2009

Year: 2009

Month: ALL

Phillip Island MotoGP: Simon takes win and 125GP championship

18 October 2009 by Liam Marsden

Phillip Island MotoGP: Simon takes win and 125GP championship

Aspar Aprilia rider Julian Simon won the Phillip Island 125GP race ahead of team-mate Bradley Smith and with it the 125GP championship. Simon didn’t have it all his own way during the race, and had to...

Phillip Island MotoGP: Stoner takes home win

18 October 2009 by Liam Marsden

Phillip Island MotoGP: Stoner takes home win

Australian Casey Stoner has won his home GP at Phillip Island for the third year in a row after battling with reigning champion Valentino Rossi. The two riders soon pulled away from the rest of the...

Valentino Rossi’s stepfather commits suicide

18 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s stepfather commits suicide

Valentino Rossi was rocked by a personal tragedy on the eve of the Phillip Island MotoGP race, with news of the suicide of the Italian’s stepfather. Mauro Tecchi, second husband of Rossi’s mother...

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi eyes title boost

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi eyes title boost

Valentino Rossi told MCN that he aims to pounce on a bad Phillip Island weekend so far for MotoGP title rival and Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi starts tomorrow’s 27-lap race with an...

Australia MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa bounces back for front row

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa bounces back for front row

Dani Pedrosa admitted he was lucky to escape injury after he bounced back from a heavy qualifying crash to claim a place on the front of the grid for tomorrow’s Australian MotoGP clash. Hopes of the...

Australia MotoGP: Bradley Smith ‘annoyed’ at late mistake

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Bradley Smith ‘annoyed’ at late mistake

British teenager Bradley Smith admitted he was annoyed with himself after a late crash in 125GP qualifying cost him his chance of a front row start for tomorrow’s Phillip Island race. Smith was...

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo fourth and frustrated

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo fourth and frustrated

Jorge Lorenzo couldn’t hide his frustration in Phillip Island today after he surrendered his 100 per cent front row qualifying record in 2009. For the first time in 15 races this season, the...

Australia MotoGP: James Toseland aims high

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: James Toseland aims high

British rider James Toseland believes he can still mount a strong challenge for a top six finish in tomorrow’s Australian MotoGP, despite only qualifying in 12th position on the grid. The 28-year-old...

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner storms to home pole

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner storms to home pole

Casey Stoner stormed to his first pole position since the opening round of the season to delight a large home crowd at Phillip Island this afternoon. Just two minutes of an exciting qualifying session...

Australia MotoGP: Late crash costs Bradley Smith front row

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Late crash costs Bradley Smith front row

A last lap crash cost Bradley Smith his eighth front row start of 2009, the British rider starting tomorrow’s Phillip Island 125GP from fifth place spot on the grid. The 18-year-old was looking good...

Australia MotoGP: Niccolo Canepa out of next two races

17 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Niccolo Canepa out of next two races

Niccolo Canepa will miss tomorrow’s Australian MotoGP clash in Phillip Island and next weekend’s Sepang race in Malaysia. The Italian suffered a massive crash at Phillip Island’s fast first corner in...

Exclusive: Tech 3 unveil Moto2 contender

16 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Exclusive: Tech 3 unveil Moto2 contender

This is the first look at the Tech 3 Moto2 contender that will contest the new four-stroke world championship in 2010. The French team will release this picture of its prototype Moto2 bike in...

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo bemoans slow start

16 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo bemoans slow start

Jorge Lorenzo came crashing back down to earth with a bump in Phillip Island today after the Spaniard could only finish opening practice in a lowly sixth place. Fresh from his dominant victory in the...

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi thrilled at fast start

16 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi thrilled at fast start

Valentino Rossi declared himself delighted with his opening practice performance in Phillip Island today after the Italian struck a crucial early blow against Jorge Lorenzo. A best lap of 1.31.032 saw...

Australia MotoGP: James Toseland satisfied in seventh

16 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: James Toseland satisfied in seventh

British rider James Toseland didn’t let a small crash dampen a positive start to the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island today after he ended opening practice in an encouraging seventh place. The...

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi tops opening practice

16 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi tops opening practice

Valentino Rossi fired an early and ominous warning to MotoGP title rival Jorge Lorenzo after the Italian dominated today’s opening practice session at Phillip Island. Desperate to bounce back from his...

Australia MotoGP: Bradley Smith makes strong start

16 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Bradley Smith makes strong start

Bradley Smith kicked off his quest for a fourth straight 125GP podium in impressive fashion, the British teenager clocking the second quickest time in opening practice for Sunday’s Phillip Island...

FTR's Moto2 debut a success

15 October 2009 by Gary Pinchin

FTR's Moto2 debut a success

The all-new British-built FTR Moto M209 made a successful debut in the Spanish Moto2 championship round at Barcelona and the machine will now continue the development in Spain with the Joe Darcey...

