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

Jack Miller breaks leg in training accident

19 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Jack Miller breaks leg in training accident

New MarcVDS rider Jack Miller is in doubt for the first of MotoGP’s pre-season tests in only two weeks time after breaking his tibia and fibula in a motocross training crash on Sunday in Spain. The...

2016 Movistar Yamaha livery revealed

18 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

2016 Movistar Yamaha livery revealed

Movistar Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo have revealed a largely unchanged racing livery for 2016, taking the covers off their M1s at a presentation in Spanish...

Watch Lorenzo & Rossi unveil the 2016 YZR-M1 live

18 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Watch Lorenzo & Rossi unveil the 2016 YZR-M1 live

Watch live as Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi present the 2016 Movistar Yamaha YZR-M1 to the world’s media in Barcelona.

KTM launch fan trip to see new GP bike in action

15 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

KTM launch fan trip to see new GP bike in action

KTM have launched a unique fan trip to see their new RC16 MotoGP bike in public action for the first time at this year’s newly-returned Austrian MotoGP round at the Red Bull Ring in August. The new...

Suzuki finally debut seamless gearbox

14 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Suzuki finally debut seamless gearbox

Suzuki have finally debuted their new seamless gearbox, taking to track at Sepang with Maverick Viñales just before the winter testing ban came into force for the first time with the significantly...

‘No decision made’ on Stoner Ducati wildcards

12 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

‘No decision made’ on Stoner Ducati wildcards

Double MotoGP champion Casey Stoner says that no decision has been made yet by him or the Italian factory on whether he will return to racing next season in a wildcard appearance. Speaking to...

Brno extends MotoGP deal until 2020

12 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Brno extends MotoGP deal until 2020

The Czech round of MotoGP has bounced back from a potential demise only a year ago to secure a long-term deal that will see Grand Prix remain there until 2020. With the addition of a new round of the...

Stoner's take on 2015 MotoGP season

10 January 2016 by Colin Young

Stoner's take on 2015 MotoGP season

The 2015 championship was an intense fight between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. So how did the man that has beaten them both see it? Stoner said: “Valentino rode a fantastic championship, I...

MotoGP change penalty point system after Rossi punishment

09 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP change penalty point system after Rossi punishment

MotoGP have moved to change the way they award penalty points, in the aftermath of Valentino Rossi’s punishment for the collision between him and Marc Marquez at Sepang. Rossi was awarded three points...

Stoner: Marquez felt threatened by me at Honda

09 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Stoner: Marquez felt threatened by me at Honda

Double MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner has revealed in an interview for MCN with fellow Australian journalist Colin Young that part of the reasoning that saw him make a shock switch from Honda test...

Viñales rates 2015 and his rivals

08 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Viñales rates 2015 and his rivals

Suzuki Racing’s Maverick Viñales has rated his 2015 performances and his rivals, sitting down to give his thoughts not only on his own performances throughout his rookie season in the Grand Prix class...

VR46 to take over Yamaha MotoGP merchandise

05 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

VR46 to take over Yamaha MotoGP merchandise

VR46 Racing Apparel, Valentino Rossi’s own merchandising company, have signed a three-year deal with his factory Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team to become their official supplier of merchandising. The...

Watch Marquez take on Baker and Mees at Superprestigio

05 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Watch Marquez take on Baker and Mees at Superprestigio

Watch Marc Márquez, Brad Baker and Jared Mees go for the win at the 2015 Superprestigio at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain in awesome highlights video.

Could 2016 be the year of the GOAT?

04 January 2016 by MCN News

Could 2016 be the year of the GOAT?

2016 may officially be the Chinese year of the monkey, but after an excellent 2015 season which saw Valentino Rossi finish second in the championship, and with new tyres and elecronics, could 2016...

Lorenzo confirms Shark switch after HJC helmet problems

04 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Lorenzo confirms Shark switch after HJC helmet problems

Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo has confirmed his widely speculated switch to Shark helmets, after suffering repeated problems with his HJC throughout the 2015 season. Losing out on a chance at...

Sepang set to close for resurfacing

04 January 2016 by Simon Patterson

Sepang set to close for resurfacing

The Sepang International Circuit is set to close immediately after this year’s opening MotoGP test in early February, as the Malaysian track undergoes a complete resurfacing ahead of the 2016...

Lorenzo: “Surely the intention is for Stoner to do wildcards”

18 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

Lorenzo: “Surely the intention is for Stoner to do wildcards”

2015 MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo says he’ll be very surprised if fellow champion Casey Stoner doesn’t return to track next year, after signing a new deal to become a Ducati test...

Rossi withdraws Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal

10 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

Rossi withdraws Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal

Valentino Rossi has drawn a line under his 2015 season with the withdrawal of his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for his incident with Marc Marquez at Sepang. Rossi suffered three...

Pedrosa and Marquez take to track on 500GP machines

10 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

Pedrosa and Marquez take to track on 500GP machines

Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez have had the chance to take to the track on Honda’s special NSR500 two-stroke Grand Prix machines for the first time at an event at Motegi. Joining...

