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

Hopkins confidence sky high

22 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Factory Suzuki rider John Hopkins has admitted his confidence and morale were given a massive lift after his impressive fourth place finish in the season’s opening race in Qatar earlier this...

Rossi at Coppice

22 March 2007 by jondartnell

My photo of Valentino Rossi taken on the Friday practice at Coppice corner at last year’s MotoGP at Donington.

Dorna wrong to ignore 250 and 125 teams

20 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

High-profile 125 and 250 team boss Jorge Martinez has spoken of his anger at the smaller classes being omitted from next month’s sponsorship summit in Barcelona. Dorna has arranged a two-day seminar...

Ducati expect Honda retaliation

20 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ducati technical guru Filippo Preziosi reckons there’s an easy way for the likes of Honda to avoid a repeat of their humiliation in Qatar. Asked how much personal satisfaction he took from hammering...

Pitt devastated at Ilmor withdrawal

19 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Andrew Pitt has spoken for the first time about the bitter disappointment at Ilmor’s shock withdrawal from the MotoGP world championship last week. The Aussie, who suffered a crushing blow at the end...

Aoyama out of Jerez

19 March 2007 by Sarah Carnell

KTM rider, Hiroshi Aoyama, will miss the next round of the 250 grand prix after sustaining injuries in a crash at Qatar. The crash, suffered at the first meeting of the 2007 season, left the Red Bull...

Edwards desperate for more speed

19 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards has joined factory Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi in pleading for his YZR-M1 to get an urgent power upgrade. Rossi begged Yamaha engineers for a horsepower upgrade after factory Ducati...

Edwards remains upbeat

19 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards is confident he will bounce back from his disappointing start to the new MotoGP world championship campaign at the second round in Jerez this weekend. The American was sixth in the...

Repsol stars lead Madrid parade

19 March 2007 by Dan Thornton

Repsol Honda stars Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa led an 8000 bike convoy through the Spanish captial of Madrid on Sunday, March 18, 2007. The duo swapped their MotoGP machines for a pair of Honda...

Rossi Graham Madden rides for Yamaha

18 March 2007 by tufty

This is my son Rossi Graham Madden. He is only two years old and has already got his first MotoGP ride for Yamaha! Guess it’s all in the name! Plus he’s even got his own “brolly mummy”, pictured with...

Hodgson wrong to reject Ducati GP ride

17 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Former British and World Superbike champion, Neil Hodgson, was wrong to have rejected the chance to join the D’Antin Ducati MotoGP squad for the 2007 world championship. That’s the view of his manager...

Burgess joy at Rossi deal

17 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess reckons the Italian’s recent new deal with Yamaha’s factory team killed off any suggestion of any hangover from last year’s shock MotoGP defeat. Rossi...

Suzuki to get engine upgrade

16 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Factory Suzuki duo John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen will test a different engine spec immediately after the Turkish GP in Istanbul next month. The Japanese factory is keen to build on an impressive...

Stoner: Criticism was unjust

16 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner reckons some of the criticism that came his way in his rookie MotoGP year last season was unjust as he aims to prove the doubters wrong in 2007. The factory Ducati rider was criticised...

Smith eyes '08 switch

16 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Bradley Smith has set his sights on a switch to the world 250 championship in 2008. Smith, who is riding for the Repsol Honda 125 squad in GPs again this season, is confident a good...

Breaking news: Ilmor out of MotoGP

15 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor dropped a bombshell today by announcing it has suspended its MotoGP team after just one round of the 2007 world championship. In a phone call to MCN this morning, Ilmor boss Mario Illien...

Q&A with Bridgestone boss

14 March 2007

Bridgestone’s Manager of Motorcycle Sport Hiroshi Yamada spoke to MCN about his firm’s winning start to the MotoGP season in Qatar. Ducati’s Casey Stoner took the first win of 2007 on Bridgestone...

Ilmor - no regrets

14 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor MotoGP boss Mario Illien says he has got no regrets about embarking on the costly and difficult challenge of trying to be competitive in the MotoGP world championship arena. Despite a nightmare...

Stoner plays down title hopes

14 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner has played down his MotoGP world title aspirations despite his stunning debut premier class win in Qatar. Stoner became the first rider in history to win an 800cc MotoGP race when he...

Faubel takes 125cc win

10 March 2007 by Dan Thornton

The 125cc race at Qatar saw a one-two for the Bancaja Aspar team, as Hector Faubel grabbed 25 points from team-mate Gabor Talmacsi. The pair were on their own for much of the race after third...

Lorenzo starts 250cc defence with a win

10 March 2007 by MCN

Jorge Lorenzo has begun his 250cc championship defence with a comfortable win in Qatar, from Alex de Angelis and Hector Barbera Barbera had a hard duel with Thomas Luthi, who finished fourth after...

Stoner takes the win in Qatar

10 March 2007 by Angus Farquhar

Casey Stoner has won the first MotoGP race of the season after a spectacular battle with Valentino Rossi. The two riders completely outpaced the rest of the field at the Qatar circuit but it was...

McWilliams out for Qatar

10 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

With just 40 minutes to go before the opening race of the season, it has been announced that Jeremy McWilliams will not race. Due to the injuries he has sustained, he sat out the morning warm-up...

Pedrosa heads morning warm-up

10 March 2007 by MCN

Dani Pedrosa has gone fastest in the morning warm-up session for the opening MotoGP of the season in Qatar. The Spanish Honda rider is first of three young riders heading the morning times, with John Hopkins second quickest on the Suzuki, and Casey Stoner third fastest for Ducati. There was a crash for Pedrosa following his fastest lap, along with controversy as he made a practice start. 1.