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

Sepang MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa confident after Malaysia pole position

20 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa said he is confident of converting his impressive qualifying form into a positive race result in tomorrow’s Malaysian GP in Sepang. The Repsol Honda claimed his third successive...

Sepang MotoGP: Hector Faubel on pole for 125cc title decider

20 October 2007 by MCN Sports Desk

Hector Faubel is on pole position for the deciding race of the 2007 125cc world championship, with current series leader Gabor Talmacsi in second place on the grid. Faubel grabbed pole with a time of...

Sepang MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa spares Michelin blushes with pole

20 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa stormed to pole position in the dying moments of today’s qualifying session in Sepang to spare Michelin’s blushes. Only Repsol Honda team-mate Nicky Hayden in sixth and Valentino Rossi in...

Sepang MotoGP: Hiroshi Aoyama takes pole for 250cc GP

20 October 2007 by MCN Sports Desk

Hiroshi Aoyama has taken his first pole of the 2007 season, topping a KTM one-two as team-mate Mika Kallio qualifies second fastest. Aoyama posted a time of 2:07.429s, with Kallio 0.032s slower. Third...

Sepang MotoGP: Lucky escape for Chaz Davies on tough first day

19 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

British rider Chaz Davies had a lucky escape on the first day of the Malaysian GP in Sepang after he was involved in a tangle with Japan’s Shinya Nakano in this morning’s opening free practice...

Sepang MotoGP: Riders slam new Sepang surface

19 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden led widespread criticism of Sepang’s new track surface at the end of the first day of the Malaysian MotoGP. Rossi labelled the new tarmac a ‘disaster’...

Sepang MotoGP: Honda to crush Max Biaggi’s MotoGP return

19 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Honda is expected to announce tomorrow (Saturday) in Sepang that it will block a move by Fausto Gresini to lure controversial Italian Max Biaggi back into the MotoGP world championship in...

Sepang MotoGP: Randy de Puniet fastest in stormy Sepang

19 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Factory Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet has topped the timesheets at the end of the first day of practice for the Malaysian GP in Sepang, with world champion Casey Stoner a close second. Frenchman de...

Sepang MotoGP: Tyre rule decision delayed until next week

19 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Controversy and confusion surrounding tyre rules for the 2008 MotoGP world championship will drag on into next week after it was revealed there would be no final decision taken in Malaysia this...

Me and the GP stars

18 October 2007 by lorraine burleigh

Here is a photo of me with Anthony West and Randy de Puniet. It was taken in the hotel bar in Monterey while we were at Laguna Seca. I wondered why everyone was laughing… I soon found out. The other...

Sepang MotoGP: Valentino Rossi admits Casey Stoner now biggest threat

18 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has admitted Casey Stoner will now be his main MotoGP adversary after the Aussie stepped out of the shadow of Dani Pedrosa. Since Dani Pedrosa moved to MotoGP in 2006 after claiming...

Sepang MotoGP: Kenny Roberts hopeful of 2008 Ducati deal

18 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Kenny Roberts is waiting on a multi-million pound sponsorship deal to be finalised to secure a deal to lease factory spec Ducati 800 machines for the 2008 MotoGP world championship. Team Roberts is...

Sepang MotoGP: Valentino Rossi denies Fiat world rally deal

18 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has denied he has already signed a future world rally deal with Fiat – current title sponsors of his Yamaha MotoGP squad. Rossi’s factory YZR-M1 ran a special one-off livery in last...

Sepang MotoGP: Valentino Rossi to learn Bridgestone decision tomorrow

18 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi will find out tomorrow (Friday) whether his pressure to dump Michelin tyres for a shock switch to Bridgestone has paid off. The 28-year-old though cast doubt on his plans to run the...

Sepang MotoGP: Jerry Burgess backs Valentino Rossi over Yamaha demands

18 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha crew chief Jerry Burgess has backed the Italian over his recent scathing attack on the Japanese factory. Rossi has threatened to quit Yamaha at the end of next season unless...

MotoGP: Loris Capirossi backs Valentino Rossi to succeed on Bridgestone tyres

17 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Veteran Italian Loris Capirossi reckons compatriot Valentino Rossi will be a major force to be reckoned with if the Yamaha rider clinches a deal to race on Bridgestone tyres in 2008. It looks...

MotoGP: Casey Stoner unflustered by Valentino Rossi’s possible Bridgestone switch

17 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner said he won’t be distracted by the prospect of fighting Valentino Rossi on the same tyres in his retain the premier class title in 2008. Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino...

Casey Stoner gets a Hypermotard

17 October 2007 by Rob Hull

Forget cards and cakes, newly crowned MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner was given a brand new Ducati Hypermotard by the Italian manufacture for his 22nd birthday yesterday. Casey Stoner was given the...

MotoGP: Suzuki to race 2008 GSV-R in Malaysian MotoGP

17 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki will steal a march on their MotoGP rivals this weekend after unveiling plans to race a new prototype factory GSV-R in Malaysia. Test and development rider Nobuatsu Aoki has a wild card slot for...

MotoGP: Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi agree on bike swap

17 October 2007 by Matthew Birt

It might be pure fantasy to imagine a scenario where Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi switch bikes for a Grand Prix weekend, but at least the world’s top two riders would be willing to give it a...