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

Assen MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo on top in first practice

24 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo’s domination of the 2010 MotoGP world championship continued at Assen today when he topped the opening practice leaderboard. The Spaniard, who is chasing a fourth victory of the season...

Assen MotoGP: Bradley Smith fourth in 125GP practice

24 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith made a decent start to the famous Dutch TT at Assen today, the British rider clocking the fourth quickest time in opening 125GP practice. The Oxfordshire rider, who scored his first...

The headache of replacing Valentino Rossi

23 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s crash at the Mugello MotoGP race earlier this month caused more than one major headache for Yamaha. As well as ending Rossi’s 2010 world title hopes and throwing major doubt over...

Assen MotoGP: Casey Stoner looks to end podium drought

23 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner had admitted he would never have anticipated going into the sixth race of the 2010 MotoGP world championship still chasing his first podium finish. The Australian, who seems certain to be...

Assen MotoGP: Ben Spies plays down podium prospects

23 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies is keeping his feet firmly on the ground as he bids to fight for a second MotoGP podium at the iconic Assen circuit in Holland this weekend. Brimming with confidence after he claimed a...

Yamaha confirm Valentino Rossi’s replacement

23 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

A 41-year-old test rider will replace nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi while the Italian recovers from a broken leg. Wataru Yoshikawa will join Jorge Lorenzo in the Fiat Yamaha squad from the...

Rossi replacement set to be announced

23 June 2010 by James Sharpe

Yamaha is set to announce that Wataru Yoshikawa will replace Valentino Rossi while he recovers from his broken shin sustained at Mugello. Yoshikawa, a test rider for the Yamaha factory, will ride in...

Matt Roberts catching up on the news with MCN

23 June 2010 by Ian Macey

Matt Roberts keeping up to date with the latest news whilst at the Day of Champions.

Nicky Hayden at the Day of Champions

22 June 2010 by sam lewis

Here’s me with Nicky Hayden at Silverstone during the Day of Champions.

Ducati and Valentino Rossi rumours not worrying for Yamaha

22 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha insist it won’t worry about incessant speculation linking nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi with a switch to Ducati in 2011. The Italian has flirted with a move to Ducati in the past...

Yamaha right not to have moved Ben Spies to factory team

22 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha would have made a mistake had it seconded Ben Spies to its factory squad as injury cover for reigning world champion Valentino Rossi. Spies was never seriously considered as a replacement for...

Ducati to offer Nicky Hayden new deal

22 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Ducati will offer Nicky Hayden a new contract for 2011. The American will be rewarded for his stunning transformation in fortunes with an imminent offer of a new deal. The 2006 world champion endured...

Hiroshi Aoyama facing lengthy injury lay-off

22 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Japanese rookie Hiroshi Aoyama could be out of action for up to three months after a massive crash at last weekend’s British MotoGP clash at Silverstone. The Interwetten Honda rider suffered a...

Nicky Hayden excited at Moto2 chance for brother

22 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden could be joined by his younger brother Roger Lee in the Grand Prix paddock next year. The youngest of the famous Kentucky racing dynasty, Roger Lee has landed a wild card in the...

Ben spies at Silverstone

21 June 2010 by Jon Duffy

I got this picture of my daughter Jessica with Ben Spies at Silverstone. He was a nice bloke and this made her day.

Lorenzo at Silverstone

21 June 2010 by Glen Coombs

Here’s a couple of pictures from the Friday qualifiying sesionat Silverstone. I felt really sorry for Nicky Hayden losing out on his podium in the final part of the race. The picture of Lorenzo shows...

Silverstone MotoGP impressions

21 June 2010 by Anonymous

I spent the whole weekend at the circuit for the Silverstone MotoGP. The track is ace, but for most of the weekend the majority of the grandstands were either locked and closed or were empty! I have been to a few circuits in Europe and the stands are always packed. When we went back to our hotel on the Friday evening we watched FP1 and the managing director of the course said that all the...

British MotoGP: Ben Spies storms to Silverstone podium

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies stormed to a stunning debut MotoGP podium finish at the Silverstone circuit yesterday. The Texan produced an outstanding late attack to claim a dramatic third on the last lap after an epic...

