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

Casey Stoner memories: Andy Dawson

01 January 2013 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner memories: Andy Dawson

In the second part of MCN’s exclusive series of Stoner memories, Ohlins suspension technician Andy Dawson, who worked with the Australian throughout his MotoGP career at Ducati and Honda, recalls his...

Casey Stoner memories: Vittoriano Guareschi

31 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner memories: Vittoriano Guareschi

2012 marked the end of an era when double MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner hung up his leathers after finishing third in the Valencia race in November. The Australian– widely acclaimed as one of the...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – VALENCIA

30 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – VALENCIA

It’s rarer than rocking horse manure to see a rider win a Grand Prix having started from the pit lane and rare to witness a rider charge from the back of the grid to claim victory. So for both to...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS - VALENTINO ROSSI BACK TO YAMAHA

29 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS - VALENTINO ROSSI BACK TO YAMAHA

You’d have got better odds on Valentino Rossi coming round to your house for Christmas dinner than you would have got on the Italian completing a shock return to Yamaha in 2013. Had Casey Stoner not...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – BRNO

27 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – BRNO

MotoGP has often been accused of being about as entertaining as watching hair grow, but there were still reminders in 2012 of why we all fell in love with motorcycle racing. The new 250cc four-stroke...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – DUCATI DISASTER

26 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – DUCATI DISASTER

It’s the Valencia MotoGP test in November, 2010 and the wave of optimism sweeping through Ducati’s factory garage is so powerful it could almost knock you off your feet. Valentino Rossi has arrived to...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – BEN SPIES AND ROTTEN LUCK

25 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – BEN SPIES AND ROTTEN LUCK

You wouldn’t want to be sitting next to Ben Spies on a plane after the shocking bad luck that struck the Texan in 2012. The switch to fire-breathing 1000cc prototypes was supposed to be the catalyst...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS - A NEW BRITISH STAR IS BORN

24 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS - A NEW BRITISH STAR IS BORN

The emergence of Scott Redding and Bradley Smith in recent years convinced the world that young British riders were worthy of a punt on the Grand Prix stage again. We might not be churning out...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – CASEY STONER RETIRES

23 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – CASEY STONER RETIRES

When Casey Stoner won the Jerez and Estoril races to ignite the defence of his MotoGP crown, talk of his retirement was already filling plenty of column inches. The Aussie was at pains to deny the...

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – CRUTCHLOW ON PODIUM

22 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

2012 MOTOGP MOMENTS – CRUTCHLOW ON PODIUM

A British rider on a MotoGP podium had become almost as rare as the sight of Halley’s Comet. A podium drought that stretched back to the British Grand Prix in 2000 was finally ended though when Cal...

Jorge Lorenzo’s boss reflects on triumphant 2012

21 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo’s boss reflects on triumphant 2012

Jorge Lorenzo and Yamaha’s pre-season preparations were pivotal in helping the Spaniard capture a second MotoGP world title in 2012. That’s the view of Lorenzo’s factory Yamaha team boss Wilco...

Tech 3 boss hails ‘fantastic’ Andrea Dovizioso

21 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 boss hails ‘fantastic’ Andrea Dovizioso

Andrea Dovizioso’s performances in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad last season have been hailed as ‘fantastic’, as the Italian prepares for the tough challenge of making Ducati’s factory Desmosedici a...

Colin Edwards: ‘I never considered retirement’

21 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: ‘I never considered retirement’

Colin Edwards reckons retiring from MotoGP was never an option he considered after a dismal 2012 on the struggling Suter-BMW CRT project. The popular Texan was the poster boy for the new CRT category...

Penalty points for dangerous riding in MotoGP from 2013

20 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Penalty points for dangerous riding in MotoGP from 2013

Dangerous and aggressive riding will be dealt with by a new penalty points system that will be introduced across all three classes in the MotoGP world championship from next season. Points will be...

Yamaha expected to unveil new gearbox for 2013

19 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha expected to unveil new gearbox for 2013

Yamaha is expected to equip its factory YZR-M1 machine with a new seamless shift gearbox to aid Jorge Lorenzo in his quest to win the MotoGP world title for a third time in 2013. Honda and Ducati have...

Yamaha expecting less friction between Lorenzo and Rossi

19 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha expecting less friction between Lorenzo and Rossi

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo’s relationship will not be dominated by the friction and animosity that existed between the pair between 2008 and 2010. Rossi’s return to Yamaha’s factory MotoGP...

Will Suzuki's 2014 MotoGP bike be good enough to get them on the podium?

19 December 2012 by MCN

Will Suzuki's 2014 MotoGP bike be good enough to get them on the podium?

Suzuki are set to return to the MotoGP grid in 2014 after leaving the championship at the end of 2011 for financial reasons. After such a lengthy absence, will they be competitive? pollcomment

HRC boss content with 2012 despite title defeat

18 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

HRC boss content with 2012 despite title defeat

Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto has said he is happy with the performance of the official HRC factory MotoGP squad in 2012, despite losing the world title to Yamaha and Jorge Lorenzo. After dominating the...

