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

Rossi on guard at turn one

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi on guard at turn one

Valentino Rossi admits he will be wary of potential first corners hazards in 2007 after his nightmare in the opening race in Jerez almost a year ago. Rossi’s wretched run of luck in 2006, which...

Kawasaki close the gap

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki close the gap

Factory Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet reckons the Japanese factory’s new ZX-RR 800 will be competitive from the first race of the new MotoGP world championship. The French rider says the gap between...

Chatter relief for Edwards

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Chatter relief for Edwards

Colin Edwards believes Yamaha’s chronic chatter problems that dogged the YZR-M1 990cc machine at the start of last season also affected critical stability under braking. Braking stability was a...

Burgess stays with Rossi

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Burgess stays with Rossi

Valentino Rossi said there is no doubt that he will continue his formidable partnership with Aussie crew chief Jerry Burgess in the MotoGP world championship. With Rossi announcing that he has...

Rossi: IRTA tests critical

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi: IRTA tests critical

Former world champion reckons the final two pre-season tests in Qatar and Jerez will be absolutely critical in shaping the formbook in the early part of the new 800cc MotoGP world championship. Just...

800s better for Randy

13 February 2007 by Matthew BIrt

800s better for Randy

New Kawasaki number one Randy de Puniet believes the generation 800cc machines will help establish him more in the MotoGP world championship this season. The French rider has been one of the surprise...

Video: Rossi talks 800s

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Video: Rossi talks 800s

MCN caught up with seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi at this week’s Sepang MotoGP test, and he spoke with us about how the tests have gone, and how he is making the transition to the new 800cc...

OJ: 800s are easier

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

OJ: 800s are easier

Factory Kawasaki rider Olivier Jacque reckons riding in the MotoGP world championship is a much easier proposition than when he last raced full-time in 2003. Huge advances in electronics have made the...

Rossi deal no suprise

13 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi deal no suprise

Colin Edwards said he wasn’t surprised that team-mate Valentino Rossi signed a new contract with Yamaha that will keep him in the MotoGP world championship until at least the end of 2008. Yamaha’s...

Edwards' desert storm

08 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Edwards' desert storm

Colin Edwards is looking forward to continuing his recent good form when the whole MotoGP grid tests together for the first time this winter in Qatar. The three-day IRTA test gets underway next...

Jezza to ride in Qatar

08 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Jezza to ride in Qatar

British hardman Jeremy McWilliams will try and ride the new Ilmor 800cc bike in next week’s Qatar IRTA test – just four days after undergoing surgery to remove a screw from his left leg. The...

Desert run for Stoner

08 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Desert run for Stoner

Casey Stoner returns to the scene of his greatest MotoGP triumph of his short premier class career in Qatar next. And the Australian rider is hoping to make as big an impact at the IRTA test as he did...

Hayden wary of Qatar

08 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hayden wary of Qatar

Nicky Hayden said he doesn’t know what to expect from the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The MotoGP champion has said this ahead of testing Honda’s new 800cc RC212V for the first time in the...

Dani waits on new parts

08 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Dani waits on new parts

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa anticipates a batch of new performance upgrades for his RC212V 800cc machine when he returns to the track for the IRTA test in Qatar on February 13. It is no secret...

Rossi 'fully focussed'

08 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi 'fully focussed'

Colin Edwards has rubbished claims that factory Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi got distracted by a potential multi-million pound switch to Ferrari last season. Some have said that Rossi testing for...

Ilmor struggle in Sepang

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor struggle in Sepang

Andrew Pitt finished the Sepang test a massive 5.4s off the pace as it became apparent that the new Ilmor 800cc machine faces a massive task to be competitive for the start of the new MotoGP season in...

Kawasaki impress in test

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki impress in test

French rider Randy de Puniet continued Kawasaki’s impressive start to the new 800cc MotoGP era in Sepang as he clocked the third best time overall. The former factory Aprilia 250 rider was third best...

Edwards on record pace

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Edwards on record pace

Colin Edwards gave himself a massive pre-season confidence boost in Sepang today when he ended the three-day test session with the fastest time on race and qualifying tyres. The Texas Tornado was...

