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

Frustrated Smith "second in line"

08 August 2015 by Steve English

Frustrated Smith "second in line"

Bradley Smith’s frustration at not having his contract signed for 2016 has been bubbling over all weekend in Indianapolis with the Tech3 rider making barbed comments in the press conference about the...

How the markets look after opening day at Indy

08 August 2015 by Steve English

How the markets look after opening day at Indy

Ladbrokes has teamed up with Motorcycle News for this weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix to offer new customers a matched free bet up to £50! Any new customers can take advantage of the offer in what...

Crutchlow confident but needs to improve

08 August 2015 by Steve English

Crutchlow confident but needs to improve

Cal Crutchlow was fifth fastest on the opening day at Indy but having made few changes through the day he feels there’s plenty of potential in the bike once the track improves tomorrow. Unlike the...

Rabat and Lowes lead the way

08 August 2015 by Steve English

Rabat and Lowes lead the way

Tito Rabat and Sam Lowes started the second half of the season by trying to start putting pressure on Johann Zarco in the Moto2 class. Both riders have fallen adrift of Zarco in the championshipn...

Lorenzo tops opening day at Indy

08 August 2015 by Steve English

Lorenzo tops opening day at Indy

Jorge Lorenzo set the pace in Indianapolis today with the Spaniard outpacing Marc Marquez on the opening day. “It was very good, very positive,” said Lorenzo after the session. “I’m very happy with...

Vazquez sets pace, Kent fourth fastest

07 August 2015 by Steve English

Vazquez sets pace, Kent fourth fastest

Efren Vazquez has been continuously outshone by his Leopard Racing teamamte, Danny Kent, but in this afternoon’s practice Vazquez set the pace. The Spaniard took his first career victory in...

Rins leads the way in Indy

07 August 2015 by Steve English

Rins leads the way in Indy

With track conditions improving in Indianapolis Alex Rins set the pace at the end of the Moto2 session to outpace Jonas Folger and Tito Rabat. Rins has had an impressive rookie campaign in the class...

Espargaro acknowledges need for improvement

07 August 2015 by Steve English

Espargaro acknowledges need for improvement

Fresh from having his future confirmed with a one year contract extension from Yamaha Pol Espargaro spoke to MCN about his new deal. “Yesterday it was pretty close to being signed,” explained...

Lorenzo quickest but times will tumble

07 August 2015 by Steve English

Lorenzo quickest but times will tumble

The opening MotoGP session ended with a flurry with the majority field setting their fastest times at the end of the session. Jorge Lorenzo wound up with the fastest time but there’s little that can...

Kent's a man on a mission

07 August 2015 by Steve English

Kent's a man on a mission

A late crash took some of the shine off Danny Kent’s performance in opening practice in Indianapolis but the Leopard Racing rider’s half-a-second margin to the field saw him lay down a marker in FP1.

Espargaro signs new deal while Bradley waits

07 August 2015 by Steve English

Espargaro signs new deal while Bradley waits

Yamaha today confirmed that Pol Espargaro will remain with the Japanese manufacturer for 2016. Having won the Suzuka 8 Hours Espargaro was always likely to remain with the manufacturer for next year...

What are the odds for Indy?

06 August 2015 by Steve English

What are the odds for Indy?

Ladbrokes has teamed up with Motorcycle News for this weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix to offer new customers a matched free bet up to £50! Any new customers can take advantage of the offer in what...

Forward confirm Brno return

06 August 2015 by Steve English

Forward confirm Brno return

Forward Racing have today confirmed that they will return to MotoGP action in Brno after finding a solution to their ongoing budget problems. The team will miss this weekend’s Grand Prix at...

Video: Sam Lowes' half term report

06 August 2015 by Steve English

Video: Sam Lowes' half term report

Sam Lowes had a difficult rookie campaign in Moto2 last year however this year he has consistently ran at the front, won his first Grand Prix and made himself a rider in demand for next year. Changes...

Rossi: I'm ready to go in Indy!

05 August 2015 by Steve English

Rossi: I'm ready to go in Indy!

Valentino Rossi won the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix, held in the tail end of a hurricane and in awful conditions, but since then he’s had little luck at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This...

Laverty keen to put rookie lessons to good use

05 August 2015 by Steve English

Laverty keen to put rookie lessons to good use

Eugene Laverty took advantage of the summer break to fully recover from the lingering effects of some recent crashes and now he’s ready to get back to work at this weekend’s Indianapolis Grand...

Hayden looking forward to 'true home Grand Prix'

05 August 2015 by Steve English

Hayden looking forward to 'true home Grand Prix'

Last year the United States had the ignominy of not lining a rider up on the grid at a race on American soil after Nicky Hayden missed the race at Indy with a wrist injury. This year however he’s back...

Summer break helped Redding find confidence

05 August 2015 by Steve English

Summer break helped Redding find confidence

Scott Redding showed signs of progress at the German Grand Prix and the Englishman is keen to bring that forward to this weekend’ race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Redding, who has had a very...

