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

Tech 3 boss confident in Moto2 line-up

29 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 Moto2 boss Herve Poncharal believes Yuki Takahashi and Raffaele de Rosa will be strong contenders for victories in the new 600cc four-stroke world championship in 2010. The pair completed a...

Positive test for Tech 3 Moto2 in Valencia

29 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Despite poor weather ruining two out of three scheduled test days at the Valencia circuit in Spain, the Tech 3 squad was still happy with an encouraging performance from its new Moto2 contender this...

Scott Redding’s Moto2 debut set for Catalunya

29 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding’s first chance to test for his new Marc VDS Moto2 squad will be at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona on February 17. The Gloucestershire rider will take part in a three-day test...

Brits excited after checking out Silverstone revamp

28 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

British Grand Prix trio Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb have spoken of their excitement and anticipation ahead of this year’s Silverstone MotoGP clash. Smith, Redding and Webb all got...

Bradley Smith heads 27-strong 125GP grid

27 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith will start the 2010 125GP world championship campaign as clear pre-season favourite after a 27-rider grid was unveiled today. Smith, who became Britain’s most successful rider since...

Scott Redding ponders tough Moto2 field

27 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding will face five riders who raced in MotoGP last season and three world 125GP champions in what promises to be a fiercely fought inaugural Moto2 600cc series in 2010. Toni Elias, Alex de...

2010 MotoGP entry list released

27 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

As expected, only 17 riders will start the 2010 MotoGP world championship with all eyes on the hugely anticipated title scrap between Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Dani...

Dani Pedrosa looks to cut out mistakes

26 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa has admitted he will need to cut out costly errors if he is to claim an elusive MotoGP crown in 2010. The Spaniard has failed to seriously challenge for the premier class campaign in his...

Jerry Burgess hails Yamaha YZR-M1 machine

26 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha’s factory YZR-M1 MotoGP machine will be remembered as one of the greatest bikes in racing history, according to Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess. Burgess and Rossi transformed the...

Valentino Rossi impresses in Ferrari F1 test

22 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Rain and fog couldn’t prevent Valentino Rossi from showing his prowess on four wheels as the Italian bike legend ended a two-day test session in a 2008 Ferrari F1 car thrilled with his pace. Rossi,...

Debon to ride British-built FTR in Moto2

22 January 2010 by MCN Sportsdesk

FTR Moto will supply machinery to the Motor Sport 69 Team of Spanish rider Alex Debon for his campaign in the inaugural Moto2 World Championship in 2010. Debon will race the M210 in the 17-round...

Interview: Bradley Smith - ’I don’t feel like an adult’

22 January 2010 by Guy Procter

Nice. It’s a suffocating thing to be called. But only if you’re as vacuous as the average vacuum-packed, teeth-whitened teenage overachiever. MCN talks to a man who’s looked beneath his...

No New Year weight loss for Hiroshi Aoyama

21 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

While millions of people embark on a weight loss regime for the New Year, reigning 250GP world champion Hiroshi Aoyama is looking to do the opposite. The Japanese rider has embarked on a rigorous...

Suter MMX: the most popular bike in Moto2

21 January 2010 by Guy Procter

A third of the bikes taking part in Moto2 could be Suter MMXs, the provisional list of entries reveals. The Swiss firm – which built Kawasaki’s MotoGP chassis and will supply slipper clutches to the...

Rain fails to dampen Valentino Rossi’s Ferrari fun

21 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Rain and a couple of early spins failed to dampen Valentino Rossi’s enjoyment as he got behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car for the sixth time at the Catalunya circuit in Spain yesterday...

Video: Inmotec MotoGP bike on track

21 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

This is the new Inmotec MotoGP machine seen in track testing recently in Spain. The Spanish V4 800cc contender was ridden by test rider Ivan Silva and has now completed 12 successful days of testing as Inmotec still hopes to be part of the MotoGP world championship in 2010 with selected wild card appearances. Test rider Silva said: “The engine is very powerful and very easy to ride. This is very...

John Hopkins to race in MotoGP and American superbikes?

20 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

John Hopkins could go from having no ride to two in 2010. Hopkins’ representatives have informed MCN that he could make a shock MotoGP return this season riding for the Italian-based FB Corse...

Casey Stoner wants to stay at Ducati

20 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner has given Ducati a massive boost ahead of the 2010 MotoGP world championship by stating he has no intention of quitting the Bologna factory when his current contract expires. The...

Size doesn’t matter, says Ben Spies

19 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies reckons he’s calmed his apprehension about being too heavy to be a serious contender in MotoGP in 2010. The reigning World Superbike champion weighs in at 70kg and will be one of the...

Loris in Belfast

18 January 2010 by jamie46rossi

Guess who I bumped into last Friday (15/01/10) in Belfast. Non other than MotoGP legend Lori Capirossi!

Toni Elias confirms Gresini Moto2 ride

18 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Toni Elias will join the new Moto2 world championship in 2010, riding a Moriwaki machine for Fausto Gresini’s squad. The 2006 Estoril MotoGP winner, who tested the Moriwaki MD600 machine in...

Nicky Hayden praises ‘special talent’ Casey Stoner

18 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden has heaped praise on factory Ducati team-mate Casey Stoner ahead of the 2010 MotoGP world championship. Ever since the Aussie joined Ducati in 2007, he has single-handedly turned the...

Casey Stoner feeling relaxed for title assault

18 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

After an injury and surgery free winter, Australian rider Casey Stoner believes he’s much more relaxed and ready for a serious assault on the 2010 MotoGP world championship crown. Stoner has been...

Nicky Hayden beats Ferrari F1 duo in kart race

18 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden claimed his first win of 2010 when he claimed a surprise success over Ferrari F1 duo Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in a go-kart clash on ice last week. Hayden also defeated factory...

Valentino Rossi treated for appendix problem

15 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi won’t require surgery after undergoing treatment for an inflamed appendix in Italy yesterday (Thursday). The nine-times world champion, who is bidding for a third successive MotoGP...

John Hopkins’ MotoGP return in doubt

15 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Hopes that John Hopkins will make a shock return to the MotoGP world championship in 2010 appear to be fading fast. It has been rumoured for several weeks that Hopkins was poised to make a premier...

Yamaha boss doubts Ducati move for Valentino Rossi

15 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi will shun any chance to complete a multi-million switch to Ducati in 2011. That’s the confident prediction of his current Fiat Yamaha team manager Davide Brivio, who believes Rossi...

Nicky Hayden’s attitude like Carl Fogarty’s

15 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali has likened Nicky Hayden’s steely determination and desire to succeed to British World Superbike legend Carl Fogarty. The popular American started his Ducati MotoGP...

Video: Ducati shows off new GP10 MotoGP machine

14 January 2010 by Matthew Birt

Ducati rolled out its new 2010 MotoGP challenger in Italy yesterday (Wednesday). The GP10, which features a revised Big Bang firing order, was unveiled at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort, with...