Austin MotoGP 2016

Qatar fourth confirms huge step by Cal Crutchlow

13 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow’s fantastic fourth place in last weekend’s season opening MotoGP race in Qatar was confirmation of the huge leap made by the British rider for the 2012 world championship. The Monster...

MotoGP budget cap impossible to police, say HRC and Yamaha

13 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha and Honda have said plans for a £12.5m budget cap on what factories can spend on their 1000cc MotoGP projects each season is impossible to police. Dorna is keen to implement a budget...

Yamaha: Jorge Lorenzo’s Qatar win vital early boost

12 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo’s factory Yamaha boss Wilco Zeelenberg said it was vital that the Spaniard pounced on Casey Stoner’s arm pump issue to claim a historic first 1000cc win in Qatar last weekend. Aussie...

Rev limit best way to cut cost and performance of MotoGP prototypes

12 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

A rev limit is the most effective way of reducing costs and cutting the gulf in performance between the factory prototypes and new 1000cc production-based CRT machines in MotoGP. That’s the view of...

Poll: Will Cal Crutchlow get on the podium this year?

11 April 2012

Tech 3 Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow equalled his best ever MotoGP result at Qatar last weekend with a fourth placed finish behind Casey Stoner. The Coventry rider impressed during winter testing and...

Jerry Burgess: “We’re nowhere near fast enough.”

09 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi and Ducati endured a dark night in Qatar after the Italian slumped to a dismal 10th place finish to start the new 1000cc MotoGP world championship. The nine-times world champion was a...

Qatar MotoGP: Yamaha thrilled with Cal Crutchlow form

09 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow’s fantastic fourth place in last night’s opening MotoGP clash in Qatar drew praise from Yamaha management thrilled with his stunning form in 2012. The British rider continued his...

Qatar MotoGP: Ben Spies vows to bounce back quickly

09 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies is aiming to bounce back quickly from a torrid start to the new 1000cc MotoGP era after the Texan slumped to a bitterly disappointing 11th place in Qatar last night. Two heavy crashes...

Qatar MotoGP: Arm pump halts Casey Stoner’s victory bid

09 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner’s hopes of a fifth victory in six years in the season’s opening MotoGP race in Qatar were thwarted by a severe right arm pump issue that dropped the Australian back into third spot. The...

Qatar MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo hails ‘perfect’ start

09 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo was thrilled after a stunning late surge secured him a historic first victory in the new 1000cc MotoGP world championship in Qatar last night. The factory Yamaha rider pounced on Casey...

Qatar MotoGP: Lorenzo victorious at season opener

08 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo has won the opening race of the 2012 MotoGP championship at the floodlit Losail circuit in Qatar. Lorenzo took to the front of the pack on the first lap, but...

Qatar MotoGP: Marquez victorious in Moto2

08 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

Spaniard Marc Marquez completed a stunning return to Moto2 by taking victory in the opening race of 2012, despite having only been declared fit to race three weeks before the opening...

Qatar MotoGP: Maverick Vinales wins Moto3 opener

08 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

FTR Honda took the top two steps of the podium after Avintia Racing rider Maverick Vinales won the first ever Moto3 race at the Losail circuit, Qatar. Grand Prix newcomer Romano Fenati was the...

Qatar MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow aims for maiden rostrum

08 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

British fans who have waited over a decade for a British rider to claim a MotoGP podium might only have to wait another few hours after Cal Crutchlow qualified on the front row of the grid for...

Qatar MotoGP: Chatter thwarts Casey Stoner’s pole bid

08 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner fears a repeat of the severe chatter that ruined his bid to claim pole position in Qatar last night could also deny him the chance to claim the first victory of the new 1000cc era at the...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi shocked by qualifying slump

08 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s Ducati troubles deepened tonight in Qatar when the Italian finished in a lowly 12th place in qualifying for tomorrow night’s opening MotoGP round at the Losail International...

Qatar MotoGP: Lorenzo steals pole from Stoner

07 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

2010 MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo has ended Casey Stoner’s dominance, stealing pole position from the reigning champion in the dying moments of the qualifying session with a lap of 1:54.634. Stoner...

