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

Barros takes pole

15 April 2005

Alex Barros has made a clean sweep of the pre race sessions at the Estoril GP. The Brazilian topped all three free practice sessions then went on to take pole position in the qualifying session. He finished the final session with a best lap of 1:37.202, knocking Sete Gibernau in to second place by .127 seconds. Carlos Checa put in a good final session to take third place on the gid while...

Barros tops first practice

15 April 2005

Barros tops first practice

Alex Barros was fastest in the opening practice session for the Estoril GP in the first free practice session on Friday morning. The Brazilian left the previous round in Jerez far from happy with his...

Bid for GP VIP passes

15 April 2005

Bid for GP VIP passes

Bid now for your chance to rub shoulders with the stars of MotoGP at the Shanghai round from Friday April 29. Dorna have given two VIP passes to MCN’s favourite charity – Riders For Health. Now you...

Barros stays on top

15 April 2005

Barros stays on top

Alex Barros has continued his domination of the second round of the MotoGP World championship by setting the fastest lap in the second free practice session. After setting the fastest time in the...

Barros wins at Estoril

15 April 2005

Barros wins at Estoril

The first win for the Honda team in 2005 has come from GP veteran Alex Barros, at the second round at Estoril in Portugal. Barros took the win on the Camel Honda RCV, from the Yamaha of Valentino...

MotoGP testing at Estoril

15 April 2005

MotoGP testing at Estoril

Following the second round of the MotoGP championship at Estoril on April 17, 2005, nine of the riders returned to the Portuguese track the following day to perform further testing. Former 250cc...

Sold: Rossi's race bike

15 April 2005

Sold: Rossi's race bike

A Cagiva Mito 125 raced by a certain Valentino Rossi has been auctioned for charity, with a winning bid of 22660 Euros (£15,413). The bike, which he used to win the Italian 125 production...

Day of Champs tickets

08 April 2005

Day of Champs tickets

Tickets for the annual Day of Champions event on the eve of the British GP have gone on sale. It’s on Thursday, July 21 at Donington Park and will raise funds for MCN’s favourite charity – Riders For...

MotoGP: Jerez Friday

08 April 2005

MotoGP: Jerez Friday

125cc Qualifying 1: 1. SImoncelli 1:46.996. 2. Pasini 1:47.397. 3. Luthi 1:47.747. 4. Kallio 1:47.934. 5. Lai 1:48.277. 6. Talmacsi 1:48.286. 7. Faubel 1:48.611. 8. De Rosa 1:48.632. 9. Zanetti...

Rossi rules Jerez MotoGP

08 April 2005

Rossi rules Jerez MotoGP

250cc results: 1. Pedrosa 2. Porto 3. De Angelis. 4. Dovizioso. 5. Barbera. 6. Lorenzo. 7. Locatelli. 8. Debon. 9. Corsi. 10. Giansanti. 11. Davies. 12. Rous. 13. Baldolini. 14. Ballerini. 15.

Hofmann slips up

08 April 2005

Hofmann slips up

Kawasaki MotoGP rider Alex Hofmann high-sided his ZX-RR in front of a huge crowd at a pre race exhibition in Estoril, breaking a bone in his wrist forcing him to sit out the race. Hofmann turned out...

MotoGP: Saturday

08 April 2005

MotoGP: Saturday

Valentino Rossi has taken pole position for the first round of the 2005 MotoGP championship at Jerez with a stunning 1:39.419 lap, around two seconds quicker than the fastest time in practice. Rossi...

Blata delays GP debut

01 April 2005

Blata delays GP debut

The WCM Blata V6 will now make its debut at the Brno GP, rather than at the opening round at Jerez this weekend, with the team running the four cylinder bikes from 2004 until then. “We now plan for...

Hayden tops Jerez test

25 March 2005

Hayden tops Jerez test

The final three days of MotoGP testing before the start of the season ended with a surprise top three this weekend. Rain slowed the opening day of the test but as the weather cleared it was the...

Catalunya GP test: day 1

18 March 2005

Catalunya GP test: day 1

Honda mounted its attack on the Valentino Rossi Yamaha threat by taking the top four fastest times on the first day of the Catalunya IRTA test on Friday. Max Biaggi took the top time on his Repsol...

Catalunya GP test: Day 2

18 March 2005

Catalunya GP test: Day 2

Max Biaggi continued Honda’s domination of the pre-season IRTA MotoGP test in Catalunya by again taking the fastest lap ahead of four other Hondas. The top five riders are all on Honda machines and...

Catalunya GP test: Day 3

18 March 2005

Catalunya GP test: Day 3

Sete Gibernau took the fastest lap in the mock qualifying session at the Catalunya MotoGP test, winning himself a BMW car in the process. Gibernau topped the 40-minute session with a time of...

