Australian Grand Prix 2016

Danny Webb confident ahead of ‘big year’

Danny Webb confident ahead of ‘big year’

British 125GP rider Danny Webb is confident he can make a big impact in 2009 as he prepares to ride a factory-backed Aprilia machine for the first time next month. While 125GP testing kicked off in...

Suzuki MotoGP team gets green light for 2009

Suzuki MotoGP team gets green light for 2009

Suzuki will definitely race its factory team in the 2009 MotoGP world championship, killing off persistent rumours the Japanese company would join Kawasaki as a casualty of the global economic...

Bradley Smith stays in second place in Jerez

Bradley Smith stays in second place in Jerez

British teenager Bradley Smith impressed again on the second day of 125GP testing in Jerez, the Aspar Aprilia rider holding onto second place. Smith slashed 0.5s off his best time from the first day...

Party with James Toseland

Party with James Toseland

James Toseland is staging another one of his successful pre-season send-off parties ahead of his second assault on the MotoGP world championship. The double World Superbike champion will be...

Sete Gibernau vital for Ducati in 2009

Sete Gibernau vital for Ducati in 2009

Ducati race boss Claudio Domenicali believes that Sete Gibernau can play a pivotal role in helping the Bologna factory reclaim the MotoGP world crown in 2009. Having dominated in the first 800cc...

Danny Webb made to wait for 2009 debut

Danny Webb made to wait for 2009 debut

Danny Webb will have to wait a bit longer to make his 2009 track debut while Aprilia continue to build up and deliver new bikes. Pre-season testing for some of the 2009 125GP grid kicked off in Jerez...

Bradley Smith second fastest on 2009 debut

Bradley Smith second fastest on 2009 debut

British teenager Bradley Smith made a bright start to his 2009 pre-season preparations when he clocked the second fastest time on the opening day of testing in Jerez. Making his second appearance for...

Picture exclusive: Scott Redding makes 2009 debut

Picture exclusive: Scott Redding makes 2009 debut

Scott Redding has completed his first laps on the 2009 Aprilia that he hopes will help him build on his incredible rookie 125GP campaign. Redding made an instant impact in his debut season, the...

Picture exclusive: Bradley Smith starts 2009 preparations

Picture exclusive: Bradley Smith starts 2009 preparations

Bradley Smith has started his 2009 125GP world championship preparations at the Jerez circuit in Spain today. After a cold start to proceedings, the British teenager was able to kick off his ’09...

Bridgestone looking forward to single tyre challenge

Bridgestone looking forward to single tyre challenge

Bridgestone bosses say they are looking forward to the 2009 MotoGP single tyre rule with ‘great anticipation’ having agreed the final terms of a three-year tyre exclusive tyre deal with Dorna. Having...

Matt Hoyle signs for Maxtra 125GP team

Matt Hoyle signs for Maxtra 125GP team

British rider Matt Hoyle will join Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb in the 125GP world championship next season. As expected, Hoyle’s deal with the new Chinese-backed Maxtra team was...

The Future of MotoGP with no Kawasaki

Kawasaki have now pulled out of MotoGP for whatever reason you chose to believe. The reason for pulling out is not important, what is important is how the championship can continue with out them. Since MotoGP became four stroke, the rules have been written to favour works machines and make it very difficult for non-works supported privateers, for the sake of the championship. All bikes had to be...

Ducati eye Marco Simoncelli swoop for 2010

Ducati eye Marco Simoncelli swoop for 2010

Ducati chief Livio Suppo has reiterated his desire to sign Marco Simoncelli` for the 2010 MotoGP campaign. The Italian factory hotly pursued Simoncelli throughout 2008 as he blossomed into one of...

Casey Stoner: Single tyre rule will help Ducati

Casey Stoner: Single tyre rule will help Ducati

Former world champion Casey Stoner believes the controversial single tyre rule will boost his hopes of reclaiming the MotoGP world title in 2009. The Australian rider believes his previous tactic of...

Yamaha wall will help Jorge Lorenzo in 2009

Yamaha wall will help Jorge Lorenzo in 2009

The dividing wall that will continue to split Yamaha’s factory MotoGP garage in 2009 will be beneficial to Jorge Lorenzo, according to his team boss Daniele Romagnoli. Lorenzo was unhappy that Fiat...

Marco Simoncelli not rushing MotoGP decision

Marco Simoncelli not rushing MotoGP decision

Reigning world 250GP champion Marco Simoncelli will keep Yamaha and Ducati sweating as he could delay a decision on his future until deep into the 2009 campaign. One key reason for the Italian’s...

Electronics reduction not answer to MotoGP cost cuts

Electronics reduction not answer to MotoGP cost cuts

Ducati’s MotoGP technical guru Filippo Preziosi believes a reduction on the influence of electronic rider aids is not the answer to helping MotoGP slash costs. Reducing costs has become a focal point...

Ilmor confirm interest in Kawasaki partnership

Ilmor confirm interest in Kawasaki partnership

Ilmor Engineering bosses have confirmed expressing serious interest in being part of a last-minute bid to keep Kawasaki involved in the 2009 MotoGP world championship, MCN can exclusively reveal. The...

