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

Catalunya MotoGP: Simoncelli takes first MotoGP pole

04 June 2011 by MCN

Catalunya MotoGP: Simoncelli takes first MotoGP pole

San Carlo Honda rider Marco Simoncelli has taken his first pole position in MotoGP at Catalunya. Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner had to settle for second on the grid, just 0.016 seconds behind...

John Hopkins turns down Repsol Honda and Tech 3

04 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

John Hopkins turns down Repsol Honda and Tech 3

MCN understands that John Hopkins has turned down approaches from Repsol Honda and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 to ride in next weekend’s British MotoGP round at Silverstone. HRC apparently approached...

Colin Edwards out of British Grand Prix

03 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards out of British Grand Prix

Colin Edwards will miss next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone after he broke his right collarbone in a heavy crash during practice at the Catalunya track in Spain earlier today. The...

Catalunya MotoGP: Ben Spies looks to revive fortunes

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Catalunya MotoGP: Ben Spies looks to revive fortunes

Ben Spies is confident he can put a disappointing start to his second season in the MotoGP world championship behind him in this weekend’s Catalunya clash near Barcelona. The Texan is currently...

Catalunya MotoGP: Rivals surprised by Dani Pedrosa withdrawal

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Catalunya MotoGP: Rivals surprised by Dani Pedrosa withdrawal

Dani Pedrosa’s late withdrawal from his home race in Catalunya was a big surprise for his MotoGP rivals. Repsol Honda team-mate Casey Stoner and factory Ducati rider Valentino Rossi both said they...

Catalunya MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo urges restraint from Spanish fans

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Catalunya MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo urges restraint from Spanish fans

Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo has urged Spanish fans to refrain from giving Marco Simoncelli a hostile reception during this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP round. After Simoncelli’s controversial...

Honda unveils new NSF250R Moto3 bike

02 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Honda unveils new NSF250R Moto3 bike

Honda has taken the wraps off its new Moto3 250cc four-stroke racer in Catalunya this afternoon. The new NSF250R was given its first public viewing during a special HRC presentation in the Montmelo...

Lorenzo practices start at Barcelona traffic light GP

02 June 2011 by Tom Cambio

Lorenzo practices start at Barcelona traffic light GP

Commuters in downtown Barcelona faced some tough competition at the traffic light GP yesterday, with reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP team descending on the...

Pedrosa to miss Catalunya race

01 June 2011 by Tom Cambio

Pedrosa to miss Catalunya race

Dani Pedrosa will miss this weekend’s race at Catalunya, as the Spaniard is still recovering from surgery to repair his right collarbone that was broken in a controversial collision with Marco...

Marco Simoncelli remorseful over Pedrosa collision

01 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli remorseful over Pedrosa collision

Marco Simoncelli has moved to calm the storm of controversy surrounding his collision with Dani Pedrosa in the recent French Grand Prix by admitting his aggressive overtake was wrong. In the initial...

Marco Simoncelli kicks off contract talks with Honda

01 June 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli kicks off contract talks with Honda

Honda has kicked off talks with Italian star Marco Simoncelli over a new two-year factory deal. Although the former 250GP world champion rides for the satellite San Carlo Gresini Honda squad, he is a...

Marco Simoncelli to face Race Direction in Catalunya

31 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli to face Race Direction in Catalunya

Marco Simoncelli has been summoned for talks with Race Direction ahead of this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP clash near Barcelona. The Italian was embroiled in a storm of controversy after an aggressive...

Valentino Rossi pleased with second GP12 test

27 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi pleased with second GP12 test

Valentino Rossi completed his second test on Ducati’s new 2012 MotoGP prototype at the Mugello circuit yesterday (Thursday), the Italian declaring a 60-lap run as positive. The nine-times world...

Aspar Ducati confirms MotoGP expansion plan

26 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Aspar Ducati confirms MotoGP expansion plan

Ducati could expand its MotoGP involvement to seven bikes in 2012 with the Aspar squad confirming to MCN it is negotiating a deal to run a two-rider effort next season. The Spanish squad, run by...

Ducati’s GP12 unlikely to repeat 2007 dominance

26 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati’s GP12 unlikely to repeat 2007 dominance

Ducati is unlikely to replicate its domination of MotoGP after the last time the premier class instigated a major rule change back in 2007. When engine capacity was reduced from 990cc to 800cc, Ducati...

Dorna expects Motegi race to go ahead

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Dorna expects Motegi race to go ahead

A letter updating teams and paddock personnel of the current situation relating to the staging of the rescheduled Japanese MotoGP race makes it clear that Dorna believes the event will go ahead in...

Valentino Rossi’s development skills vital for Ducati

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s development skills vital for Ducati

Ducati is finally starting to reap the rewards of having the technical skills of Valentino Rossi develop its factory GP11 MotoGP machine, according to factory team boss Vittoriano Guareschi. Rossi has...

Casey Stoner praises Marc Marquez

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner praises Marc Marquez

Casey Stoner has praised Marc Marquez and tipped the talented Spaniard to develop into a MotoGP star of the future. The reigning 125GP world champion won an army of admirers in 2010 and Aussie Stoner...

