Gran Prix at the Istanbul Park circuit on Sunday, October 22, 2005. Gibernau benefitted from a mistake by Marco Melandri, who had dominated the practice...
Schumacher rides Desmo
21 October 2005
F1 Ferrari racing legend Michael Schumacher is doing a Rossi – he’s riding a MotoGP bike at 11am today (Oct 24). Schumacher will get a blast on Loris Capirossi’s Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP around...
Schuey can't match Rossi
21 October 2005
It doesn’t look like Valentino Rossi has much cause to worry about Michael Schumacher snaffling his MotoGP ride any time soon: the German was 23s off Rossi’s Mugello pole position time after his first...
Suzuki part with Roberts
21 October 2005
The Suzuki MotoGP squad has officially confirmed it will part company with American Kenny Roberts when his contract ends in December, 2005. The 32-year-old American joined the team in 1999 and became...