October

Year: 2009

Month: October

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...

Suzuki delay Chris Vermeulen’s Kawasaki WSB debut

09 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki delay Chris Vermeulen’s Kawasaki WSB debut

Suzuki will not give special permission for Aussie rider Chris Vermeulen to make his Kawasaki World Superbike debut before the end of the MotoGP season. Kawasaki will test immediately after the final...

Another member of the Rossi fanclub

08 October 2009 by sean13

Another member of the Rossi fanclub

My 3 month old daughter Natalia already gearing up for next year’s Silverstone MotoGP

Colin Edwards: 'Electronics have extended my career’

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: 'Electronics have extended my career’

Colin Edwards reckons the huge advances in electronic rider aids have helped extend his career after the popular American signed a new MotoGP deal for 2010. The double World Superbike champion has...

Valentino Rossi impressed with Ben Spies

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi impressed with Ben Spies

Valentino Rossi has told MCN how impressed he has been with World Superbike sensation Ben Spies in 2009. The 30-year-old Italian, who is chasing a seventh MotoGP world title in 2009 as the paqddock...

Chris Vermeulen admits Ducati concern

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Chris Vermeulen admits Ducati concern

Chris Vermeulen has admitted he was worried about joining Ducati in MotoGP next season because of the difficulty in matching compatriot Casey Stoner’s results. Confident he would not be another...

Hayate eye Moto2 move

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Hayate eye Moto2 move

Hayate’s hopes of retaining its MotoGP status in 2010 appear doomed. A frantic fund-raising mission to find a £5m budget to lease Yamaha YZR-M1 engines and build and develop a new chassis has...

FTR Moto unveil Moto2 race bike

07 October 2009 by Gary Pinchin

FTR Moto unveil Moto2 race bike

These are the first pictures of the new Moto2 machine built by FTR Moto, unveiled today at the Sports Bar and Grill, Marylebone Station in London. The bike is known as FTR Moto M209 and has been built...

Title race still in Valentino Rossi’s hands, says Jerry Burgess

07 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Title race still in Valentino Rossi’s hands, says Jerry Burgess

Valentino Rossi’s quest for a seventh MotoGP crown is still firmly in the Italian’s hands, despite the setback of last weekend’s Estoril clash in Portugal. That’s the belief of Rossi’s legendary...

Toseland: “Ben and Colin deserve the ride”

07 October 2009 by Michael Guy

Toseland: “Ben and Colin deserve the ride”

Despite the obvious disappointment of losing his Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP ride, James Toseland has given his backing to Ben Spies and Colin Edwards for next years championship. Toseland accepts that his...

Toni Elias heads Tech 3 Moto2 wish list

07 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Toni Elias heads Tech 3 Moto2 wish list

MotoGP winner Toni Elias tops a Tech 3 wish list for the French team’s new Moto2 600cc world championship project. The Spaniard has lost his MotoGP ride after being axed by the Gresini Honda squad,...

Aleix Espargaro seals Ducati MotoGP switch

07 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Aleix Espargaro seals Ducati MotoGP switch

Aleix Espargaro has secured the second Pramac Ducati GP9 ride after his recent impressive performances in the Indianapolis and Misano. The Spaniard’s dramatic upturn in fortunes mean he will partner...

Suzi Perry: James Toseland's MotoGP exit 'hugely disappointing'

06 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Suzi Perry: James Toseland's MotoGP exit 'hugely disappointing'

Suzi Perry reckons James Toseland’s MotoGP departure is ‘hugely disappointing’ for British race fans. The 28-year-old will make a swift return to WSB to try and reclaim the title he last won in 2007...