MotoGP on MCN
Here at Motor Cycle News we deliver bespoke MotoGP news from expert reporters on the ground at every major event. We get everything that's new in MotoGP before anyone else.
Rossi on provisional pole for Sunday
28 October 2003
Valentino Rossi posted a new qualifying record lap to take provisional pole for Sunday’s Spanish GP at Valencia. The Italian posted a time of 1:33.643 to lead an all-Honda front row. The only other...
Rossi and Hodgson latest as it breaks
28 October 2003
The final round of the 2004 MotoGP championship promises some huge news about the coming season. MCN is expecting that Neil Hodgson to confirm his departure from WSB on Saturday to join the D’Antin...
Abe fastest in practice at Valencia
28 October 2003
Yamaha’s Norrick Abe heads the first practice session at Valencia, riding for Fortuna Yamaha as a replacement for regular rider Marco Melandri. His time is over two seconds quicker than Garry McCoy,...
Abe replaces injured Melandri
21 October 2003
Norrick Abe will fill in for injured Fortuna Yamaha regular Marco Melandri at the Valencia GP on Sunday, November 2. The 28-year-old Japanese rider will replace regular team member Melandri for the...
Rossi wins despite penalty
14 October 2003
Valentino Rossi has won the penultimate MotoGP race of the year in fantastic style, taking the win despite incurring his second time penalty of the season. Rossi had a bad start to the race, running...
Rossi on pole at Phillip Island
14 October 2003
Valentino Rossi has taken his Honda RCV to pole position for Sunday’s Australian GP, beating Ducati’s Loris Capirossi in to second place. The newly crowned world champion beat Capirossi’s...
McWilliams ninth in qualifying practice
14 October 2003
Jeremy McWilliams, who last year claimed pole at Phillip Island on a two-stroke, is in a provisional ninth place on the Proton V5 for this Sunday’s MotoGP at the Australian circuit. Valentino Rossi...
Rossi plays down F1 move
14 October 2003
Newly-crowned MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has played down the rumours that he will be driving a Formula 1 car next year. Rossi was offered a no-strings-attached test drive of the Ferrari F1...
Rossi is champion again
07 October 2003
Valentino Rossi has won his seventh race of the year to seal the MotoGP championship for the second year running. The world champion sat behind Sete Gibernau for early part of the race but at half...
Sepang pole for Rossi
07 October 2003
Amidst rumours about a possible switch to Yamaha, Valentino Rossi put his Honda RC211V on pole for the Malaysian GP on Sunday. Rossi created a new pole lap record of 2:02.480 on his way to the front of the grid. Second place goes to Spaniard Carlos Checa, with Makoto Tamada third. 1) Rossi 2:02.480. 2) Checa 2:02.885. 3) Tamada 2:03.138. 4) Biaggi 2:03.254. 5) Nakano 2:03.342. 6) Capirossi...
Rossi keeps world guessing
07 October 2003
Valentino Rossi looks set to keep the world waiting anxiously for an answer on his future for a few more days yet. It seems all the huge speculation surrounding his future won’t come to an end until...
Rossi on provisional pole for Malaysian GP
07 October 2003
Valentino Rossi underlined why there is so much speculation about his contract for next year by setting a new qualifying record to put himself on provisional pole for Sunday’s race at Sepang. The...
Rossi set for shock Yamaha switch
07 October 2003
Valentino Rossi is looking more and more likely to make a shock switch from Honda to Yamaha in 2004. GP sources claim the deal is already done – but nothing official is expected until Sunday’s...
Biaggi’s Motegi win overshadowed by drama
01 October 2003
Max Biaggi has won the Pacific GP at Motegi, beating longtime rival Valentino Rossi into second place. But it was overshadowed by the disqualification of Makoto Tamada and John Hopkins. The Japanese...
Dovizioso fastest in 125cc qualifying
01 October 2003
Andrea Dovizioso heads the timesheets after the first 125cc qualifying session for the Pacific GP on Sunday. Dovizioso posted a time of 1:58.988, one-tenth quicker than fellow Honda rider Daniel Pedrosa. Alex De Angelis is third on the Aprilia, with the Derbi of Jorge Lorenzo completing the front row. Australian Casey Stoner heads an all-Aprilia second row. 1) Dovizioso 1:58.988. 2) Pedrosa...
Biaggi on pole at Pacific GP
01 October 2003
Max Biaggi will start from pole position at the Pacific GP at Motegi on Sunday. The Italian headed the timesheets in qualifying with a new pole record of 1:47.696 with seconds left in the session. The...
Gibernau claims provisional pole at Motegi
01 October 2003
Sete Gibernau set a new pole record at the Motegi circuit today to put himself on the provisional top spot for Sunday’s Pacific GP. The Spaniard broke the existing record, held by former team-mate...