Video: Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden eye 2009

Factory Ducati duo Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden have given their insight into a range of current topics making the headlines ahead of the new MotoGP world championship. The former world champions spoke about last season, the single tyre rule and MotoGP as a spectacle during the official launch of the Marlboro Ducati squad at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in Italy.

Chris Vermeulen: 2009 is not make or break

Chris Vermeulen: 2009 is not make or break

Chris Vermeulen has denied that 2009 will be a watershed year for the Aussie as he looks to become a consistent MotoGP winner. The former World Supersport champion penned a new one-year deal with...

No Aspar involvement in Kawasaki rescue deal

No Aspar involvement in Kawasaki rescue deal

Jorge Martinez won’t be involved in any potential Kawasaki MotoGP rescue deal for 2009. The Spaniard had effectively ruled himself out earlier this month when he doubted a deal could be clinched on...

Maxtra 125GP team poised to unveil Matt Hoyle

Maxtra 125GP team poised to unveil Matt Hoyle

The new Maxtra 125GP team will officially unveil British rider Matt Hoyle as its second rider later this week. Although Hoyle’s name appeared on the provisional 2009 entry list, no formal announcement...

Kawasaki boss heads to Japan for crunch talks

Kawasaki boss heads to Japan for crunch talks

Kawasaki’s MotoGP team boss Michael Bartholemy is flying to Japan today (Tuesday) for crunch talks expected to decide the fate of a proposed rescue plan to keep John Hopkins and Marco Melandri on the...

Monster deal for Valentino Rossi

Monster deal for Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi is reported to have signed a big-money deal with American energy drink Monster. The reigning MotoGP world champion is expected to pocket a cool £2.2m in a two-year deal following the...

MotoGP BBC coverage

Basically if you do not have access to the red button then you are stuffed! Personally I will be now watching the WSBK with decent coverage on Eurosport. MotoGP on the BBC

Unity on cost cuts crucial for MotoGP future

Unity on cost cuts crucial for MotoGP future

Ducati race boss Claudio Domenicali reckons unity between the major factories will help MotoGP successfully ride the current global economic storm. Domenicali said an agreement for extending engine...

Casey Stoner doubts MotoGP salary cap

Casey Stoner doubts MotoGP salary cap

Former world champion Casey Stoner has doubted whether a salary cap could ever be policed to help cut costs in MotoGP. Capping rider wages has been just one of several ideas floated around during...

Out with MotoGP, in with F1

Out with MotoGP, in with F1

If Kawasaki pulling out and Euro-sport loosing the television rights to BBC wasn’t bad enough Moto GP moving from Donington Park to Silverstone has to be the last straw!! Any motorcycle race fan will...

Video: Casey Stoner denies MotoGP races are dull

Casey Stoner doesn’t believe that modern era MotoGP races have become too dull. Speaking at the launch of Ducati’s 2009 squad at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in Italy, the Australian said the introduction of the 800cc engine capacity rule in 2007 had not been a major detrimental step for MotoGP racing. Stoner has had to contend with accusations that he has contributed to MotoGP being...

Video: Nicky Hayden boosted by single tyre rule

Nicky Hayden believes the controversial move to a single tyre rule in MotoGP will be a major boost to helping him make a successful transition to Ducati’s GP9 machine. With only two front and two rear tyre specs to test each day, the restrictions have given the American more time to focus on adapting to riding Ducati’s V4 contender. Hayden said: “The new tyre rule has helped me a lot as far as...

Ducati boss plays down Troy Bayliss/Valentino Rossi showdown

Ducati boss plays down Troy Bayliss/Valentino Rossi showdown

Ducati race boss Claudio Domenicali has said he would love to see Valentino Rossi and Troy Bayliss go head-to-head in a dream World Superbike clash. But sadly for millions of race fans, Domenicali...

Casey Stoner backs British MotoGP move

Casey Stoner backs British MotoGP move

Former world champion Casey Stoner has backed the surprise decision to switch the British MotoGP race from Donington Park to Silverstone for 2010. Dorna announced a five-year deal with the...

MotoGP talent search hit by credit crunch

MotoGP talent search hit by credit crunch

The quest to unearth MotoGP stars of the future has suffered a big blow with news that the Red Bull Rookies Cup calendar will be cut because of the global economic crisis. The European series will be...

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden unveil 2009 Ducati

Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden unveil 2009 Ducati

After snow caused the official unveiling of Ducati’s GP9 machine to be postponed yesterday (Wednesday), Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden finally got round to showing off the new bike in public for the...

Video: Casey Stoner reflects on wrist recovery and 2008

Casey Stoner has spoken of his recovery from major wrist surgery and his reflections on defeat to Valentino Rossi in 2008 at the launch of Ducati’s 2009 factory MotoGP squad in Italy. Looking back on 2008 when the Aussie surrendered his world title to a resurgent Valentino Rossi, last year’s runner-up said: “The first half of the season was very disappointing. “We had such a strong start and...

Video: Nicky Hayden excited by Ducati challenge

Nicky Hayden has spoken of his excitement about his debut season with Ducati’s factory MotoGP squad in 2009. Making his first official public appearance for the Marlboro-backed squad at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in Italy, Hayden said: “The feeling is very exciting. “On Sunday we did my first real photo shoot in the full-on Marlboro leathers and Ducati leathers and I got to admit it was a...