Catalunya MotoGP 2016

Hopkins confidence sky high

Hopkins confidence sky high

Factory Suzuki rider John Hopkins has admitted his confidence and morale were given a massive lift after his impressive fourth place finish in the season’s opening race in Qatar earlier this...

Rossi at Coppice

Rossi at Coppice

My photo of Valentino Rossi taken on the Friday practice at Coppice corner at last year’s MotoGP at Donington.

Dorna wrong to ignore 250 and 125 teams

Dorna wrong to ignore 250 and 125 teams

High-profile 125 and 250 team boss Jorge Martinez has spoken of his anger at the smaller classes being omitted from next month’s sponsorship summit in Barcelona. Dorna has arranged a two-day seminar...

Ducati expect Honda retaliation

Ducati expect Honda retaliation

Ducati technical guru Filippo Preziosi reckons there’s an easy way for the likes of Honda to avoid a repeat of their humiliation in Qatar. Asked how much personal satisfaction he took from hammering...

Pitt devastated at Ilmor withdrawal

Pitt devastated at Ilmor withdrawal

Andrew Pitt has spoken for the first time about the bitter disappointment at Ilmor’s shock withdrawal from the MotoGP world championship last week. The Aussie, who suffered a crushing blow at the end...

Aoyama out of Jerez

Aoyama out of Jerez

KTM rider, Hiroshi Aoyama, will miss the next round of the 250 grand prix after sustaining injuries in a crash at Qatar. The crash, suffered at the first meeting of the 2007 season, left the Red Bull...

Edwards desperate for more speed

Edwards desperate for more speed

Colin Edwards has joined factory Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi in pleading for his YZR-M1 to get an urgent power upgrade. Rossi begged Yamaha engineers for a horsepower upgrade after factory Ducati...

Edwards remains upbeat

Edwards remains upbeat

Colin Edwards is confident he will bounce back from his disappointing start to the new MotoGP world championship campaign at the second round in Jerez this weekend. The American was sixth in the...

Repsol stars lead Madrid parade

Repsol stars lead Madrid parade

Repsol Honda stars Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa led an 8000 bike convoy through the Spanish captial of Madrid on Sunday, March 18, 2007. The duo swapped their MotoGP machines for a pair of Honda...

Rossi Graham Madden rides for Yamaha

Rossi Graham Madden rides for Yamaha

This is my son Rossi Graham Madden. He is only two years old and has already got his first MotoGP ride for Yamaha! Guess it’s all in the name! Plus he’s even got his own “brolly mummy”, pictured with...

Hodgson wrong to reject Ducati GP ride

Hodgson wrong to reject Ducati GP ride

Former British and World Superbike champion, Neil Hodgson, was wrong to have rejected the chance to join the D’Antin Ducati MotoGP squad for the 2007 world championship. That’s the view of his manager...

Burgess joy at Rossi deal

Burgess joy at Rossi deal

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess reckons the Italian’s recent new deal with Yamaha’s factory team killed off any suggestion of any hangover from last year’s shock MotoGP defeat. Rossi...

Suzuki to get engine upgrade

Suzuki to get engine upgrade

Factory Suzuki duo John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen will test a different engine spec immediately after the Turkish GP in Istanbul next month. The Japanese factory is keen to build on an impressive...

Stoner: Criticism was unjust

Stoner: Criticism was unjust

Casey Stoner reckons some of the criticism that came his way in his rookie MotoGP year last season was unjust as he aims to prove the doubters wrong in 2007. The factory Ducati rider was criticised...

Smith eyes '08 switch

Smith eyes '08 switch

British teenager Bradley Smith has set his sights on a switch to the world 250 championship in 2008. Smith, who is riding for the Repsol Honda 125 squad in GPs again this season, is confident a good...

Breaking news: Ilmor out of MotoGP

Breaking news: Ilmor out of MotoGP

Ilmor dropped a bombshell today by announcing it has suspended its MotoGP team after just one round of the 2007 world championship. In a phone call to MCN this morning, Ilmor boss Mario Illien...

Q&A with Bridgestone boss

Q&A with Bridgestone boss

Bridgestone’s Manager of Motorcycle Sport Hiroshi Yamada spoke to MCN about his firm’s winning start to the MotoGP season in Qatar. Ducati’s Casey Stoner took the first win of 2007 on Bridgestone...

Ilmor - no regrets

Ilmor - no regrets

Ilmor MotoGP boss Mario Illien says he has got no regrets about embarking on the costly and difficult challenge of trying to be competitive in the MotoGP world championship arena. Despite a nightmare...