Jorge Lorenzo: Yamaha return ‘great opportunity’ for Rossi

17 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo: Yamaha return ‘great opportunity’ for Rossi

Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi’s return to Yamaha has presented the Italian icon with the perfect opportunity to show that he is still fast enough to win premier...

Jerry Burgess haunted by Ducati failure

15 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jerry Burgess haunted by Ducati failure

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess says he will be haunted to his grave by the Italian’s failure to be competitive enough to challenge for victories during a disastrous two-year stint with...

Factory support lured Andrea Dovizioso to Ducati

14 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Factory support lured Andrea Dovizioso to Ducati

Andrea Dovizioso’s desire to be the technical figurehead for a major factory was his prime motivation for gambling his future on a move to Ducati in 2013, according to former Monster Yamaha Tech 3...

HRC hopes for ‘several’ victories from Marc Marquez in 2013

13 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

HRC hopes for ‘several’ victories from Marc Marquez in 2013

Honda is hopeful that rookie sensation Marc Marquez will be able to win ‘several’ races in his first season in MotoGP next year. Marquez’s arrival in MotoGP is already one of the most anticipated and...

Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner clash over Laguna ’08 again

13 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner clash over Laguna ’08 again

Long running tension and animosity between Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner is showing no sign of letting up, despite the Australian’s retirement from MotoGP at the end of the season. The trigger for...

Jorge Lorenzo: ‘Rossi return can make me stronger’

12 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo: ‘Rossi return can make me stronger’

Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo believes the return of bitter rival Valentino Rossi to Yamaha in 2013 will make him an even stronger force to be reckoned with next year. The Spaniard will...

Suzuki request MotoGP testing return

11 December 2012 by Simon Patterson

Suzuki request MotoGP testing return

Suzuki have re-ignited claims of a 2014 MotoGP return as they today requested permission to partake in selected MotoGP official tests in 2013. The Japanese team, who left the championship for...

Marc Marquez backed to handle MotoGP spotlight

10 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Marc Marquez backed to handle MotoGP spotlight

Marc Marquez will have no problem in coping with the intense scrutiny and pressure of stepping into Repsol Honda as Casey Stoner’s replacement in 2013. Expectation and anticipation ahead of the...

Valentino Rossi has nothing to prove on Yamaha return

10 December 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has nothing to prove on Yamaha return

Valentino Rossi has nothing to prove when he makes a return to Yamaha in 2013. After a nightmare two-year spell with Ducati in which the Italian failed to get close to recording a victory in 35...

Sepang to host two MotoGP races in future?

30 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Sepang to host two MotoGP races in future?

Sepang could host two MotoGP races in the near future in a bid to cash in on booming interest in South East Asian markets like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. MCN can reveal that Yamaha boss Lin...

Stefan Bradl has birthday op to cure arm pump

30 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Stefan Bradl has birthday op to cure arm pump

Stefan Bradl’s 23rd birthday celebrations took place on a Barcelona hospital bed after the German underwent successful surgery to cure an arm pump issue that plagued him during an impressive rookie...

Gino Rea set to stay in Moto2

30 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Gino Rea set to stay in Moto2

Gino Rea’s tough debut season in the ultra-competitive Moto2 class won’t be his last, with the Londoner understood to have signed a 2013 deal with the new ESGP squad. Rea was missing from the...

Michael Laverty to MotoGP in 2013

28 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Michael Laverty to MotoGP in 2013

As has been widely rumoured, Michael Laverty has been named on the provisional MotoGP entry list for 2013 in Paul Bird’s British-based squad. Laverty is entered on a PBM machine, which is expected to...

No Gino Rea on provisional 2013 Moto2 entry list

28 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

No Gino Rea on provisional 2013 Moto2 entry list

British rider Gino Rea is a notable absentee from the provisional Moto2 entry list released today for the 2013 world championship campaign. The Londoner, who scored a stunning debut podium with third...

32-strong field for 2013 Moto3 battle

28 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

32-strong field for 2013 Moto3 battle

A 32-strong field, which includes British duo Danny Webb and John McPhee, will contest the second Moto3 world championship in 2013. Webb is down to ride a Suter Honda machine on the provisional entry...

Bryan Staring lands Gresini CRT ride

27 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Bryan Staring lands Gresini CRT ride

Casey Stoner’s retirement from MotoGP hasn’t left the premier class without an Australian rider on the grid after Bryan Staring was confirmed as the surprise pick for the Gresini CRT ride. Staring...

Nicky Hayden confident Ducati can cure understeer issue

27 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden confident Ducati can cure understeer issue

Nicky Hayden remains confident Ducati can solve a persistent understeer issue that has dogged the Desmosedici MotoGP project in recent years. The understeer issue was a constant complaint of Valentino...

Marc Marquez tests 2013 Honda in Sepang

27 November 2012 by Matthew Birt

Marc Marquez tests 2013 Honda in Sepang

Improved weather conditions at the Sepang track in Malaysia today enabled Marc Marquez to enjoy his most productive day on board Honda’s RC213V 1000cc MotoGP machine to date. The reigning Moto2 world...