GP stars line up for Superprestigio

10 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

GP stars line up for Superprestigio

Some of the top talent from MotoGP have assembled in Barcelona for this weekend’s Superprestigio flat track race, with the entry once again led by double world champion and defending winner Marc...

Eugene Laverty ties the knot

10 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

Eugene Laverty ties the knot

Aspar Ducati racer Eugene Laverty has tied the knot with long time partner Pippa Morson in a star-studded ceremony at Ireland’s Dromoland Castle. Pippa and the 29 year old Laverty, who first met while...

Michelin schedule extra MotoGP tests

10 December 2015 by Simon Patterson

Michelin schedule extra MotoGP tests

Michelin have scheduled an extra MotoGP test for late this month at Jerez, as they continue to refine their tyres ahead of the first official GP test at Sepang in early February. Coming during the...

Marquez: ‘Valentino created this problem’

09 December 2015 by MCN

Marquez: ‘Valentino created this problem’

How did it come to this? The boy who grew up with Rossi posters adorning his walls gives his side of MotoGP’s biggest controversy arc Marquez has had time to let the dust settle on a bitter feud with...

First of many: Exclusive Danny Kent interview

04 December 2015 by MCN

First of many: Exclusive Danny Kent interview

Danny Kent speaks exclusively to MCN about taking his first world title and why he doesn’t intend it to be his last. hen Danny Kent crossed the line in Valencia, British race fans let out a huge sigh...

Ducati: Stoner likely to have first tests in Sepang and Qatar

03 December 2015 by Steve English

Ducati: Stoner likely to have first tests in Sepang and Qatar

The return of Casey Stoner to Ducati as a test rider was rubber stamped late last month but Ducati are still to confirm when the double world champion will make his return to the track. Senior team...

Marini confirmed at Forward Moto2

02 December 2015 by Steve English

Marini confirmed at Forward Moto2

Forward Racing has confirmed that Luca Marini will join the team for next year’s Moto2 campaign. Marini, a half-brother of Valentino Rossi, will join the team for his first full campaign in Grand Prix...

Kallio gets first taste of KTM MotoGP machine

01 December 2015 by Steve English

Kallio gets first taste of KTM MotoGP machine

KTM has been out on track once again with their new RC16 MotoGP bike. Mika Kallio, who has been signed on as a test rider for the project had his first outing on the bike at Valencia. Kallio was...

Rossi takes fourth Monza Rally win

29 November 2015 by Simon Patterson

Rossi takes fourth Monza Rally win

Valentino Rossi has taken his fourth win at the Monza Rally Show, taking the victory by an impressive 50 seconds from World Rally Championship regular Thierry Neuville. Leading by half a minute going...

Iannone focusing on understanding used tyres

29 November 2015 by Steve English

Iannone focusing on understanding used tyres

Despite only riding on the final day of the three day Jerez test Andrea Iannone felt that Ducati made a positive step in understanding the Michelin tyres. Having completed 67 laps Iannone...

Rossi and MotoGP announce Rossi: The Game

29 November 2015 by Simon Patterson

Rossi and MotoGP announce Rossi: The Game

The 2016 official MotoGP game will take on a new look upon it’s release in June of next year, with a change in focus from covering the season’s action to focusing on the career of Valentino Rossi by...

Is Valentino Rossi the greatest of all time?

28 November 2015 by MCN Sport

Is Valentino Rossi the greatest of all time?

He may have missed out on his 10th World Championship by a whisker, but Valentino Rossi’s brilliance is unquestioned. But is he the greatest racer of all time? t’s the oldest argument among fans of...

Laverty undergoes surgery, 6 week recovery

27 November 2015 by Steve English

Laverty undergoes surgery, 6 week recovery

Eugene Laverty underwent surgery this afternoon to plate his left radius after fracturing the bone in a crash yesterday in testing at Jerez. Laverty’s primary injury is a fracture of the distal radius...

Redding sets the pace on final day at Jerez

27 November 2015 by Steve English

Redding sets the pace on final day at Jerez

The final day of the 2015 MotoGP saw Scott Redding set the pace at Jerez with the Pramac rider feeling confident on the Ducati. “Today was good,” said Redding. “We improved the lap time by quite a big...

Laverty to have surgery tomorrow in Barcelona

26 November 2015 by Steve English

Laverty to have surgery tomorrow in Barcelona

Aspar Ducati has confirmed that Eugene Laverty will have surgery tomorrow in Barcelona to repair a fracture to his left radius. The 29 year old suffered the injury in a fast crash at turn seven during...

Redding feeling good on the Ducati

26 November 2015 by Steve English

Redding feeling good on the Ducati

Scott Redding had another positive day on the Pramac Ducati with the Englishman continuing to adapt to the Italian machine. Redding immediately felt more comfortable on the bike in Jerez compared to...

Avoiding mistake with new engine key concern for Pedrosa

26 November 2015 by Steve English

Avoiding mistake with new engine key concern for Pedrosa

Dani Pedrosa was able to spend more time today focusing on the 2016 Honda engines and determining whether or not they had made an improvement. The aggressive nature of the engine was blamed for the...