Qatar MotoGP 2016

No more testing, the 2016 MotoGP championship finally gets underway at the 3.3 mile floodlit Losail circuit, with all signs pointing towards reigning champ Jorge Lorenzo as the man to beat.

The factory Yamaha rider set an incredible 11 laps under the lap records over the winter, while his team-mate and rival Valentino Rossi only managed one.

Will Marquez finally click with the new Honda, control ECU and Michelin tyres, or will he just be an occasional annoyance for the title contenders? And let's not forget th surprise of winter testing - wunderkid Maverick Vinales, who pushed Lorenzo all the way in testing in just his second year on the Suzuki.

Year: ALL

Karel Abraham shows off 2013 CRT livery

28 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Karel Abraham has shown off the new livery that he will run on the Cardion AB Aprilia CRT machine in this year’s MotoGP world championship. The Czech Republic rider unveiled the new design at a...

Nicky Hayden sorry at Filippo Preziosi exit

28 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden says he is sorry that technical guru Filippo Preziosi does not form part of Ducati’s future MotoGP plans. But the American also admitted that Ducati’s struggling Desmosedici project was...

Stoner completes four-wheel switch

28 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner has ended months of speculation about his future by finally confirming he will race a V8 Supercar in Australia in 2013. The double MotoGP world champion, who retired after finishing third...

Valentino Rossi: ‘My first goal is the podium’

25 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s first mission on his return to Yamaha in this year’s MotoGP world championship is to score his first podium since the end of 2010. The 33-year-old is making his first official...

Jorge Lorenzo confident he can defend MotoGP title

25 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo is confident he can retain his MotoGP world title in 2013 with the resumption of the winter testing campaign drawing ever closer. Lorenzo, who captured his second MotoGP crown...

MotoGP boss: Valentino Rossi convinced he still competitive

25 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi prolonged his MotoGP career until the end of 2014 at least because he is convinced that he can still be a race winner and world title contender against the likes of Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. That’s the view of MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta, who believes the 33-year-old would not have completed a shock return to Yamaha if he had any doubt about his potential to be competitive...

Repsol Honda unveils 2013 RC213V

24 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez have unveiled the new 2013 factory Honda RC213V that the Spanish duo hope will help wrestle the MotoGP crown off compatriot and Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo. The new bike...

Ducati factory support vital for Andrea Iannone

23 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP rookie Andrea Iannone believes his hopes of succeeding in the new look Pramac Ducati squad will be given a massive boost by Ducati’s commitment to offer him full factory support in 2013. In a...

No red carpet for Suzuki MotoGP return in 2014

22 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki will not be granted a brand new entry to complete its anticipated return to the MotoGP grid in 2014. Instead the Japanese factory will have to collaborate with an existing team like Aspar,...

Ben Spies tipped to bounce back in 2013

21 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies has been backed to bounce back from a nightmare 2012 MotoGP campaign when he jumps on Ducati’s unforgiving Desmosedici this year. The Texan suffered a wretched second season in Yamaha’s...

Bradley Smith gets premier treatment ahead of Sepang test

18 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith sampled elite level sport of a slightly more sedate pace than MotoGP when he was invited to a special training session with Premier League outfit Everton FC this week. The 22-year-old...

Nicky Hayden tips Marc Marquez to shine early

18 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Factory Ducati rider Nicky Hayden says he expects highly rated rookie Marc Marquez to be competitive immediately when the new MotoGP season kicks off in Qatar in early April. Marquez will replace...

Buy a MotoGP bike for under £1m in 2014

17 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Details of the alternative options to running a CRT machine in MotoGP are starting to emerge, with Honda committed to selling five of its production RC213V bikes and Yamaha agreeing to an engine...

MotoGP poised for South American double-header in 2014

17 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

The MotoGP world championship could make two stops in South America in 2014, with Dorna locked in negotiations about a new race in Brazil to join Argentina back on the schedule. Next year’s calendar...

No quick fix to help make Ducati competitive

16 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

The journey to return Ducati to winning ways in MotoGP will be a long one, with new race boss Bernhard Gobmeier admitting no miracle cure exists to help the Bologna factory end its winless streak in the premier class world championship. Gobmeier, who replaced ousted Filippo Preziosi as head of Ducati’s MotoGP project in 2013, said the forthcoming season will be dedicated to development of the...

Ducati confident in old bike strategy

16 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Ducati is confident its surprise strategy to kick off preparations for 2013 using an old version of its factory Desmosedici machine is the right approach to help it threaten Honda and Yamaha’s...

New Ducati boss to call on Preziosi’s experience

16 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Long-serving Ducati MotoGP boss Filippo Preziosi will not be completely cut out of the Bologna factory’s world championship project, despite being axed at the end of last season. Preziosi was the...