May

Italian MotoGP: James Toseland satisfied with third row start

31 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

British rider James Toseland declared himself satisfied with eighth place on the grid for tomorrow’s Mugello GP. This afternoon’s session was the first full dry hour of the weekend after a weather-hit...

Italian MotoGP: Hector Barbera takes pole for Mugello race

31 May 2008 by Liam Marsden

Championship leader Hector Barbera has taken pole position for the 250cc race at Mugello with a time of 1’52″675. The Spaniard took the top spot from Alvaro Bautista whose best time was 1,54,447.

Italian MotoGP: Valentino Rossi smashes Mugello lap record and takes pole

31 May 2008 by Liam Marsden

Seven times world champion Valentino Rossi has taken pole position at the Mugello round of the MotoGP championship and set the fastest ever time round Mugello on two wheels. Fiat Yamaha rider...

Italian MotoGP: Bradley Smith plans to race with fractured left foot

31 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

$Italian MotoGP: Bradley Smith plans to race with fractured left foot$

British rider Bradley Smith plans to brave the pain of a broken fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot to race in tomorrow’s Italian 125GP. The Polaris World Aprilia rider will have his fitness...

Italian MotoGP: Raffaele de Rosa takes pole for 125cc race

31 May 2008 by Liam Marsden

Raffaele de Rosa has taken a career first pole position for the 125cc race at Mugello in Italy, while Britain’s Bradley Smith high-sided with less than a minute of final qualifying remaining. Only 30...

Italian MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista fastest in 250cc free practice

31 May 2008 by Liam Marsden

Mapfre Aspar Aprilia rider Alvaro Bautista has set the fastest time in free practice two for the 250cc class at Mugello, Italy. Several 250 riders held the top spot throughout the practice session...

Italian MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa sets fastest time in free practice

31 May 2008 by Liam Marsden

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa has taken provisional pole in free practice for the Italian MotoGP at Mugello. Reigning world champion Casey Stoner sat at the top of the timesheets for the majority...

Italian MotoGP: Pol Espargaro sets fastest time in 125cc free practice two

31 May 2008 by Liam Marsden

Derbi rider Pol Espargaro has taken topped the time sheets in the 125cc free practice two. With only a few seconds remaining on the clock Sandro Cortese was at the top of the time sheets with a time...

Italian MotoGP: James Toseland wet but competitive in Mugello

30 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

British rider James Toseland took full advantage of a special wet Michelin tyre test last week as he posted some of the fastest times on a rain-lashed first day of action in Mugelllo. Toseland tested...

Italian MotoGP: Mattia Pasini snatches provisional home pole

30 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Italy’s Mattia Pasini has snatched provisional pole position for Sunday’s 250GP from Marco Simocelli to the delight of his home fans in Mugello. The Polaris World Aprilia rider is the only Italian on...

Italian MotoGP: Chris Vermeulen shines in the rain in second practice

30 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen has finished top of the timesheets in this afternoon’s second Italian MotoGP practice, held in pouring rain. The wet weather man, who won in the wet at Le Mans last...

Italian MotoGP: Scott Redding in provisional second for 125GP

30 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Britain’s Scott Redding has put in a brilliant first qualifying session in torrential rain to put himself in provisional second on the grid for Sunday’s 125GP in Mugello. The 15-year-old shot to the...

Italian MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista fastest in first 250 practice

30 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Alvaro Bautista was the man to beat in this morning’s opening 250GP practice in Italy. The Mapfre Aspar Aprilia rider, who was on pole at Le Mans a fortnight ago, recorded a best lap of 1:55.321 with...

Italian MotoGP: John Hopkins fastest in rain-hit first practice

30 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

John Hopkins cast aside his frustrations at a lack of progress with Kawasaki’s factory ZX-RR to top the timesheets in this morning’s opening free practice session in Italy. Under threatening grey...

Italian MotoGP: Pol Espargaro fastest in wet first practice

30 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Spain’s Pol Espargaro was the fastest man on track at a wet Mugello circuit this morning for the opening 125GP practice. The Belson Derbi rider recorded a best lap of 2:15.341 just 0.408secs ahead of...

Italian MotoGP: Nicky Hayden looking for confidence boost

29 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Former world champion Nicky Hayden has backed himself to turn around a disappointing 2008 campaign with a positive result in this weekend’s Mugello MotoGP clash. The factory Honda rider is rumoured to...

Italian MotoGP: Marco Melandri baffled by Ducati woes

29 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Marco Melandri claims he is at a loss to solve the problems that have turned his factory Ducati dream into a nightmare in the early part of 2008. Preparing for what is likely to be a tough home race...

