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

Faubel claims victory and championship lead in Mugello

03 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Hector Faubel gave Italian motorcycle company Aprilia plenty to cheer about with a victory and the championship lead at their home Grand Prix. The Spaniard, who started from pole position, vied with...

Edwards baffled at slow speed

03 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

American Colin Edwards was left scratching his head searching for answers after he qualified in a disastrous 16th place for today’s Italian GP in Mugello. The Fiat Yamaha rider ended close to six...

Bautista claims his pole of the season

02 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Alvaro Bautista has secured his first pole position of the season this afternoon by recording a 1:57.435 lap at Mugello. The Spaniard beat his own best time from qualifying one by almost 12 seconds...

Aussie one-two as rain wreaks havoc at Mugello

02 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner and Chris Vermeulen will start first and second for tomorrow’s Italian GP in Mugello as a rain interrupted weekend continued in this afternoon’s decisive qualifying session. World...

Faubel secures pole for 125s at Mugello

02 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Hector Faubel has secured pole position for tomorrow’s 125 race in Mugello after setting the fastest lap in the first of the two qualifying sessions. The Honda rider, who was only 20th in the second...

Simon says follow me in Mugello

02 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Julian Simon was the fastest rider for the 250s in Mugello this morning. The Spaniard recorded a best time of 1:55.660 this morning, although this was five tenths of a second slower than his best time...

Pedrosa fends off Italian challenge

02 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa clocked the fastest time in this morning’s third free practice session in Mugello to hold off the increasing threat posed by Italy’s big-name trio. The Spaniard’s best of 1.50.108 gave...

Brits crash unhurt in Mugello

02 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

British duo Bradley Smith and Danny Webb both escaped injury after crashing in this morning’s 125 free practice session in Mugello. With rain threatening constantly during the 45-minute session, the...

Melandri rejects new Honda chassis

02 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Marco Melandri has ditched a new Honda chassis that he tested for the first time yesterday in Mugello. The Gresini Honda rider only got the dry morning session to evaluate the new frame for his...

DeAngelis on provisional pole for 250s

01 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Aprilia’s Alex De Angelis was the fastest rider in the first qualifying session for the 250s this afternoon. De Angelis recorded a best time of 2:07.137, some 12 and a half seconds down on his best...

Stoner fastest in Mugello monsoon

01 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP world championship leader Casey Stoner ended a rain-lashed second free practice session quickest as monsoon conditions hit the Mugello circuit. A best lap of 2.07.107 as the torrential rain...

125 riders suffer as monsoon conditions hit Mugello

01 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

This afternoon’s first qualifying session for the 125s was hampered by a thunder storm and monsoon conditions. Spain’s Hector Faubel was quickest on the Italian circuit at Mugello with a time of...

Lorenzo fastest for 250s

01 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Current 250 championship leader Jorge Lorenzo was the fastest rider in free practice this morning after setting a best lap of 1:53.529. The Spaniard was more than a second faster than his fellow...

Vermeulen gambles with front qualifier

01 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Chris Vermeulen has gambled by selecting a front Bridgestone qualifying tyre in his allocation for this weekend’s Italian GP in Mugello. The Aussie hasn’t even tested the new soft front but has chosen...

Pedrosa off to a flying start at Mugello

01 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa cast aside Honda’s disappointing start to the 2007 MotoGP season with a dominant performance in this morning’s opening free practice session for the Italian GP. Under threatening...

Pasini fastest in 125 first practice

01 June 2007 by Sarah Carnell

Aprilia’s Mattia Pasini was quickest in the first 125 practice at Mugello this morning. The Italian recorded a best lap time of 1:59.247 on his home circuit, just over four 10th of a second ahead of...

Yamaha target Toseland for 2008

01 June 2007 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha has placed James Toseland on a 2008 transfer target list. Tech 3 Yamaha chief Herve Poncharal confirmed to MCN in Mugello that Toseland is on a shortlist of rider targets he has drawn up for...

