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

Laverty praises boss

07 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Laverty praises boss

Irish rookie Eugene Laverty has praised LCR Honda team boss Lucio Cecchinello on the eve of his world 250 championship debut in Qatar. The 20-year-old sacrificed a big-money British superbike ride in...

Vermeulen Q and A

07 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Vermeulen Q and A

The new generation 800cc machines have already changed MotoGP racing beyond recognition, with faster corners speeds and later braking seeing lap times already faster than the more powerful 990cc...

Hopper gets green light

07 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hopper gets green light

John Hopkins will race in the season’s opening MotoGP clash in Qatar after the American passed a medical check this morning at the Losail International Circuit. Hopkins though has rated his damaged...

Smith gets tech boost

06 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Smith gets tech boost

Bradley Smith’s hopes of enhancing his world championship reputation have been bolstered by the arrival of MotoGP-winning engineer Juan Martinez in his Repsol Honda 125 team. Martinez has been signed...

Yamaha confirms Fiat deal and reveals new colours

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha confirms Fiat deal and reveals new colours

This is the first look at the Fiat-backed factory Yamaha YZR-M1 that Valentino Rossi hopes will win him back the MotoGP world championship in 2007. In one of the worst kept secrets of the paddock,...

OJ fitness boost

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

OJ fitness boost

Factory Kawasaki rider Olivier Jacque has declared himself fit and raring to go for the new MotoGP world championship campaign which gets underway in Qatar next week. The French rider is confident he...

Edwards: "Best winter ever"

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Edwards: "Best winter ever"

Colin Edwards says there’s no doubt that his winter testing campaign was the best in his entire career as he attempts to breaking his MotoGP victory duck in 2007. Delighted at the performance of...

New Ilmor engine planned

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

New Ilmor engine planned

Jeremy McWilliams and Andrew Pitt could get another new spec engine in the Ilmor 800cc contender by the middle of the 2007 world championship. The British and Aussie riders got their first chance to...

Burgess eyes Pedrosa GP threat

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Burgess eyes Pedrosa GP threat

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess has backed the Italian’s belief that factory Honda rider Dani Pedrosa will pose the biggest threat in the 2007 MotoGP world championship. Rossi names Pedrosa...

Happy Max Biaggi

04 March 2007 by craig clues

Happy Max Biaggi

pic of me at philip island gp 2005 with happy max

Roberts sees 700cc future

02 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Roberts sees 700cc future

Kenny Roberts believes that the MotoGP world championship will see a further capacity reduction in the future, with four-stroke 700s or 600s the most likely step. On the eve of the new 800cc era that...

Gibernau rejects GP return

02 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Gibernau rejects GP return

Sete Gibernau has turned down the chance to make an instant return to the MotoGP world championship in 2007. The former factory Honda rider was offered a job working as an expert pundit on Spanish TV...

Rossi backs Brit teen

02 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi backs Brit teen

Seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi has backed British teenager Bradley Smith to make a big impact in his second year on the world stage in 2007. Rossi praised the MotoGP Academy graduate last...

Laverty crashes

02 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Laverty crashes

World 250 championship rookie Eugene Laverty finished pre-season testing for his first GP campaign with a crash at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The 20-year-old crashed his production LCR...

Vermeulen wants BHP

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Vermeulen wants BHP

Extra horsepower is one critical area that factory Suzuki rider Chris Vermeulen believes the new GSV-R can still improve as the countdown to the 2007 MotoGP world championship gets closer. Although...

Qatar concern for Loris

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Qatar concern for Loris

Loris Capirossi is hoping front tyre concerns won’t ruin his hopes of winning the opening MotoGP race for the second year in succession. The Italian spoke to MCN about Qatar where several Bridgestone...

Edwards braking free

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Edwards braking free

Texas Tornado Colin Edwards believes Michelin’s new 16-inch front tyre has helped him make a massive step forward in braking and corner entry speeds on the new factory Yamaha YZR-M1. The American has...

Oz future in safe hands

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Oz future in safe hands

The emergence of young talent like Casey Stoner and Chris Vermeulen has proven This is according to legendary Aussie crew chief Jerry Burgess, who is working with former champion, Valentino Rossi to...