Qatar MotoGP: Luthi dominates to take pole

07 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

Suter rider Thomas Luthi has taken pole position with a fastest time of 2:0.187, which he set at the beginning of the session on only his third lap. Luthi has topped every session of the weekend so...

Qatar MotoGP: Sandro Cortese takes first ever Moto3 pole

07 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

Red Bull KTM rider Sandro Cortese has taken the first ever Moto3 pole position under the floodlit Losail circuit in Qatar today, with a time of 2:08.188. Cortese pipped Spaniard Maverick Vinales to...

Qatar MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow plays down podium hopes

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow has played down hopes that he could kick off the new 1000cc MotoGP era with a podium on Sunday night in Qatar after he ended practice in second position and just 0.154s behind Jorge...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi seeks smoother Ducati power

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Understeer is not the only issue that Valentino Rossi believes is preventing him from moving the Ducati GP12 closer to challenging Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo’s recent domination of the MotoGP...

Qatar MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow second, Lorenzo fastest in practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow came tantalisingly close to finishing practice for the opening round of the 1000cc MotoGP world championship in Qatar with the fastest time at the floodlit Losail International Circuit...

Brands Hatch BSB: Byrne tops afternoon session

06 April 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Shane Byrne topped the afternoon practice session at Brands Hatch today ahead of the weekend’s first MCE British Superbike round of the season. The Rapid Solicitor Kawasaki rider was the only one to...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner leads second practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner shrugged off blustery conditions at the floodlight Losail International Circuit in Qatar tonight to top the timesheets in the second MotoGP practice session. The Australian, who was...

Qatar MotoGP: Slow starter Cal Crutchlow sixth in opening practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

For the first half of the opening practice session of the new MotoGP campaign in Qatar tonight, British rider Cal Crutchlow was languishing uncharacteristically outside of the top 10. All through...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi worried ahead of season opener

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi said a lack of rear grip with his new Ducati GP12 machine was a big cause for concern after he ended the opening practice session of 2012 at the floodlit Losail International Circuit...

Qatar MotoGP: Chatter returns but Casey Stoner still fastest

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

A return of the dreaded chatter problem that plagued Casey Stoner for long spells of the pre-season winter testing campaign failed to stop the reigning world champion from heading the practice...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner tops opening practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner made the perfect start to the defence of his MotoGP crown in Qatar tonight when the Repsol Honda rider held off a Yamaha onslaught to top the opening practice timesheets. Jorge Lorenzo,...

Qatar MotoGP: Nicky Hayden third but cautiously optimistic

05 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden refused to get too carried away after he kicked off the new 1000cc MotoGP era by setting the third fastest time in opening practice at the floodlit Losail International Circuit in Qatar...

Jorge Lorenzo expecting stronger threat from Dani Pedrosa

05 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo believes Dani Pedrosa will pose a stronger threat in the 2012 MotoGP world championship, which kicks off in Qatar tonight under the spectacular Losail International...

Ducati boss: Valentino Rossi highly motivated for 2012

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi remains motivated and determined to transform Ducati’s fortunes in MotoGP, despite conceding he’s little chance to start the new 1000cc era in Qatar on Sunday night with a...

James Ellison hoping for chatter boost in Qatar

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

James Ellison is hoping his dream return to MotoGP action in Qatar this weekend isn’t ruined by a chatter issue that severely hampered the British rider during the recent final pre-season test in...

Tech 3 boss hails strongest ever MotoGP line-up

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso spearhead the strongest Tech 3 Yamaha line-up ever in MotoGP in 2012, according to team boss Herve Poncharal. British rider Crutchlow has been in outstanding form...

Dani Pedrosa vows to focus on racing after arrest

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa has vowed to not let his arrest for allegedly attempting to cheat during an exam to gain a yachtmaster certificate distract him from this weekend’s opening MotoGP round in Qatar. The...

Loris Capirossi: Ducati need time they don’t have

02 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Loris Capirossi reckons Valentino Rossi and Ducati need to be given more time to prove the new factory GP12 machine is the bike to put the Italian in a position to challenge Casey Stoner and Jorge...

Andrea Dovizioso: Difficult to topple Casey Stoner in 2012

02 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso believes it will be hard for anybody to stop Casey Stoner from winning the inaugural 1000cc MotoGP world championship in 2012. The Australian starts the new season in Qatar this...