British MotoGP: Bad start costs Casey Stoner

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

A shocking start that left Casey Stoner languishing down in 14th place on the opening lap of yesterday’s British MotoGP race continued a disappointing campaign for the Australian star. The...

British MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo rampant at Silverstone

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo strengthened his grip on the 2010 MotoGP world championship with a crushing British MotoGP success at Silverstone yesterday. The Spaniard’s third win of a hugely impressive season never...

British MotoGP: Andrea Dovizioso continues excellent form

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso continued his excellent start to the 2010 MotoGP world championship at Silverstone yesterday. The 2009 British GP winner ended in a distant second position behind dominant winner...

British MotoGP: Randy de Puniet content with sixth

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Randy de Puniet cemented his status as the top non-factory rider in the 2010 MotoGP world championship after a gutsy ride to sixth place at Silverstone. The French rider looked like claiming a rare...

British MotoGP: Nicky Hayden gutted with another fourth

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden saw his hopes of a second podium finish for Ducati crushed by a crucial last lap mistake that consigned the American to yet another fourth place in yesterday’s British MotoGP race. Hayden...

British MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa’s title hopes suffer big blow

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa’s 2010 MotoGP world title aspirations suffered a severe blow at Silverstone yesterday. The Spaniard could only finish the 20-lap race in a lowly eighth position to fall 42-points behind...

British MotoGP: Bradley Smith savours first home rostrum

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Bradley Smith celebrated his first ever podium finish on home soil yesterday with a brilliant ride to third place in the Silverstone 125GP race. The 19-year-old was unable to make a...

British MotoGP: Scott Redding talks brilliant home fourth

21 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding could not have tried harder to protect his 100 per cent podium record at the British Grand Prix after he finished fourth in a gripping Moto2 clash at Silverstone. The 17-year-old clocked...

British MotoGP: Bradley Smith third at Silverstone

20 June 2010 by James Keen

Bancaja Aspar team rider Bradley Smith stood on the podium in front of his home crowd today when he placed third in the Silverstone 125 GP clash. First went to Red Bull Ajo rider Marc Marquez after a...

British MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo romps to Silverstone success

20 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo romped to an easy British MotoGP victory at Silverstone this afternoon to extend his advantage in the overall rankings to a commanding 37-points. Lorenzo got a great start from pole...

British MotoGP: Scott Redding fourth in Moto2 thriller

20 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding came agonisingly close to maintaining his 100 per cent podium record in the British Grand Prix after he played a starring role in a thrilling Moto2 race at Silverstone today. The...

Brookes is first winner on new Silverstone GP track

20 June 2010 by Gary Pinchin

HM Plant Honda’s Josh Brookes made history at Silverstone by becoming the first rider to win on the all-new Arena circuit after coming out on top in an immense five-way battle on the final lap in...

British MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo brimming with confidence

19 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo believes a third victory on 2010 is within his grasp after he secured his first pole position of the campaign at Silverstone today. The Fiat Yamaha rider clocked a best time of 2.03.308...

British MotoGP: Randy de Puniet cautious on podium hopes

19 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Randy de Puniet played down his hopes of a podium in tomorrow’s British MotoGP race after he produced a breathtaking qualifying performance at Silverstone. The LCR Honda rider was in sparkling form...

British MotoGP: Tyre temperature hampers Casey Stoner

19 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner reckoned the cool and chilly conditions at Silverstone today hampered his bid to finish higher than sixth on the grid for the British MotoGP clash. The Australian suffered his worst...

British MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa fit for Silverstone clash

19 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa will be fit to compete in tomorrow’s British MotoGP race at Silverstone after a late and painful qualifying crash. The Repsol Honda rider was trying to improve his third position...

British MotoGP: Scott Redding toasts best Moto2 qualifying

19 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding celebrated his best ever Moto2 qualifying result at Silverstone today. But the 17-year-old was left to ponder what might have been having challenged for pole position for most of the...

British MotoGP: Ben Spies bounces back from crash

19 June 2010 by Matthew Birt

Reigning World Superbike champion Ben Spies bounced back strongly from a heavy crash in this morning’s final practice to qualify his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in seventh place for tomorrow’s...