Edwards: Plenty to come

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Edwards: Plenty to come

Colin Edwards has warned his MotoGP rivals he has still got plenty more to come when the new season kicks off on March 10, 2007. This is following his recent impressive testing performances at Jerez...

M1 power delivery boost

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

M1 power delivery boost

Seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi reckons the secret to Yamaha’s brilliant winter testing performances has been the smooth power delivery on his new factory YZR-M1 800. Several of Rossi’s...

Checa chases front grip

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Checa chases front grip

Spaniard Carlos Checa reckons front-end feel on Honda’s new RC212V is the biggest area he needs to improve before the new MotoGP season kicks off in less than three weeks. Although Michelin has made a...

Stoner crashes

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Australian Casey Stoner walked away unhurt from a massive high-side at the end of the final day of testing in Jerez today. The 21-year-old crashed his factory Ducati Desmosedici GP7 in the stadium...

Rossi wins BMW

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi struck a crucial early psychological blow against his MotoGP rivals this afternoon with an incredible Jerez display that won him a new BMW Z4 Coupe. In what is surely a sign of things...

Tamada crashes

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Japanese rider Makoto Tamada has escaped injury in a crash on the second afternoon of the IRTA test in Jerez. The 30-year-old lost the front of his factory Tech 3 Yamaha YZR-M1 800 at turn...

KR delays quit threat

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

KR delays quit threat

Kenny Roberts will continue to run his MotoGP squad until the middle of the 2007 season at least despite fears that a money crisis could see the American legend quit after two races. Speaking to...

Stoner second in Jerez

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Stoner second in Jerez

Aussie Casey Stoner’s impressive winter testing form continued today as he logged the second quickest time on a first day in Jerez badly affected by rain. The 21-year-old was just 0.071s slower than...

Hayden's woes continue

01 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hayden's woes continue

Reigning world champion Nicky Hayden’s tough winter showed no signs of improvement today in Jerez as he finished way down the timesheets in 19th place. The American was a massive 3.338s slower than...

Rossi 13th in Jerez

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi 13th in Jerez

Valentino Rossi found himself surprisingly off the pace on a rain-hit first day in Jerez today with the former world champion languishing down in 13th place. The 27-year-old 1.9.31s slower than...

Marco sets Jerez pace

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Marco sets Jerez pace

Former world 250 champion Marco Melandri took the honours on a rain-hit first day in Jerez today as Valentino Rossi and reigning world champion Nicky Hayden struggled. The Gresini Honda rider clocked...

OJ wants improvement

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

OJ wants improvement

Olivier Jacque says there is still plenty of room for improvement despite Kawasaki’s encouraging start to the new 800cc MotoGP era. Jacque, who missed most of last week’s IRTA test in Qatar after...

Diet boosts Checa

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Diet boosts Checa

Carlos Checa has revealed some of the extreme measures he’s taken to help him adapt to the new generation 800cc MotoGP machines in 2007. The Spaniard underwent a rigorous and gruelling winter training...

Endurance boost

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Endurance boost

John Hopkins reckons lap times are plummeting on the new 800cc machines because the drop in horsepower has seen tyre endurance greatly increased. Riders can lap faster and for longer without the...

Marco better than ever

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Marco better than ever

Marco Melandri claims he will go into the new MotoGP world championship campaign in better shape than at any other time in his career. Despite some disappointing winter testing performances on the...

BHP management key

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

BHP management key

Factory Ducati rider Loris Capirossi believes one of the reasons why lap times are already plummeting in the new 800cc MotoGP era is down to significantly more manageable horsepower, despite saying...

Vermeulen wants grip

28 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Vermeulen wants grip

Chris Vermeulen has told Bridgestone that it must improve its new generation front tyres to help adapt to the new riding style required on the 800cc MotoGP machines. With increased corners speeds and...

Dani's bike faster

27 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Dani's bike faster

Marco Melandri has hinted that factory Honda rider Dani Pedrosa has already received engine upgrades on the new RC212V 800cc contender. The Italian spoke to MCN having followed the triple world...