Rossi happy with second

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi happy with second

Valentino Rossi’s quest to win back the MotoGP world title saw him play second fiddle for once to team-mate Colin Edwards in Sepang. The Italian finished second fastest in Malaysia, his best time on a...

Stoner: 800s harder

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Stoner: 800s harder

Casey Stoner reckons the new generation 800cc machine are harder to ride than the old and more powerful 990cc MotoGP machines. The factory Ducati rider, who recently impressed in testing at his home...

Hayden wants drag cut

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hayden wants drag cut

Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden is hoping he can strike a new fairing of his Honda wish list when he returns to pre-season testing action in Qatar on February 13, 2007. The 25-year-old is hoping a new...

Rossi on top in Sepang

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi on top in Sepang

Normal service was resumed today in Malaysia as former world champion Valentino Rossi clocked the fastest time on day two at Sepang. The 27-year-old, who was just beaten to the best time by factory...

De Puniet crashes

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

De Puniet crashes

Randy de Puniet walked away uninjured after crashing Kawasaki’s new ZX-RR 800 for the first time on the second day of testing in Sepang. The French rider crashed at turn 10 on the 13th lap of a...

Hopkins to end Oz misery

07 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hopkins to end Oz misery

American John Hopkins says he is determined to crack Phillip Island’s fast and flowing circuit when he goes to race Down Under in October. Hopkins shouldered some of the blame himself for his...

Race true test for Stoner

06 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Race true test for Stoner

Loris Capirossi has backed new factory Ducati team-mate Casey Stoner to emerge as a big threat in the 2007 MotoGP world championship, but admitted the real test for the young Aussie was yet to...

Checa set for Qatar test

06 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Checa set for Qatar test

Carlos Checa plans to complete two punishing race simulation tests in the grueling desert heat in Qatar when he resumes testing in a three-day session in Doha on February 13. The Qatar test is one of...

Testing D-day for Ducati

06 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Testing D-day for Ducati

Loris Capirossi believes the crunch test of how serious a threat Ducati’s new GP7 800cc machine will pose 2007 MotoGP world championship will come in the last two winter test sessions in Qatar and...

Hayden happier with 800

06 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hayden happier with 800

Defending MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden has admitted he finally enjoyed riding Honda’s new RC212V 800 machine when he topped the timesheets in testing at Phillip Island. The switch from the...

Barros cautious on tyre

06 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Barros cautious on tyre

Alex Barros reckons the forthcoming IRTA test in Qatar will give him the chance to properly assess Bridgestone tyres on his new Ducati GP7. The South American was third fastest recently at the Phillip...

Tyre boost for Melandri

06 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Tyre boost for Melandri

Marco Melandri has praised Bridgestone’s front tyre after his shock winter switch from Michelin. The Gresini Honda rider has added to the many plaudits of the Bridgestone front, which has a reputation...

Rossi 2nd in Sepang

05 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi 2nd in Sepang

With Honda and Ducati skipping this week’s Malaysia test, it was no surprise to see former world champion Valentino Rossi close to the top of the timesheets on the opening day in Sepang today. Fastest...

No plane, no gain

05 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

No plane, no gain

Factory Yamaha rider Colin Edwards will show dedication beyond the call of duty this week to catch a round of the American supercross series. This week’s Sepang test is quickly followed up with the...

Hoffman promises more

05 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Hoffman promises more

Alex Hofmann says he’s got plenty more to come in the build up to the new MotoGP season after he finished the recent Phillip Island test in Australia with the sixth fastest time. Hofmann is desperate...

Rossi on new Yam deal

05 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Rossi on new Yam deal

Valentino Rossi has spoken in public for the first time today about his new contract with Yamaha on the first day of testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The 27-year-old Italian caught the...

Ilmor off pace in Sepang

05 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor off pace in Sepang

The British-built new Ilmor 800cc machine got a rude awakening today in Malaysia when Andrew Pitt finished a massive 6.4s off the pace on day one at Sepang. The Ilmor, which raced twice at the end of...

Edwards ousts Rossi

05 February 2007 by Matthew Birt

Edwards ousts Rossi

American Colin Edwards edged out factory Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi to end the opening day of testing in Malaysia fastest. Edwards left it late to take the honours today, his best time of...