Bradl gears up for Aprilia debut

05 August 2015 by Steve English

Bradl gears up for Aprilia debut

It’s not easy to jump onto a new bike at a Grand Prix weekend and expect to be fast but Stefan Bradl is looking forward to the challenge this weekend in Indianapolis. Having been announced as Marco...

'Back to work' for Smith

05 August 2015 by Steve English

'Back to work' for Smith

After his Suzuka 8 Hours win it’s a case of back to the day job for Bradley Smith with the Tech3 Yamaha rider heading to the Brickyard full of confidence. Smith had a superb start to the 2015 season...

Bradl confirmed at Aprilia

01 August 2015 by Steve English

Bradl confirmed at Aprilia

Aprilia confirmed that Stefan Bradl will race for the squad for the rest of the 2015 season. The German was released from his Forward Racing contract yesterday and it was only a matter of time until...

Versatile Ray to make Grand Prix debut

01 August 2015 by Steve English

Versatile Ray to make Grand Prix debut

Bradley Ray has raced in Spanish Moto2, British Superstock 600 and British Motostar championships this year and now the former Red Bull Rookies race winner will make his Grand Prix debut as a wildcard...

Bradl released by Forward, free to sign elsewhere

31 July 2015 by Steve English

Bradl released by Forward, free to sign elsewhere

Stefan Bradl’s path to an Aprilia MotoGP ride has been cleared by his release from Forward Racing with the Italian team confirming the news this afternoon. “Forward Racing and Stefan Bradl have...

Elias to replace Abraham at Indy

31 July 2015 by Steve English

Elias to replace Abraham at Indy

Toni Elias will deputise for Karel Abraham at next weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix with the Czech rider once again sitting out due to injury. Abraham fractured his toe in Catalunya and the team...

Bradl confirms Aprilia interest

31 July 2015 by Steve English

Bradl confirms Aprilia interest

With Forward Racing not taking part in next weekend’s Indianapolis Grand Prix Stefan Bradl has been confirmed fit to race and is now on the lookout for a new ride. The German, a former Moto2 world...

Mahindra assess customer squad policy

31 July 2015 by Steve English

Mahindra assess customer squad policy

Hahindra has had a challenging start to 2015 with Francessco Bagnaia tenth in the standings their leading rider. This year the team took a very different approach to racing and instead of running a...

Zarco: 65 point advantage is incredible

29 July 2015 by Steve English

Zarco: 65 point advantage is incredible

Johann Zarco has enjoyed a superb first half of 2015 and the Frenchman has put himself into a great position to win a first world title having won three races so far. With nine races remaining the Ajo...

Picture story: Honda's oval-pistoned 1979 '0X' NR500

28 July 2015 by MCN

Picture story: Honda's oval-pistoned 1979 '0X' NR500

This is Honda’s oval-pistoned 1979 ‘0X’ NR500 engine, with which they would re-enter GP racing after a twelve years hiatus. The oval piston was Honda’s solution to the problem of making a 500cc...

Moto3 recap: Round 4 - Spain

27 July 2015 by Steve English

Moto3 recap: Round 4 - Spain

Danny Kent won his third race on the bounce but whereas COTA and Argentina were dominant wins he had to claw for it in Jerez. The last lap came down to a classic Jerez fight and Kent came out on...

Moto2 recap: Round 4 - Spain

27 July 2015 by Steve English

Moto2 recap: Round 4 - Spain

Jonas Folger claimed his second win of the year by dominating the latter stages of the Spanish Grand Prix. The German took advantage of the fight for second with Tito Rabat and Johann Zarco battling...

MotoGP recap: Round 4 - Spain

27 July 2015 by Steve English

MotoGP recap: Round 4 - Spain

Jorge Lorenzo got his title campaign back on track with the first of four consecutive wins. Lorenzo was dominant at Jerez and afterwards he took advantage of the opportunity to remind everyone that...

Forward to sit out Indy

27 July 2015 by Steve English

Forward to sit out Indy

Forward Racing will miss the next round of the MotoGP world championship in Indianapolis. The team cited lost sponsorship as their primary reason but with financial authorities in Switzerland having...

Moto3 recap: Round 3 - Argentina

26 July 2015 by Steve English

Moto3 recap: Round 3 - Argentina

Fresh from a dominant win at COTA Danny Kent stretched his legs even further in Argentina and won by an incredible ten seconds at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Kent started from the front row but dropped...

Moto2 recap: Round 3 - Argentina

26 July 2015 by Steve English

Moto2 recap: Round 3 - Argentina

Johann Zarco took the second win of his Grand Prix career in Argentina after a dominant weekend that saw him cruise to victory ahead of the impressive rookie Alex Rins with Sam Lowes rounding out the...

MotoGP recap: Round 3 - Argentina

26 July 2015 by Steve English

MotoGP recap: Round 3 - Argentina

The Argentine Grand Prix will be remembered for the crash on the penultimate lap between Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi. Marquez had been in front but with Rossi on the charge the Italian was able...

Moto3 recap: Round 2 - Americas

25 July 2015 by Steve English

Moto3 recap: Round 2 - Americas

You’re not supposed to win Moto3 races by a margin of seconds but nobody told Danny Kent in Texas with the Honda rider taking the flag with mammoth eight seconds victory margin. Kent started from pole...