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

Dutch MotoGP: Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards' Yamahas get a new look

28 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards’ factory Yamaha YZR-M1s sported a somewhat garish looking paintscheme this morning (Thursday) when the Dutch MotoGP in Assen got underway. The multi-coloured...

Dutch MotoGP: Mattia Pasini takes provisional pole for 125s in Assen

28 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Mattia Pasini has taken provisional pole for the 125 category at the Dutch MotoGP in Assen. The Italian recorded a best lap of 1:45.603 on his Aprilia with less than five minutes remaining of the...

Dutch MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo still the man to beat as 250s head out at Assen

28 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Current MotoGP 250 championship leader Jorge Lorenzo has gone fastest once again this morning in the first practice for the 250s in Assen. The Spaniard managed a best time of 1:40.979 on his...

Dutch MotoGP: Sergio Gadea goes fastest in free practice for 125s

28 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Aprilia Rider Sergio Gadea was the quickest rider in the 125 series this morning as the Assen MotoGP weekend began. The Spaniard recorded a time of 1:47.611, just under one 10th of a second quicker...

Dutch MotoGP: Casey Stoner beats Valentino Rossi as Assen MotoGP gets underway

28 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP world championship leader Casey Stoner continued his domination of the 2007 season to set the fastest time in this morning’s first free practice session in Assen. In cool and blustery...

MotoGP: Second British MotoGP unlikely says Dorna chief

28 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

A second British MotoGP at the Silverstone circuit is unlikely to feature on the world championship calendar in the foreseeable future. Rumours have been rife Silverstone has made a formal request to...

Dutch MotoGP: Toni Elias breaks leg in Assen MotoGP practice crash

28 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Toni Elias has suffered more injury misery at the Assen circuit this morning after he broke his left femur in a crash in the opening MotoGP free practice session. The Gresini Honda rider lost...

Dutch MotoGP: Injury puts Bradley Smith out of Assen MotoGP

28 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Bradley Smith will miss Saturday’s Dutch 125 MotoGP in Assen after suffering a broken left hand and foot in this morning’s opening free practice session. Details of the incident are...

Donny GP: Brill

27 June 2007 by Monti

No complaints here except queuing for nearly an hour to collect tickets. Apart from that myself, my daughter Katie and my two nephews all enjoyed the trip from Ireland to watch some great racing. And...

Dutch MotoGP: Andrea Dovizioso confirms 2008 MotoGP ambitions

27 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

World 250 championship challenger Andrea Dovizioso has confirmed his intention to move to MotoGP next season. The Italian, who won last weekend’s rain-soaked British GP at Donington Park, said, “I...

Dutch MotoGP: Valentino Rossi furious at British MotoGP motorhome graffiti

27 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi is understood to be furious after a small minority of angry fans targeted his motor home in the Donington Park paddock after Sunday’s British GP. Sources confirmed to MCN this...

Dutch MotoGP: Edwards interested in Tech 3 move

27 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

British GP runner-up Colin Edwards has confirmed to MCN that he would consider moving to Yamaha’s satellite team in 2008, with his place alongside Valentino Rossi looking increasingly likely to go to...

Dutch MotoGP: Fausto Gresini fears Marco Melandri exit

27 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Honda team boss Fausto Gresini has expressed concerns star rider Marco Melandri will quit to land a factory ride in the 2008 MotoGP world championship. With just one podium in 2007 in a rain-lashed...

Nicky and Shinya at Day of Champions

27 June 2007 by Anonymous

This is Nicky Hayden and Shinya Nakano signing autographs for fans in pitlane at the Day of Champions at Donington Park.

Me and Kurtis Roberts

27 June 2007 by Anonymous

This is me and Kurtis Roberts at the Day of Champions. He was doing a guided bus tour of the track and was such a lovely guy.

Dutch MotoGP: Kenny Roberts Junior plays down retirement rumours

27 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Team Roberts has played down speculation that Kenny Roberts Junior has raced in his last MotoGP world championship clash. The American stayed at home in California while younger brother Kurtis...

Rainy, pricey Donington

27 June 2007 by Pete Took

Just dropping you a line to tell you about our experiances at the MotoGP in Donington this weekend. Me & the Mrs (Dawn) and six other mates stayed in Loughborough and did the whole Friday to Monday thing. Qualifying was great, and hearing the 800s for the first time was ear splittingly good! I really wanted to pass on my thanks to Donington Park for making me walk half the circuit to get to where...

In defence of Donington

26 June 2007 by Steph

This year’s British GP was my sixth year on the bounce and for anyone who’s complaining about how long it took you to get out, I can assure you that this year was the best organised and showed much improvement from previous years. As for the toilet facilities… what do you expect when there’s been thousands of people from thursday to saturday using them? I camped Friday to Sunday, got muddy and...

Donington GP

26 June 2007 by Anonymous

Donington’s a cracking circuit, but it’s let down badly by its stone-age facilities. The ticket situation was a farce. Despite being promised that the tickets had been sent out recorded delivery and taking two half days off work to catch the postie, I was then told: ‘sorry – the tickets weren’t in the post, collect them at the circuit’. Who’s going to reimburse me for the postage I paid for and...

