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

MotoGP: Viñales leads Yamaha whitewash at Qatar

11 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Viñales leads Yamaha whitewash at Qatar

Maverick Viñales has led a Yamaha whitewash of the time sheets on the second day of testing at Qatar, blitzing both the lap record and Andrea Dovizioso’s fastest time from yesterday to finish ahead of...

MotoGP: Ducati roll out radical aero fairing

11 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Ducati roll out radical aero fairing

Ducati have finally rolled out their much anticipated winglet-replacing new aerodynamic fairing, with the radical new look taking to the track at tonight’s Qatar test in the hands of yesterday’s...

Moto3: Bulega tops Jerez official test

11 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Moto3: Bulega tops Jerez official test

Team Sky VR46 KTM rider Nicolo Bulega has cemented his position as a 2017 title contender by taking the top spot after three days of Moto3 action at Spain’s Jerez circuit for the first official test...

MotoGP: Dovizioso dominates in the desert

10 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Dovizioso dominates in the desert

Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso has dominated the opening day of testing in Qatar, topping the test from Maverick Viñales by 0.36 seconds as he dipped under the existing lap record at the Losail...

Obituary: John Surtees 1934-2017

10 March 2017 by MCN Sport

Obituary: John Surtees 1934-2017

John Surtees will always be remembered as the first man to win world titles on both two and four wheels and, given how specialised both sports have now become, it’s an achievement that is likely to...

Moto2: Marquez tops first official test

10 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Moto2: Marquez tops first official test

Alex Marquez has held off teammate Franco Morbidelli in Moto2’s first official preseason test at Jerez to make it an EG0,0 Marc VDS double act at the top of the timesheets after three days of action...

Gallery: Remembering John Surtees

10 March 2017 by MCN News

Gallery: Remembering John Surtees

Former world motorcycling and F1 champion, John Surtees has passed away aged 83. Surtees remains the only person to have ever won a world championship in both motorcycle and car racing. He passed away...

Grand Prix and F1 winner John Surtees dies aged 83

10 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Grand Prix and F1 winner John Surtees dies aged 83

John Surtees, the first and only man to win both MotoGP and Formula One world titles, has died aged 83. He was admitted to St Georges Hospital, London in February with an existing respiratory...

Video: LCR Honda tease Crutchlow's 2017 livery

09 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Video: LCR Honda tease Crutchlow's 2017 livery

With LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow set to take to the track tomorrow night at the final pre-season test in Qatar running his new livery, the squad have teased a quick look at what to expect from the...

MotoGP: Teams gearing up for final tests

09 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Teams gearing up for final tests

The 2017 MotoGP grid are gearing themselves up for the final pre-season test of the year, as they head to Qatar for the final chance to get things right ahead of the opening round of the championship...

MotoGP: Miller upgrading to latest Honda engine

08 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Miller upgrading to latest Honda engine

Jack Miller will be upgraded to the latest specification of Honda’s new big bang engine this week in the final pre-season test of the 2017 MotoGP season, as they begin gathering data ahead of the...

Gallery: Reale Avintia Ducati take over Andorra

08 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Gallery: Reale Avintia Ducati take over Andorra

The Reale Avintia Ducati squad of Loris Baz and Hector Barbera have helped take over the principality of Andorra, in a series of events to launch their 2017 livery. First helicoptering the bikes into...

MotoGP: ‘Different situation’ for Aprilia in 2017

07 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: ‘Different situation’ for Aprilia in 2017

The situation in the factory Aprilia garage in 2017 will be very different to 2016, according to project boss Romano Albesiano, who says that now that the bike has been shown to be competitive, they...

MotoGP: Barbera out of Qatar test

07 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Barbera out of Qatar test

Reale Avintia Ducati rider Hector Barbera will not take part in this week’s final MotoGP pre-season test in Qatar, as he continues to recover from a broken collarbone sustained last week while...

MotoGP: Espargaró reduced to tears by Suzuki frustrations

07 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Espargaró reduced to tears by Suzuki frustrations

MotoGP racer Aleix Espargaró has candidly admitted that he was at times reduced to tears last season as the frustration of trying to get the best out of his Suzuki GSX-RR machine almost became too...

MotoGP: Lowes raring to go on new Aprilia

06 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Lowes raring to go on new Aprilia

Gresini Aprilia rider Sam Lowes says he’s raring to get going next week at the third and final MotoGP pre-season test as he finally gets the chance to test the Italian manufacturer’s new and improved...

MotoGP: Reale Avintia Ducati launch new bike in style

06 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Reale Avintia Ducati launch new bike in style

The Reale Avintia Ducati team of Loris Baz and Hector Barbera have launched their 2017 colours – and new title sponsor Reale – in style, dropping in quite literally to Andorra’s ice racing circuit to...

MotoGP: Circuit of Wales bosses hoping good news on the horizon

06 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Circuit of Wales bosses hoping good news on the horizon

Circuit of Wales boss Martin Whittaker has told MCN that he hopes there’s good news on the immediate horizon for the project, after they submitted what they’re hoping will be the final draft of their...