Italian MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo at ’70 per cent’ fitness

29 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Spanish rookie sensation Jorge Lorenzo reckons he will be 70 per cent fit for this weekend’s Italian MotoGP in Mugello. The Fiat Yamaha rider goes into round six of the series trailing championship...

Italian MotoGP: Valentino Rossi wary of double Spanish threat

29 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP world championship leader Valentino Rossi has not singled out either Dani Pedrosa or factory Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo as his biggest threat in 2008. Spanish duo Pedrosa and Lorenzo are...

Italian MotoGP: Jerry Burgess refuses to write off Casey Stoner

29 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s experienced crew chief Jerry Burgess has refused to write off Casey Stoner’s hopes of mounting a successful MotoGP title defence in 2008. The Australian’s 16th place finish in Le...

Italian MotoGP: Valentino Rossi poised for new Yamaha deal

29 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi will postpone his retirement plans until the end of the 2010 season at least as he moves close to agreeing a fresh deal with Yamaha. Rossi’s current two-year deal with Yamaha expires...

Ducati confirm Ben Spies approach

28 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Ducati have confirmed they have received a tentative approach from reigning American superbike champion Ben Spies about a 2009 MotoGP ride. Factory team boss Livio Suppo confirmed to MCN that Spies’...

James Toseland eyes qualifying improvement

27 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland has targeted an improvement in his qualifying performances as he looks to steer his rookie campaign back on track at the next race in Mugello. Yamaha and Michelin...

Suzuki deny GSV-R lease is too expensive

27 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki has denied speculation that it deliberately set a high price to lease a GSV-R machine to avoid having to field three bikes in the 2009 MotoGP world championship. Negotiations over the running...

Colin Edwards starts talks with Kawasaki

23 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki bosses will have a list of potential 2009 targets drawn up by the Catalunya MotoGP in Spain next month after it emerged Colin Edwards held talks with the Japanese factory in Le Mans. With...

Yamaha still wary of Casey Stoner threat

23 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha bosses insist Casey Stoner can still play a pivotal role in deciding the destiny of the 2008 MotoGP world championship. The reigning champion’s 16th place in a disastrous Le Mans MotoGP in...

Bridgestone concede qualifying tyre still not good enough

23 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Bridgestone bosses have conceded that its soft qualifying rubber still needs to be significantly improved, despite winning three out of the five races in 2008. Rivals Michelin has a 100 per cent pole...

Jeremy Burgess is a top Bloke

21 May 2008 by worlds on fire

Look who we bumped into when wandering around town whilst at the Estoril Moto GP! He was happy to stand and chat and pose for photos. Top bloke!

MotoGP: Improved run-offs taking away rider skill

21 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP world champions Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden reckon the drive to improve safety in MotoGP is taking away another element of rider skill. Already angered by the significant influence that...

MotoGP: Bradley Smith ready for crucial period

21 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Aprilia rider Bradley Smith believes his career best second place in Le Mans last weekend has given him the perfect platform to build on for arguably the most critical period of the campaign. With...

MotoGP: Aprilia readying V4 motor for GP return

21 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Aprilia bosses have confirmed to MCN that a new V4 engine will begin dyno testing next year as the Italian factory plots a future return to the MotoGP world championship. No official date has been set...

MotoGP: Valentino Rossi targets Giacomo Agostini record

20 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has set his sights on Giacomo Agostini’s MotoGP victory record after he became the second most successful rider in history last weekend in Le Mans. Rossi’s brilliant victory in the...

MotoGP: Suzuki in no rush to finalise 2009 line-up

20 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki boss Paul Denning reckons there is no need for the Japanese factory to rush finalising its 2009 rider line-up. Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi both have options for next season’s MotoGP...

MotoGP: Valentino Rossi hails Yamaha improvement

20 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has praised Yamaha for the drastic improvements made to the factory YZR-M1 after the Italian headed an all-Yamaha podium in Le Mans last weekend for the first time since 2001. Rossi...

The Baron and I

19 May 2008 by Ashley Ball

JARNO SAARINEN Some readers will see the above name and say out loud….“Who?” … But, in my household this name is all too familiar, so much so that I have acquired the Christian name as my middle...

French MotoGP: Valentino Rossi eases to 90th win

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi produced a dominant display at the Le Mans MotoGP today to claim his 90th Grand Prix victory to seize the lead in the 2008 world championship. Once the Italian surged by reigning world...