Yamaha admit Mugello speed concern

31 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s team boss Davide Brivio has admitted Yamaha is worried about the speed advantage title rival Casey Stoner will hold going into this weekend’s Mugello GP in Italy. The long and...

Hopkins: More horsepower remains Suzuki's main target

31 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki still needs to squeeze more horsepower out of its factory GSV-R motor to get close to threatening Ducati’s early 2007 dominance. That’s the opinion of American John Hopkins, who praised the...

Video: Bradley Smith on his first podium in 125GP

31 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Bradley Smith got his first GP podium at the Le Mans round of the championship so GP reporter Matthew Birt visited him at his house to see how it feels to be the first Brit on a 125GP...

No way to treat fans of MotoGP

31 May 2007 by Roger Spencer

Rossi fans, fiancee Shirley and myself, have just returned from the Le Mans Moto GP £800 worse off following paying for the best seats at the GP and accommodation etc. The attraction of the seats in the ‘Privilege’ grandstand was that a pit walk was included on the Saturday. Saturday came and as instructed all in the grandstand waited for 40 minutes and then marched over to the pits. We were...

Puig: Pedrosa waiting for Honda to improve

31 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa’s mentor Alberto Puig believes the Spaniard will return to winning ways once Honda’s new factory RC212V gets major improvements. The triple world champion is still winless in 2007 as he’s...

Burgess: Tough to find weakness in Stoner

31 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess has conceded it will be difficult for the Fiat Yamaha rider to expose a weakness in Casey Stoner’s when the MotoGP world championship resumes in Mugello this...

Vermeulen confident with new Suzuki motor

30 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Aussie Chris Vermeulen has told MCN he is confident that a new spec Suzuki V4 motor will bolster his hopes of adding to his maiden MotoGP success in France earlier this month. Vermeulen is now hoping...

Rossi: Pedrosa still a title threat

30 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has refused to rule Dani Pedrosa out of contention for the 2007 MotoGP world championship. The Spaniard is third in the standings behind series leader Casey Stoner and Rossi having...

Hayden admits double trouble

30 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden has admitted the combination of Honda and Michelin’s struggle to match its rivals has made the defence of his MotoGP world crown doubly difficult. Honda’s new factory RC212V 800 contender...

Suzuki boss backs Vermeulen for more success

30 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Factory Suzuki boss Paul Denning has backed Aussie rider Chris Vermeulen to build on his French GP victory and become an even bigger influence in the MotoGP world championship. Denning was thrilled...

Rossi urges for Michelin improvement

29 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has urged Michelin to improve its new generation 800cc tyres with the most critical phase of the MotoGP series kicking off this weekend in Mugello. With six races in the next eight...

Puig delighted with Brit Smith

29 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

The man who gave Bradley Smith his big world championship break has paid tribute to the British teenager after his historic career first 125 GP podium in Le Mans last weekend. Alberto Puig selected...

Schwantz talks to MCN

29 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

Kevin Schwantz attended his first GP since the switch to 800cc so we caught up with him to find out what he thinks of the new machines, which riders he’s keeping an eye on and what his plans are with...

Vermeulen confirms Kawasaki approach

29 May 2007 by Matthew Birt

French GP winner Chris Vermeulen has been approached about a switch to Kawasaki’s factory team in 2008. Kawasaki is one of two factory teams to have made contact with the Aussie, who claimed a...

Rossi's feathered fan

27 May 2007 by blackbirddee

What happened to Rossi then? This is the wife’s African Grey parrot. She is called Dax, and she can say “come on Rossi, get going”!

Le Mans GP

27 May 2007 by gonzocbr

Rona and the guys at Le Mans for the GP.

Colin Edwards and my wife!

27 May 2007 by john kerrison

My wife Jan with Colin Edwards at Siverstone WSB.

My bike

27 May 2007 by Honey

I love riding…

Rain, what rain?

26 May 2007 by Top Dog

The heavens may have opened at the Le Mans GP for the big race, but the rest of the weekend was scorchio. Here are pictures of the eventual top three enjoying the glorious Saturday sunshine going into...