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

GP test starts in Sepang

21 January 2006

GP test starts in Sepang

The first MotoGP test of 2006 is underway at Sepang in Malaysia with the Yamaha team of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards already displaying the new Camel sponsorship livery. The test runs for three...

125cc GP teams merge

21 January 2006

125cc GP teams merge

The Racing World and Team Seedorf 125cc Grand Prix teams will join forces for 2006, sponsored by Valsir, and using Honda machinery. Valsir Seedorf Racing will field two Italian riders in the shape of...

Sepang GP test: Day one

21 January 2006

Sepang GP test: Day one

Valentino Rossi has gone fastest on the unofficial timesheets for day one of a three-day test at Sepang in Malaysia. Rossi was testing the 2006-spec Yamaha YZR-M1 in the new Camel Yamaha colours...

Rule change for MotoGP

21 January 2006

Rule change for MotoGP

The rules have changed for the red flag procedure in MotoGP in 2006, with unanimous agreement from the Grand Prix Commision. The Commision, which consists of Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpleta, Claude Denis...

Sepang: Gibernau fastest

21 January 2006

Sepang: Gibernau fastest

The final day of MotoGP testing has seen Sete Gibernau remain the quickest rider on the track, having improved slightly on his time from day two. Once more it was the Ducati duo of Gibernau and Loris...

Jerez test for 125/250s

21 January 2006

Jerez test for 125/250s

The final day of a three-day test for around 20 of the 125 and 250cc GP teams has been affected by heavy clouds and strong winds. While some teams gave the final few hours a miss, there were also a...

Biaggi tests F1 car

14 January 2006

Biaggi tests F1 car

Max Biaggi was in the UK on Wednesday (Jan 18) to test a Midland-MF1 Toyota Formula One car. The former MotoGP star spent one day with technicians preparing the car, before venturing onto the...

BQR decide line-up

14 January 2006

BQR decide line-up

The BQR team will field former Spanish champion Alex Espargaro in the 125cc GP class on a factory-spec Honda. Espargaro has high hopes for the season as his bike will be similar to that of 2005...

Great deal for Davies

14 January 2006

Great deal for Davies

As reported in Motor Cycle News on January 18, 2006, Chaz Davies is set to ride a semi-factory Aprilia in 2006. The 18-year-old is about to sign for the Campetella Racing squad, who will be able to...

Tamada stays put in GPs

14 January 2006

Tamada stays put in GPs

The Konica Minolta Honda team will again run Makoto Tamada in a one rider team in 2006. The Japanese rider will face his fourth season in the MotoGP championship, with the first testing taking place...

Carchano joins 250GPs

14 January 2006

Carchano joins 250GPs

Jordi Carchano will race for the Stop and Go team in the 250cc GP world championship in 2006, in a move for both rider and team from the 125cc class. Carchano rode for the Aspar team in 2005, and...

06 Desmosedici unveiled

14 January 2006

06 Desmosedici unveiled

Ducati’s 2006 MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici GP06, has been launched at Madonna di Campiglio in Italy. It will be ridden by Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi in the MotoGP, both of whom were present...

Honda supplies Roberts

14 January 2006

Honda supplies Roberts

Honda has announced its 2006 motorcycle road race plans – confirming the supply of engines to Team Roberts in MotoGP. The intention is to take titles in each category and win with ‘next-generation...

Zanetti gets GP ride

14 January 2006

Zanetti gets GP ride

Lorenzo Zanetti has signed for the Skilled ISPA Racing Team to compete in the 125cc world championship in 2006. The 18-year-old Italian competed in several races in 2005, finishing the season in 17th...

Camel cash starts row

07 January 2006

Camel cash starts row

The decision for Yamaha to run under Camel sponsorship in 2006 is now the subject of war of words between Yamaha and former sponsors Gauloises, a brand of Altadis. The cigarette firm has issued a...

Jenkner retires from GPs

07 January 2006

Jenkner retires from GPs

German 250cc GP racer Steve Jenkner has announced his retirement after nine seasons in the world championship. The 29-year-old has taken the decision following long negotiations. 2005 was his first...

Upgrades at Laguna Seca

07 January 2006

Upgrades at Laguna Seca

Improvements are underway at Laguna Seca for the MotoGP event on July 23, 2006. Around $7 million dollars will be spent on safety and facility upgrades, including repaving the entire surface of the...

Honda track merger

07 January 2006

Honda track merger

Two of the three circuits in Japan owned by Honda will merge in June, 2006, with Suzuka and Twin Ring Motegi coming under the same management. Prior to the agreement, Honda will obtain all...