MotoGP: Espargaró disappointed in Suzuki sacking

05 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Espargaró disappointed in Suzuki sacking

Gresini Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaró has hit out at former team Suzuki, slamming the Japanese manufacturer for the way they went about replacing him with Italian Andrea Iannone in the middle of the...

Gallery: Aprilia's marmite 2017 MotoGP machine

04 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Gallery: Aprilia's marmite 2017 MotoGP machine

Aprilia’s 2017 MotoGP contender has certainly divided opinion since Sam Lowes and Aleix Espargaró pulled the overs off the bike yesterday at the Italian firm’s headquarters in Noale, outside Venice.

BTC: Dorna lay out plans for new young talent series

04 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

BTC: Dorna lay out plans for new young talent series

Dorna have laid out their plans for the new British Talent Cup series that will get underway during the 2018 season in a double-header event in London that also saw the MotoGP organisers launch the...

MotoGP: Dovi unamused at Ducati progress

04 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Dovi unamused at Ducati progress

While Jorge Lorenzo, without a real benchmark of Ducati’s progress since his defection from Yamaha, might be pleased with the progress being made by the Bologna firm’s engineers, his teammate Andrea...

MotoGP: Lowes and Espargaró unveil radically different Aprilia

03 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Lowes and Espargaró unveil radically different Aprilia

Gresini Aprilia racers Sam Lowes and Aleix Espargaró have unveiled the radically different livery that they’ll campaign the 2017 MotoGP season on, in the team’s official launch at their home base in...

MotoGP: Marquez admits work to do at Honda

03 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Marquez admits work to do at Honda

Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez has admitted that there’s still work to be done for him and the Japanese manufacturer ahead of the start of the 2017 MotoGP season, despite the reigning world champion...

BTC: McWilliams excited to be involved in youth development

02 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

BTC: McWilliams excited to be involved in youth development

Former Grand Prix race winner Jeremy McWilliams says he’s excited to be involved in the new British Talent Cup series, as he’s given a chance to mentor the next generation of young talent from the...

Gallery: A closer look at the 2017 Pramac Ducati

02 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Gallery: A closer look at the 2017 Pramac Ducati

With the 2017 MotoGP season now well underway after the completing of the second test at Phillip Island last week and with the Pramac Ducati team heading to Naples to launch their new bikes, it’s the...

MotoGP: Barbera in surgery for broken collarbone

02 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Barbera in surgery for broken collarbone

Avintia Ducati rider Hector Barbera is set to undergo surgery for a broken collarbone, after crashing at Valencia yesterday during a training session. The damage sustained to his left collarbone means...

MotoGP: Rookie Folger stuns with fast pace

02 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Rookie Folger stuns with fast pace

Maverick Viñales wasn’t the only Yamaha rider to come away from last week’s Phillip Island MotoGP test having impressed, with rookie sensation Jonas Folger stunning by finishing fourth overall, only...

Gallery: John McPhee's British Talent Team Honda

01 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

Gallery: John McPhee's British Talent Team Honda

With the 2017 Moto3 season now well underway after the completion of the first series of Spanish testing last week, Czech Grand Prix winner John McPhee headed back to London to launch the new British...

MotoGP: Lorenzo not ready to race

01 March 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Lorenzo not ready to race

Jorge Lorenzo has admitted that he’s still far away from being ready to win races on the Ducati GP17 machine, after a difficult test for the Spaniard at one of the tracks most unsuited to the red...

MotoGP: Redding and Petrucci show off new Pramac Ducati

28 February 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Redding and Petrucci show off new Pramac Ducati

The Pramac Ducati duo of Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci have pulled the covers off their new 2017 liveries in a launch in Naples’ imposing Castel dell’Ovo, showing off a largely-unchanged livery on...

Live: With John McPhee and the British Talent Cup Honda

28 February 2017 by Simon Patterson

Live: With John McPhee and the British Talent Cup Honda

We’re in London today for the launch of John McPhee’s new British Talent Team and the British Talent Cup that’ll develop young talent to hopefully join him in the future in the Moto3 world...

Moto3: McPhee unveils British Talent Team Honda

28 February 2017 by Simon Patterson

Moto3: McPhee unveils British Talent Team Honda

2016 Czech Grand Prix winner John McPhee has pulled the covers off the factory Honda Moto3 machine that he’ll compete in the 2017 championship on, revealing the new British Talent Team bike at an...

MotoGP: Rossi struggling after difficult test

28 February 2017 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP: Rossi struggling after difficult test

While things might have been good on the Viñales side of the Movistar Yamaha garage at last week’s Phillip Island test, it was decidedly less so on his teammate’s half, with Valentino Rossi struggling...

Moto3: British Talent Team set for London launch

27 February 2017 by Simon Patterson

Moto3: British Talent Team set for London launch

John McPhee’s new British Talent Team will be launched tomorrow in London, with the Czech Grand Prix winner joined by Dorna talent and development boss Alberto Puig and the project’s new talent scout...

Video: On track at Jerez with Repsol Honda

27 February 2017 by Simon Patterson

Video: On track at Jerez with Repsol Honda

With last week’s last-minute test at Jerez for the Repsol Honda duo of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa an unofficial one (and therefore free of MotoGP’s usual restrictions on filming), the team’s title...