Stoner plays down title hopes

Stoner plays down title hopes

Casey Stoner has played down his MotoGP world title aspirations despite his stunning debut premier class win in Qatar. Stoner became the first rider in history to win an 800cc MotoGP race when he...

Faubel takes 125cc win

Faubel takes 125cc win

The 125cc race at Qatar saw a one-two for the Bancaja Aspar team, as Hector Faubel grabbed 25 points from team-mate Gabor Talmacsi. The pair were on their own for much of the race after third...

Lorenzo starts 250cc defence with a win

Lorenzo starts 250cc defence with a win

Jorge Lorenzo has begun his 250cc championship defence with a comfortable win in Qatar, from Alex de Angelis and Hector Barbera Barbera had a hard duel with Thomas Luthi, who finished fourth after...

Stoner takes the win in Qatar

Stoner takes the win in Qatar

Casey Stoner has won the first MotoGP race of the season after a spectacular battle with Valentino Rossi. The two riders completely outpaced the rest of the field at the Qatar circuit but it was...

McWilliams out for Qatar

McWilliams out for Qatar

With just 40 minutes to go before the opening race of the season, it has been announced that Jeremy McWilliams will not race. Due to the injuries he has sustained, he sat out the morning warm-up...

Pedrosa heads morning warm-up

Dani Pedrosa has gone fastest in the morning warm-up session for the opening MotoGP of the season in Qatar.   The Spanish Honda rider is first of three young riders heading the morning times, with John Hopkins second quickest on the Suzuki, and Casey Stoner third fastest for Ducati.   There was a crash for Pedrosa following his fastest lap, along with controversy as he made a practice start. 1.

McWilliams plans to race

McWilliams plans to race

Jeremy McWilliams is still planning to race in this afternoon’s Qatar GP despite missing the 20-minute warm-up session. The British rider suffered a massive crash at the end of yesterday’s qualifying...

Tailgating Rossi

Tailgating Rossi

Carlos Checa tries following Rossi in Donington Park GP practice last year in an attempt to set a better qualifying time.

Jezza aims to ride despite crash

Jezza aims to ride despite crash

Jeremy McWilliams will undergo precautionary X-rays on his left leg in a Doha hospital later on today, but is confident he will be fit for the first MotoGP world championship race of 2007 tomorrow...

Rossi on pole in Qatar

Rossi on pole in Qatar

Valentino Rossi has taken the first pole of the 800 MotoGP era, by the smallest imaginable margin in Qatar. Yamaha’s Rossi snatched pole from Ducati’s Casey Stoner in the closing stages of the...

Rossi's hairy back

Rossi's hairy back

Valentino Rossi has just headed out on track (Friday, March 9, 2007) in Qatar in these leathers with a furry number 46! The custom leather choice with yellow cavallino leather numbers follows his use...

Pitt readies for race

Pitt readies for race

Aussie Andrew Pitt says he is ready for the new MotoGP world championship season despite agreeing that the new Ilmor 800cc machine needed to complete more winter testing miles. Pitt was 19th in free...

Rossi: Speed no issue

Rossi: Speed no issue

Former world champion Valentino Rossi has denied he is concerned that Yamaha’s new 800 is lacking in top speed compared to some of its MotoGP rivals. The speed deficit is hardly going to concern the...

Hayden and Rossi: 990s forgotten

Hayden and Rossi: 990s forgotten

Defending MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden reckons he’s not looking over his shoulder anymore and wishing he could still ride Honda’s brutal RCV 990cc machine in MotoGP. The switch to the new...

Yamaha fastest in the desert

Yamaha fastest in the desert

Yamaha have set the pace throughout the first day of the 2007 MotoGP season, with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi alternately heading the morning and afternoon practice session in Qatar today...

Hayden eyes Rossi and Pedrosa threat

Hayden eyes Rossi and Pedrosa threat

Reigning world champion Nicky Hayden has backed factory Honda team- mate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi to pose the biggest threat to his hopes of mounting a successful defence of his...

Edwards fastest in Qatar

Edwards fastest in Qatar

Colin Edwards is determined not to let Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa assume complete control in the 2007 MotoGP world championship – and backed up his ambition by going fastest in first free...

Dorna makes cash pledge

Dorna makes cash pledge

MotoGP bosses have pledged to invest a massive £25m in 2007 to help ease some of the sponsorship worries currently casting a cloud of world championship racing. The money will be split between teams...