Yamaha get Camel cash

07 January 2006

Yamaha get Camel cash

The Yamaha MotoGP squad will be sponsored by the Camel cigarette brand in 2006. An agreement was announced on Monday, January 9th, 2006, between Yamaha Motor Co.,Ltd, and a subsidiary of Japan...

West leaves KTM

07 January 2006

West leaves KTM

Anthony West has signed for the Keifer Racing Team for 2006, leaving KTM to ride an Aprilia in the 250cc GP championship. The Australian had one year left on his contract with KTM as a test rider,...

Honda Pons out for 2006

01 January 2006

Honda Pons out for 2006

The Honda Pons team run by former double 250cc World Champion Sito Pons, will not compete in the 2006 motoGP World Championship. Following 25 successive seasons, the decision has been prompted by the...

D'Antin Ducati signs duo

16 December 2005

D'Antin Ducati signs duo

Alex Hofmann and Jose Luis Cardoso will race for the D’Antin Ducati team in 2006, although it isn’t known which tyres the team will use. Cardoso returns to the MotoGP paddock following time in World...

Pons team loses Stoner

09 December 2005

Pons team loses Stoner

Casey Stoner will ride a Honda RCV in 2006 – but not for the Sito Pons squad as expected. Stoner’s former Aprilia 250 boss Lucio Cecchinello confirmed late last night that he had secured a deal with...

Davies wins BBC award

09 December 2005

Davies wins BBC award

Chaz Davies has won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year’s award for young sportsmen and women. Davies shared the Carwyn James prize with teenage runner Non Stanford, at the ceremony in...

KTM's junior GP team

09 December 2005

KTM's junior GP team

KTM will field a Junior Team in the 125cc GP championship in 2006, to run alongside the official works team of Mika Kallio and Julian Simon. The KTM Junior Team will consist of Austrian Michael...

Award for Kallio

02 December 2005

Award for Kallio

Finnish fans have shown their appreciation for MotoGP, by making 125cc KTM rider Mika Kallio the “Best Driver of the Year.” A TV and print election saw Kallio ranked ahead of Formula 1 star Kimi...

Audio file: Biaggi in crisis

02 December 2005

Audio file: Biaggi in crisis

MCN’s award-winning MotoGP reporter Matthew Birt has broken yet another world exclusive in this week’s issue of MCN (out Wednesday, December 7) – this time revealing the crisis facing Max Biaggi. ...

We ride Honda RCV

02 December 2005

We ride Honda RCV

MCN road tester Michael Neeves is just back from riding Honda’s awesome 260bhp MotoGP bike in Sepang, Malaysia. Read his full report in MCN, out on Wednesday, December 6 and download the five-minute...

Phillip Island revamp

02 December 2005

Phillip Island revamp

A $300 million development of facilities at the Phillip Island track in Australia has been anounced. GP legend Mick Doohan attended the press conference to announce plans for a major upgrade and...

Loris fastest in Jerez

01 December 2005

Loris fastest in Jerez

Ducati GP riders Loris Capirossi and new team-mate Sete Gibernau completed the final day of their three-day Jerez test in bitter cold with Capirossi putting in the fastest lap. The cold wind kept the...

Pedrosa tops final day

01 December 2005

Pedrosa tops final day

MotoGP rookie Dani Pedrosa set the fastest lap on the final day of testing at Sepang despite awkward weather conditions. Intermittent rain made it difficult for riders to get out on track as it was...

Suzuki await new motor

01 December 2005

Suzuki await new motor

Team Suzuki MotoGP say they are pleased with consistent results from their tests in Malaysia this week and are now looking forward to testing with a new engine after the seven week MotoGP test ban...

Melandri tops 1st day

25 November 2005

Melandri tops 1st day

Early reports from the MotoGP testing session in Sepang have shown the Hondas dominating the first day with Marco Melandri setting the fastest time. Rain caused some delay in the morning but it soon...

Rossi takes control

25 November 2005

Rossi takes control

Valentino Rossi has broken the Honda dominance of the Sepang MotoGP test. Rossi beat yesterday’s best time of 2:02.99, set by Marco Melandri, by 0.38 seconds riding the 2006 Yamaha M1. Melandri...

Gibernau ups the pace

25 November 2005

Gibernau ups the pace

The Ducati GP team has had a much-improved second day of testing at Jerez, despite the cold weather, with Sete Gibernau setting the best lap. Loris Capirossi and new team-mate Gibernau spent the day...

Damp start for Ducati

25 November 2005

Damp start for Ducati

The Ducati GP team’s run of bad luck has continued with yet another day of testing disrupted by wet weather. The team’s previous test session in Valencia was abandoned to rain, and now their first...