Donington

26 June 2007 by Graeme Willett

Like many readers I am bemused as to how Donnington retains the MotoGP. Entry fee was exhorbitant, facilities non-existant, refreshments rubbish and expensive. It felt on Sunday what I imagined the Somme was like in World War One. Sell it to Jonathan Palmer and let’s have some money spent on those hardy souls called fans.

Meeting the greats

26 June 2007 by lee settle

This is me at Donington greeting two of the greats of the sport. I did actually manage 15 photos in all of Dani Pedrosa, Bradley Smith, John Hopkins, Shinya Nakano, Carlos Checa, Phil Read, to name a...

MotoGP: Anthony West explains why he shines in the rain

26 June 2007 by Gary Pinchin

Anthony West was one of the sensations of the British MotoGP at Donington Park, running as high as fifth before sliding off the track and ending what looked like a strong podium chance in his Kawasaki...

Show some respect

26 June 2007 by Anonymous

I just want to say to the idots out there that booed Casey, I hope you feel guilty. On Thursday when he was on stage for the auction he got booed, but thankfully Julian Ryder sorted out the booers and told them off. And on Sunday on the warm-down lap there were more disrespectful people booing him. All I can say is ‘why’? Is it because he’s leading the championship? Sore Rossi fans or something?...

What's everyone's problem?

26 June 2007 by Kirsty Ewart

I can’t understand how people are complaining about Donington. This was my first year going and it was fine. Yes it took time to get to the car park, but when you’re going though a one-lane village that isn’t built to accommodate this amount of traffic, this is expected! As for people complaining about the mud… I’m sorry but rain cannot be helped; after all we are in Britain and do expect rain.

Great race, rubbish facilities

26 June 2007 by Philip Moore

Attended the GP for the second year with my family and the racing was brilliant! Well done to Bradley and all the Brits and all the winners! The losers however were those of us that had to endure Donington’s appalling lack of investement in facilities like decent toilets. How they expect families with children to endure the crap (literally) provison of basic facilities is scandalous. Donington...

Donington: what a mess

26 June 2007 by Steve

Having promised to take my son to Donington for five years I finally get round to it, and what a mess it is. Takes us 1.5 hours to get into the car park, get to the entrance and go to pay and they want 8% extra to pay by credit card. When we finally get in, what a mess. Mud everywhere and hardly anywhere to sit, why is the MotoGP still held here every year? There must be a least two other tracks...

A ray of sunshine on a damp day!

25 June 2007 by Alan McKeeman

OK, so he didn’t make the podium this year, but he brightened up a wet day for the tens of thousands of his fans who watched Valentino take fourth place at Donington. www.alanmckeeman.com

Lucky for some?

25 June 2007 by Kevin Connel

I brought my daughter ‘Ci’ to the British MotoGP at Donington as a treat for her 18th birthday in the hope she might get to meet one of the stars. She got more than she bargained for; lucky or what?...

Donington better than ever

25 June 2007 by mel

What a great weekend. Top entertainment – JT’s Crash and Oasis tribute band Wonderwall. Respect to all the riders, still nailing it in the rain. Donington’s race weekend just keeps getting better.

Super Donington

25 June 2007 by wonkeydonkey10

Just been to Donington Park for this year’s MotoGP and have to say as usual, me and my missus thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the terrible weather again. It does make you appreciate, even more so however, the sheer talent these guys have from the front of the grid to the back. Disappointingly Rossi did not pull it off this weekend but I understand he did have trouble with poor tyres. That said...

Day of Champions

25 June 2007 by Anonymous

On the Thursday we were queuing to get through to the paddock when we were told by a spectator we needed to get our hand stamped first. So we started to trek back up looking for someone with a stamp, or someone official to ask. We came across an official with a stamp who we asked “do you stamp our hands”. He replied “no, keep on going they’re all waiting”. So we walked some more only to find no...

Donington GP pics

25 June 2007 by Emma Selling

Here’s some pictures from the British GP: Texas Tornado out in front; Need a lift?; Nicky Hayden waiting to be lapped; Disappointment as naughty fans invade the track, depite being warned not to.

Nicky and Dani

25 June 2007 by gary baker

Photos of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa making my 12-year-old son Cameron’s dreams come after meeting them both at this weekend’s Donington MotoGP. They very kindly signed his jacket, too.

MotoGP: Valentino Rossi puts British MotoGP loss behind him

25 June 2007 by MCN Sports Desk

He may have finished a distant fourth at the British MotoGP yesterday, but Valentino Rossi is getting on with life taking in the first day’s action at Wimbledon today (Monday). The Italian MotoGP...

Sort out facilities, Donington

25 June 2007 by Anonymous

The racing at Donington was excellent, as usual. However, directions for camping and parking were usless. Camping facilities were diabolical for the amount of people present. 2006 facilities were better and knowing how bad the weather was going to be I feel a bit more effort could have been made to avoid the mud surrounding the showers and toilets. It seems they waited until the mud was too bad...

GP idiots

25 June 2007 by Rob Cawley

After the stupid track invasion at Donington on Sunday after the MotoGP, is it only a matter of time until a spectator or rider gets killed? Bike racing could really suffer, with tracks closed down or racing stopped altogether until measures are put in place to stop any invasions taking place. It only takes one accident and a politician who wants to make his mark somewhere and hey presto, we lose...