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

We ride Harris WCM bike

15 July 2003

MCN’s Trevor Franklin was at Rockingham last week getting an exclusive ride on the Harris WCM GP bike The bike has been banned from taking part in the world championship for being too similar to the...

Dovizioso on 125cc provisional pole

08 July 2003

Italian Andrea Dovizioso is on provisional pole for the 125cc race at Sunday’s British GP. Dovizioso posted a time of 1:38.297, just ahead of Spaniard Daniel Pedrosa. Both riders are on Hondas, heading the Aprilia of Stefano Perugini in third. Fourth is Hector Barbera, with Steve Jenkner fifth. Top Brit is Leon Camier in 28th place, three seconds down on Dovizioso. Wildcards Paul Veazey and Kris...

Rossi tops practice at Donington

08 July 2003

Valentino Rossi has set a hot pace right from the start of the British Grand Prix at MCN Donington Park just beating Troy Bayliss to the top spot in the first practice session. Rossi put in 29 laps in...

De Angelis fastest in 125cc practice

08 July 2003

Alex De Angelis pipped Australian Casey Stoner to go fastest in the second practice for the British 125cc GP on Sunday. The Italian heads four Aprilias covered by just 0.076 of a second, with Stefano Perugini in third and Hector Barbera in fourth. Andrea Dovizioso has dropped to fifth on his Honda after leading first qualifying on Friday. Daniel Pedrosa is sixth, Pablo Nieto seventh, Finn Mika...

Perugini on pole for 125GP

08 July 2003

Stefano Perugini is on pole for the 125cc British GP at MCN Donington Park. The Italian rider took his Aprilia to a 1:37.984 lap beating all four of the Hondas that were battling for the top spot in the final qualifying session. Daniel Pedrosa came home second fastest while Team Scot team-mates Andrea Dovizioso and Simone Corsi finished the front row of the grid Mika Kallio, Hector Barbera and...

Dovizioso tops 125 practice

08 July 2003

First practice for the 125GP bikes at MCN Donington Park has just finished with Andrea Dovizioso topping the time sheets. Dovizioso took his Team Scot Honda to a fastest time of 1:38.761 on the last of his 22 laps, beating Pablo Nieto to the top spot by just .3 of a second. Nieto was the first of seven Aprilias to follow Dovizioso home with Stefano Perugini, Steve Jenkner, Casey Stoner, Youichi...

Capirossi fastest in second practice

08 July 2003

Loris Capirossi was the fastest man around the Donington track this morning, in preparation for qualifying for Sunday’s British GP. The Italian Ducati rider posted a time of 1:31.218, topping Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. Olivier Jacque was fourth fastest on the Yamaha M1, with Colin Edwards fifth on the Aprilia. Reigning champion Valentino Rossi was sixth. Troy Bayliss survived a crash during...

Rossi denied win at Donington

08 July 2003

Valentino Rossi celebrated another win at MCN Donington Park today only to have it renounced by race officials when they awarded him a ten second penalty after realising he had passed under a yellow...

Biaggi on pole for British GP

08 July 2003

Max Biaggi has stormed into pole position for the start of the British GP at MCN Donington Park on Sunday. Telefonica Movistar Honda rider Sete Gibernau was the first rider to better championship leader Valentino Rossi’s already quick time but Biaggi went on to knock over a second off his time from yesterday’s qualifying session to jump in to first place for the start of the race. Rossi only...

Nieto on provisional pole for 250GP

08 July 2003

Fonsi Nieto is on provisional pole for the 250GP race at MCN Donington Park at the end of the first qualifying session. Repsol Telefonica Movistar rider Nieto knocked 0.8 seconds off his best time...

Rossi on provisional pole for British GP

08 July 2003

Valentino Rossi is on provisional pole at the end of the first qualifying session for the British GP at MCN Donington Park. Honda RCV rider Rossi upped his already quick pace from the morning’s...

Nieto wins 250GP

08 July 2003

Fonzi Nieto has taken his first win this season in the 250GP at the eighth round of the world championship at MCN Donington Park. Nieto took the win after a long battle with Manuel Poggiali, who was determined to ride well after already suffering three crashes over the weekend, but Nieto pushed hard and crossed the line 0.269 seconds ahead to take the win. Toni Elias and Poggiali were fighting for...

Fonsi Nieto tops 250cc practice

08 July 2003

Fonsi Nieto leads 250cc practice from fellow Spaniard Toni Elias, giving the Repsol Telefonica Movistar Aprilia team a 1-2 in free practice. Nieto is the only rider to post a lap below 1:35, with a time of 1:34.584, almost 0.7 seconds ahead of his teammate. Nieto holds the fastest lap of the circuit, set in 2002 at 1:33.558. But the circuit lap record is held by Daijiro Kato at 1:34.096. Aprilias...

Nieto on pole for 250GP

08 July 2003

Fonsi Nieto will be starting Sunday’s 250cc British GP in pole position after setting the fastest time in the qualifying sessions at MCN Donington Park. Manuel Poggiali was the fastest rider in...