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner not worried by title fight

15 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner not worried by title fight

Home favourite Casey Stoner says the MotoGP title fight between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo is of little concern to him as he chases a third straight victory in Phillip Island on...

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi focused on Jorge Lorenzo threat

15 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi focused on Jorge Lorenzo threat

Valentino Rossi insists he will not let the threat posed by Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa distract him from trying to win his thrilling MotoGP title fight against Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge...

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner confident of home hat-trick

15 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner confident of home hat-trick

Casey Stoner believes he can mount a strong challenge for a third successive home victory at Phillip Island this weekend. Recovered from the recent chronic fatigue issues that forced him to miss three...

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo ‘I need at least two wins’

15 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo ‘I need at least two wins’

Jorge Lorenzo reckons he will need to win at least two of the final three races of the season to have any chance of beating Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi in the 2009 MotoGP world...

Australia MotoGP: Chris Vermeulen aims for strong finish

15 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Chris Vermeulen aims for strong finish

Aussie Chris Vermeulen hopes to bow out of MotoGP with a strong finish as he prepares to return to World Superbikes in 2010. Vermeulen will leave Suzuki’s factory squad at the end of the season having...

James Toseland to make Yamaha WSB debut in Portimao test

15 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland to make Yamaha WSB debut in Portimao test

James Toseland will definitely make his Yamaha R1 World Superbike debut in a test session at the Portimao circuit in Portugal later this month. Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal confirmed in Phillip...

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo plays down title prospects

14 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo plays down title prospects

Jorge Lorenzo has again played down his 2009 MotoGP title prospects ahead of this weekend’s crucial Australian race at Phillip Island. The 22-year-old believes all the pressure is on Fiat Yamaha...

Tech 3 confirm Mattia Pasini Moto2 talks

14 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 confirm Mattia Pasini Moto2 talks

Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal has confirmed his interest in 125 and 250GP race winner Mattia Pasini as a top option for the new Moto2 600cc world championship in 2010. The French team will run...

James Toseland’s crew chief to move to Moto2

14 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

The departure of James Toseland from MotoGP has proved costly for the crew chief at the centre of a bust-up between the British rider and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards last winter. Gary Reynders, who left Texan Edwards at the end of the 2008 MotoGP world championship to make a controversial switch to work with Toseland, will move to the new Tech 3 Moto2 squad. The arrival of Ben...

James Toseland to test R1 WSB bike in Portimao?

14 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland to test R1 WSB bike in Portimao?

James Toseland looks certain to make his Yamaha World Superbike debut before the end of the month, MCN can reveal. The British rider is hotly-tipped to make a shock R1 appearance at the Portimao test...

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner targets home hat-trick

12 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Casey Stoner targets home hat-trick

Casey Stoner is confident he can claim a third successive victory on home soil at Phillip Island this weekend. All eyes will be on the 23-year-old in only his second race since his comeback from...

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi looking to bounce back

12 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Valentino Rossi looking to bounce back

Valentino Rossi is aiming to bounce back from his bitterly disappointing performance in the recent Estoril MotoGP when his title fight with Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo resumes in Australia...

Australia MotoGP: Bradley Smith looks to extend podium run

12 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Bradley Smith looks to extend podium run

Bradley Smith is targeting a fourth successive podium to continue his recent impressive 125GP form in Australia this weekend. After a dip in from at the halfway stage in the world championship, the...

Australia MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa aims for strong finish

12 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Australia MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa aims for strong finish

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa is confident he can finish a disappointing 2009 campaign on a high. The Spaniard has again failed to mount a serious world title threat this season but goes into the...

Harris Promo Racing Moto2 tested

10 October 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Harris Promo Racing Moto2 tested

Brit-based Harris Performance has completed the latest development tests of its Moto2 race machine and announced that it is ready to accept orders from confirmed Moto2 teams and other interested...

‘I’ll help Ben Spies’, vows Colin Edwards

09 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

‘I’ll help Ben Spies’, vows Colin Edwards

Colin Edwards has vowed to do all he can to help fellow Texan Ben Spies become an instant success in the MotoGP world championship in 2010. Both hailing from Texas, Edwards and Spies are good friends...

Suzuki deny engine crisis

09 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki deny engine crisis

Suzuki has denied it will be the first factory to fall foul of new engine reliability rules in the MotoGP world championship. Factory boss Paul Denning denied rumours that both Loris Capirossi and...

Honda boss angry at new engine penalty

09 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Honda boss angry at new engine penalty

Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto has spoken of his ‘disappointment’ at recent changes to MotoGP engine durability rules. Cost-cutting rules introduced for the final seven races of 2009 meant riders could...