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

Alex de Angelis signs Moto2 deal

14 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Alex de Angelis may not have been able to clinch a MotoGP deal with the Scot squad for 2010, but the San Marino rider has signed for the Italian team to ride in the new Moto2 600cc four-stroke...

MotoGP goes 1000cc from 2012

11 December 2009 by MCN

FIM President Vito Ippolito and Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta confirm today that MotoGP will run to a new 1000cc engine capacity for the 2012 season. Following talks between MotoGP’s governing...

MotoGP poised to confirm 1000cc switch

10 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP bosses are expected to approve a switch to a 1000cc capacity limit at crunch meetings in Switzerland tomorrow (Friday). Facing mounting pressure to slash costs and stop plummeting grid numbers,...

Ex-Kawasaki MotoGP boss unveils Moto2 plan

10 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Former factory Kawasaki MotoGP boss Michael Bartholemy has confirmed he will run a team in the new Moto2 world championship as part of an ambitious Belgian motorsport project. As was first reported by...

Honda chassis is major weak point, says HRC boss

09 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto has admitted that this year’s factory chassis was the major weak point of the 2009 RC212V. Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso complained throughout last season of problems...

Kevin Schwantz: Suzuki wrong not to sign Ben Spies

08 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Kevin Schwantz reckons Suzuki made an appalling error of judgement in not signing Ben Spies for its factory MotoGP squad in 2009. The Texan legend says Suzuki management must regret letting Spies move...

Ben Spies: Adapting to Bridgestone quickly is vital

08 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Reigning World Superbike champion Ben Spies has admitted his hopes of challenging for regular top six finishes in next year’s MotoGP world championship will depend on how quickly he can adapt to...

Jorge Lorenzo confident in Yamaha future

07 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo has dismissed fears that Valentino Rossi’s influence will see him bombed out of Yamaha’s factory Yamaha at the end of 2010. World champion Rossi and highly rated Spaniard Lorenzo will...

Colin Edwards expects strong challenge from Ben Spies

07 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards has told MCN that he expects a strong challenge from new Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Ben Spies in next year’s MotoGP world championship. Spies will join fellow Texan Edwards in Herve...

Valentino Rossi fears engine restrictions will hurt MotoGP

04 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi fears cost-cutting engine restrictions in 2010 will further damage MotoGP as a spectacle. Rossi and his MotoGP rivals will only be able to use six engines for the entire 18-race world...

Honda boss eyes Andrea Dovizioso improvement

04 December 2009 by Matthew Birt

Honda has warned Andrea Dovizioso his performances must improve in 2010. Aside from a brilliant wet weather victory at Donington Park, Dovizioso’s factory Honda debut campaign was largely...