Crowds pour into Donington

08 July 2003

Sete Gibernau has set the fastest time in an eventful warm up session for this afternoons British GP at MCN Donington Park, while huge crowds pour in to the circuit to catch all the action. Gibernau...

Kagayama to replace Roberts for British GP

01 July 2003

Yukio Kagayama will be on a high this week as it’s been announced he will replace the injured Kenny Roberts Jr for the British MotoGP round this weekend. The news was revealed the day after the...

Final WCM appeal rejected

24 June 2003

The Harris WCM team’s attempt to race in MotoGP has been scuppered once and for all after its final appeal was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday, June 26. Team Boss Peter...

Rossi ups the pace

24 June 2003

Valentino Rossi has continued to improve his times in the second free practice session at the Dutch round of the MotoGP world championship, in Assen. At the end of the session Rossi was riding nearly...

Rossi top by half-a-second

24 June 2003

Valentino Rossi went straight to the top of free practice times today, posting a time half-a-second clear of Max Biaggi, his nearest rival. Rossi completed 21 laps, with a best time of 2:01.404, with...

Capirossi on pole for Assen GP

24 June 2003

Loris Capirossi has taken pole position for the Dutch MotoGP race on Saturday with a 1:59.770 lap, moving him ahead of countrymen Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi. Throughout practice and qualifying the...

Gibernau takes third win

24 June 2003

Sete Gibernau has taken his third MotoGP win this season at the third round of the world championship in Assen. The race was delayed by rain and the standing water made visibility difficult when it...

Assen first qualifying

24 June 2003

Three Italians head the MotoGP first qualifying time sheets, with Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi and Lori Capirossi all posting two-minute laps. The trio are covered by just 0.2 seconds from Rossi in...

Yanagawa to leave hospital at weekend

17 June 2003

Kawasaki wildcard rider Akira Yanagawa is due out of hospital in Spain this weekend following his first lap crash at the Spanish MotoGP round on June 15. Yanagawa has been diagnosed with two...

Middle East to host MotoGP round in 2004

10 June 2003

A deal has been signed that will see a round of the MotoGP World championship going to the Middle East for the first time. The new round will be held on a track currently being built in the Gulf State...

First MotoGP win for Ducati

10 June 2003

Loris Capirossi has taken the first MotoGP win for Ducati after only six races. The Italian rider started the sixth round of the world championship, in Catalunya, in second place but took the lead...

Rossi tops qualifying at Catalunya

10 June 2003

Valentino Rossi has taken provisional pole at the sixth round of the MotoGP world championship in Catalunya, Spain. The Italian had to work hard to take provisional pole with the top spot changing...

Rossi fastest in Spain - Edwards close

10 June 2003

Valentino Rossi has taken his Repsol Honda RC211V to the top spot in the first qualifying session at the sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship in Catalunya, Spain. The Italian rider waited...

Rossi on pole despite slower time

10 June 2003

Valentino Rossi is once again on pole position after the second qualifying session the sixth round of the MotoGP world championship in Catalunya, Spain, despite not being able to better his time from...

Capirossi on provisional pole

03 June 2003

Loris Capirossi has continued his quest for speed by not only taking provisional pole for the fifth round of the MotoGP world championship, in Mugello, Italy, but also breaking the GP top speed record...

Rossi heads all-Italian podium in Italy

03 June 2003

Valentino Rossi overcame tough challenges from his countrymen to take the win at Mugello in Italy today, Sunday June 8. It was works Ducati rider Loris Capirossi who made the best start, giving the...

Capirossi tops 203mph in first session

03 June 2003

Lorris Capirossi has already topped the 200mph mark in the first practice at the fifth round of the MotoGP world championship in Mugello, Italy. After 14 laps of the first practice session Capirossi...

Rossi steals pole position

03 June 2003

Valentino Rossi has snatched the pole position for Sunday’s MotoGP fifth round at Mugello, Italy. Just beating Loris Capirossi’s time on his last lap. Capirossi didn’t manage to better his time from...

Gibernau takes victory in Le Mans

20 May 2003

Spaniard Sete Gibernau has won the French GP, benefitting from new rules which have abolished combined, overall times, and resulted in a 13-lap dash to the finish. He battled hard with reigning...

Melandri impresses in MotoGP practice

20 May 2003

The threat of a wet weekend for the fourth round of the MotoGP World championship saw all the riders trying to get their best times in a dry first qualifying session at Le Mans. Top of the pile again...

Ducati stays on at Jerez

13 May 2003

Ducati MotoGP riders Troy Baylis and Loris Capirossi stayed behind after Sunday’s race in Jerez to give their Desmosedici V4s a full workout in a private test session at the Spanish circuit...

Two-strokes ride again at Jerez

06 May 2003

Kenny Roberts’ Proton team will once again resort to their KR3 two-strokes for Sunday’s Spanish GP at Jerez. The Proton team had hoped to have its new V5 four-stroke machine up and running for...