Ducati confident GP12 will suit more styles

24 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati confident GP12 will suit more styles

Ducati is confident its new 1000cc MotoGP bike will suit a range of styles and won’t be the extreme and hard to tame package like previous versions of its factory Desmosedici machine. Valentino Rossi...

Colin Edwards: Simoncelli overtake was 'wrong'

23 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: Simoncelli overtake was 'wrong'

American Colin Edwards reckons Marco Simoncelli’s controversial Le Mans overtake that left Dani Pedrosa injured was too aggressive. Simoncelli and Pedrosa were battling for second place on lap 18 of...

Toni Elias ride not in danger

23 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Toni Elias ride not in danger

Toni Elias is not in danger of being axed by the LCR Honda squad, despite his wretched return to MotoGP in 2011. The reigning Moto2 world champion has endured a disastrous return to MotoGP and in the...

Suzuki nearing MotoGP decision for 2012

20 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki nearing MotoGP decision for 2012

Suzuki’s MotoGP future will be decided by the end of June after bosses held crunch talks in Japan recently. MotoGP boss Paul Denning made a whirlwind one-day visit to the Hamamatsu factory prior to...

Andrea Dovizioso not worried by 1000cc test absence

20 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso not worried by 1000cc test absence

Andrea Dovizioso has played down his absence from this week’s Honda 1000cc test in Jerez. Factory Honda team-mate Casey Stoner rode the RC212V 800cc replacement in Spain on Tuesday and Wednesday but...

Video: Casey Stoner on new 2012 Honda 1000cc bike

19 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Video: Casey Stoner on new 2012 Honda 1000cc bike

Casey Stoner completed his first test on Honda’s new 1000cc MotoGP bike in Jerez yesterday (Wednesday). And to mark the occasion, HRC has released footage of the new bike on track, though as...

Dani Pedrosa in fitness fight for Catalunya MotoGP

19 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa in fitness fight for Catalunya MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa is facing a desperate race to be fit for his home MotoGP round at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona early next month having undergone surgery on the right collarbone he broke following...

Valentino Rossi confident for Silverstone MotoGP

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi confident for Silverstone MotoGP

Valentino Rossi is confident Ducati’s factory GP11 will be a competitive package at next month’s British MotoGP race after the Italian made his debut at the Silverstone track yesterday...

Silverstone unveils new £27m pits and paddock Wing

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Silverstone unveils new £27m pits and paddock Wing

Silverstone unveiled its state-of-the-art £27m new pits and paddock Wing yesterday (Tuesday) The Silverstone Wing helps make facilities at the Northamptonshire circuit the envy of the world and the...

Jenson Button says bike racers are 'nutcases'

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Jenson Button says bike racers are 'nutcases'

Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button reckons MotoGP riders are ‘nutcases’. The McLaren Mercedes driver was talking about MotoGP during the launch of the impressive new £27m pits and paddock...

Casey Stoner makes Honda 1000cc debut

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner makes Honda 1000cc debut

Casey Stoner kicked off his preparations for the 2012 MotoGP world championship in Jerez yesterday (Tuesday) when he completed his first day of testing on board Honda’s new 1000cc machine. Fresh from...

Yamaha unveils 50th anniversary paintjob for MotoGP

17 May 2011 by Andy Downes

Yamaha unveils 50th anniversary paintjob for MotoGP

Yamaha has unveiled a 50th anniversary celebration paintjob for the factory MotoGP team which will be raced at Assen at the end of June and raced by reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo and teammate...

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi blames Simoncelli

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi blames Simoncelli

Valentino Rossi conceded that Marco Simoncelli’s overtake during the French MotoGP race that left Dani Pedrosa with a broken left collarbone was too aggressive. Rossi has been a staunch supporter of...

Le Mans MotoGP: Casey Stoner hails ‘fantastic’ win

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Le Mans MotoGP: Casey Stoner hails ‘fantastic’ win

Casey Stoner returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion in yesterday’s French MotoGP race as a dominant performance saw him halve Jorge Lorenzo’s world championship lead. Stoner went into the 28-lap...

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi revels in first Ducati podium

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi revels in first Ducati podium

Valentino Rossi toasted his first Ducati podium in Le Mans yesterday after the Italian finished the French MotoGP race in third position. The 32-year-old just failed to defeat compatriot Andrea...

Le Mans MotoGP: Yamaha not fast enough, says Jorge Lorenzo

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Le Mans MotoGP: Yamaha not fast enough, says Jorge Lorenzo

Jorge Lorenzo admitted Yamaha has work to do to bridge the gap in performance to Honda after he was comprehensively beaten in yesterday’s French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Lorenzo never looked like...

Debate rages over Simoncelli move that took out Pedrosa

16 May 2011 by John Westlake

Debate rages over Simoncelli move that took out Pedrosa

Marco Simoncelli’s reputation as the bad boy of MotoGP rose to new heights after he was involved in a collision with Pedrosa that left the luckless and injury prone Spaniard with a broken right...

Le Mans MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli defends controversial overtake

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Le Mans MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli defends controversial overtake

Marco Simoncelli has defended himself against a renewed barrage of criticism after he was involved in a controversial incident in yesterday’s Le Mans MotoGP race that left Dani Pedrosa with a broken...