GPs wave the white flag

18 March 2005

GPs wave the white flag

New rules have been introduced to MotoGP that will see no more races stopped for wet weather. The Grand Prix commission approved a load of new rules this weekend, but the key change was the...

New sponsor for Davies

11 March 2005

New sponsor for Davies

British 250cc Grand Prix rider Chaz Davies has signed up for an innovative new sponsorship deal with insurance firm BikerPlan. The Bikerplan policy covers riders in the event they lose their licence...

GP season kicks off

11 March 2005

GP season kicks off

The 2005 MotoGP season kicks off in earnest tomorrow with the first of two official tests starting at Catalunya. All the teams bar WCM Blata will be at the circuit for the three day test and there...

Rossi tops Yamaha test

11 March 2005

Rossi tops Yamaha test

Valentino Rossi finished the three-day Yamaha Phillip Island MotoGP test with the fastest time. The first two days of the test were drenched with rain and although it did clear for the final session...

KTM delay 250GP debut

11 March 2005

KTM delay 250GP debut

The new KTM 250cc GP bike will not race until the French GP, the fourth round of the season. “The KTM 250 was always planned as a development project for 2005 so not being present for the opening...

Catalunya tests: 250GP

11 March 2005

Catalunya tests: 250GP

125cc Catalunya test times: Day two. 1. Pasini 1:51.538. 2. Luthi 1:51.547. 3. Simoncelli 1:52.005. 4. Talmacsi 1:52.405. 5. Faubel 1:52.545. 6. lai 1:52.567. 7. Nieto 1:52.764. 8. Kallio 1:52.811. 9.

Rossi unveils new colours

04 March 2005

Rossi unveils new colours

Yamaha has unveiled the new look YZR-M1 that world champion Valentino Rossi and team-mate Colin Edwards will be riding this year in MotoGP. The pair travelled to Japan to reveal the bike with team...

Byrne back on track

04 March 2005

Byrne back on track

Shane Byrne got his first chance to ride Kenny Roberts’ Proton KTM MotoGP bike yesterday, after nearly five months away from the track. Shakey has had a difficult winter first waiting to hear if the...

Yamaha test: day two

04 March 2005

Yamaha test: day two

The Yamaha MotoGP squads finished their second day of testing at the Phillip Island track in Australia, with the weather still hindering their efforts. For the second day rain hampered progress in...

Tamada tops Qatar test

04 March 2005

Tamada tops Qatar test

Makoto Tamada has won the battle for the fastest lap on the third day of MotoGP testing in Qatar. Both Tamada and Loris Capirossi claimed to have the fastest lap at the end of day tw, with both doing...

MotoGP racer for hire

04 March 2005

MotoGP racer for hire

Ex-WCM MotoGP rider Chris Burns is currently looking for a ride for the 2005 race season, but time is running out fast. The 24-year-old British rider has posted a message on the MotoGP message boards...

Hip-hop star backs WCM

04 March 2005

Hip-hop star backs WCM

The Blata-WCM MotoGP team have added backing from an unlikely source – the record label of hip-hop star Ludacris. The multi-platinum selling artist and actor runs the Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP)...

Edwards tops damp test

04 March 2005

Edwards tops damp test

Colin Edwards has squeezed past his team-mate Valentino Rossi to take the fastest lap on the first day of a damp Yamaha MotoGP test at Phillip Island, Australia, but Rossi pulled a trump card by...

Official MotoGP entry list

01 March 2005

Official MotoGP entry list

The final entry list for MotoGP has been announced with Shane Byrne being officially confirmed for the Proton/KTM team at last. Aprilia have disappeared from the list and Byrne is named as riding for...

MotoGP testing: Day two

01 March 2005

MotoGP testing: Day two

Makoto Tamada and Loris Capirossi are both claiming the unofficial fastest lap from the second day of a three-day MotoGP test at Losail in Qatar. Both riders set a time of 1:57.69, over a second...

Hayden heads Qatar test

01 March 2005

Hayden heads Qatar test

The Honda and Ducati MotoGP teams have resumed testing with a three-day session at the Losail International Circuit at Qatar. After the first day on Tuesday, March 2, Nicky Hayden is fastest on his...

Rio GP out - Turkey in

18 February 2005

Rio GP out - Turkey in

MotoGP will get another brand new track to add to its calendar for 2005 with the still to be completed Istanbul Autodrome securing a race for Turkey at the end of October. The surprise move came when...

Gibernau ups the pace

18 February 2005

Gibernau ups the pace

Sete Gibernau has topped the time sheets for the second day in a row at the MotoGP test in Phillip Island. The Spanish rider put on an impressive show clocking a best lap of 1:29.85, significantly...

Anger at Estoril switch

18 February 2005

Anger at Estoril switch

MotoGP fans have reacted angrily to news that the Estoril GP has been moved from October 30 to April 17. The late-in-the-day switch by organisers Dorna, is being attributed to ruling body the FIM. ...