De Puniet on provisional 250cc pole
01 October 2003
Randy De Puniet has put his Aprilia at the front of the provisional front row for Sunday’s Pacific GP at Motegi. The French star heads Spaniard Toni Elias and Japanese wildcard Yuki Takahashi. Championship leader Manuel Poggiali settled for fourth fastest. Britain’s Chas Davies finished in 14th place on the Aprilia Germany bike. 1) De Puniet 1:53.247. 2) Elias 1:53.545. 3) Takahashi 1:54.351. 4)...
Ryo gets wildcard GP ride
23 September 2003
The Suzuki MotoGP team has announced that factory test rider Akira Ryo will be riding as a wildcard entry in both the Motegi and Sepang rounds of the championship. Ryo made six appearances as a Suzuki...
Gibernau signs two-year deal
23 September 2003
Sete Gibernau has signed a deal for the next two seasons with his current Honda Telefonica Movistar squad. The Spaniard is currently second in the world championship in his first year on the Honda...
Biaggi on provisional pole in Rio
16 September 2003
Max Biaggi is on provisional pole for tomorrow’s Rio MotoGP with a new best lap of 1:49.876. The Italian smashed his own lap record to finish at the top of the time sheets after a session which saw...
Rossi fastest in Rio practice
16 September 2003
Valentino Rossi has gone quickest in free practice for Saturday’s Brazilian MotoGP. The Italian posted a fastest time of 1:51.043 in Jacarepagua, over half-a-second quicker than championship rival...
Ukawa second quickest in final free practice
16 September 2003
Tohru Ukawa has gone second quickest in the final free practice for the Brazilian GP, with a time of 1:50.473. He finished behind fellow Honda rider Valentino Rossi, whose time of 1:50.376 was exactly...
Rossi rules in Rio
16 September 2003
Valentino Rossi took victory at the Brazilian GP with a masterful display of riding. The Italian reigning MotoGP champion followed title rival Sete Gibernau in the early stages of the race before...
Moriwaki to race at Motegi GP
09 September 2003
Japanese engineering firm Moriwaki has confirmed its entry as a wildcard for the Pacific GP at Motegi, Japan. The MD211F bike is based around the Honda V5 MotoGP engine and will be ridden by Moriwaki...
Rossi dominates Portuguese GP
02 September 2003
Valentino Rossi dominated the MotoGP race at Estoril today, extending his lead in the championship. Rossi was able to pull clear from early challenger Max Biaggi and left championship rival Sete...
Capirossi takes third GP pole
02 September 2003
Italians dominate the front row of the grid forstart of the Portuguese GP, with Loris Capirossi on pole followed by Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi. Capirossi finished the warm but blustery session...
Jacque closes in on Rossi
02 September 2003
Olivier Jacque has stormed up the time sheets in the first qualifying session at the Estoril GP, knocking three seconds off his practice time to take second place on the provisional grid. But it...
Rossi and Gibernau close in practice
02 September 2003
Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau have started their battle for the top spot early, finishing just 0.46 seconds apart in the first practice session for round 11 of the MotoGP world championship in...
WCM four-stroke to race
02 September 2003
Chris Burns will finally get the chance to race his Harris WCM four-stroke this weekend at Sunday’s GP, in Estoril, Portugal. The bike was originally due to start racing at the beginning of the season...
Kato tribute planned for Motegi GP
01 September 2003
Fausto Gresini, the former team boss of the late Daijiro Katoh, has announced he will invite 1000 people to a special ceremony in honour of the rider at the Pacific GP at Motegi on October 5. The...
Ui replaced by Vincent in 125GPs
26 August 2003
Arnaud Vincent will race for the Aprilia Sterilgarda Racing team at the next round of the 125cc championship at Estoril in Portugal on September 7, after the team terminated the contract of current...
Rossi on pole for Czech GP
12 August 2003
Valentiono Rossi is on pole for round 10 of the MotoGP world championship at Brno in the Czech Republic. Rossi spent the most time out on the track in the final qualifying session for Sunday’s race...
Times tumble at Czech GP
12 August 2003
With the track dry after the morning’s downpours the afternoon qualifying session for the Czech GP in Brno has seen the top six riders lapping faster than the race lap record. Max Biaggi took the...
Edwards tops damp first practice at Brno
12 August 2003
Colin Edwards has taken his Alice Aprilia to the top of the time sheets in a damp first practice session for round 10 of the MotoGP world championship at Brno in the Czech Republic. The skies cleared...
Rossi wins Czech GP
12 August 2003
Valentino Rossi took the win at round 10 of the MotoGP world championship in Brno after a scintillating race that went right down to the line. The race was dominated by a five way tousle between Troy...