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

Kent leads the way after day one

12 June 2015 by Steve English

Kent leads the way after day one

Danny Kent left it late to lead the way in Montmelo but the Englishman ended the opening day of Moto3 practice fractionally ahead of Niccolo Antonelli with Tonucci and Loi all within a tenth of a...

Zarco fastest in Moto2

12 June 2015 by Steve English

Zarco fastest in Moto2

Sam Lowes bounced back from a mid-session crash to end the opening Moto2 session second fastest but it was Johann Zarco who led the way with the Frenchman one quarter of a second faster than Lowes,...

Honda lay down a marker with fastest times in FP1

12 June 2015 by Steve English

Honda lay down a marker with fastest times in FP1

Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were fastest in the opening MotoGP session of the weekend in Montmelo with the Honda riders showing their potential for this weekend. Depsite returning to their home...

Navarro fastest in opening practice

12 June 2015 by Steve English

Navarro fastest in opening practice

Jorge Navarro was fastest in the opening Moto3 practice session of the weekend with Danny Kent a tenth of a second adrift after a spate of fast times late in the session saw the order change...

Smith: No guarantees that Pol's chassis is better

11 June 2015 by Steve English

Smith: No guarantees that Pol's chassis is better

Bradley Smith is keen to let his results do the talking this year and despite not having the same chassis as his teammate, Pol Espargaro, Smith has had plenty to talk about on track. The Englishman is...

Lowes confident after progress at test

11 June 2015 by Steve English

Lowes confident after progress at test

After a successful test in Aragon Sam Lowes is ready to take the challenge to the top riders in Moto2. The Speed Up rider has struggled all year when temperatures start to rise but having made plenty...

Cructhlow talks about his Mugello injuries

11 June 2015 by Steve English

Cructhlow talks about his Mugello injuries

Having dislocated his ankle at the previous race in Italy Cal Cruthclow faces a difficult task this weekend to get the most from his LCR Honda. With badly damaged ankle ligaments it is proving very...

Crutchlow recovering and training ahead of Catalunya

04 June 2015 by Steve English

Crutchlow recovering and training ahead of Catalunya

Cal Crutchlow is on the road to recovery from his dislocated ankle with the LCR Honda rider cycling in Italy with his friend and Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish. The Englishman suffered his...

Barbera and Rins join the masses with arm pump surgery

04 June 2015 by Steve English

Barbera and Rins join the masses with arm pump surgery

Alex Rins and Hector Barbera have both underwent arm pump surgery with the Spaniard’s both going under the knife in Barcelona. Both riders used Dr Xavier Mir for the surgery and for Barbera the...

Frustrated McPhee struggling to find setup solutions

03 June 2015 by Steve English

Frustrated McPhee struggling to find setup solutions

Mugello was another difficult race for John McPhee with the Scotsman finishing outside the points for the second consecutive race. With a new Ohlins engineer on board the Racing Team Germany rider was...

Aprilia to discuss Melandri's future

02 June 2015 by Steve English

Aprilia to discuss Melandri's future

Marco Melandri’s performances in recent races have led to plenty of questions about his motivation to succeed on the Aprilia in MotoGP. After finishing last at Mugello the Italian squad has started to...

Marquez crash sequence photos

02 June 2015 by Steve English

Marquez crash sequence photos

When Marc Marquez crashed out of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix the reigning world champion was dealt a body blow to his title hopes. Falling 49 points behind Valentino Rossi he is now in danger of...

Espargaro lucky to avoid further injury after Petrucci clash

02 June 2015 by Steve English

Espargaro lucky to avoid further injury after Petrucci clash

Aleix Espargaro had a lucky escape at Mugello after the Suzuki rider was punted out of the race by an out of control Danilo Petrucci. The Italian had a gearbox failure and it left him in neutral and...

Suzuki to race with updated engines in Barcelona

01 June 2015 by Steve English

Suzuki to race with updated engines in Barcelona

Suzuki will have updated engines at the disposal of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales at the next round of the MotoGP championship in Catalunya. The pair have had to fight with a severe horsepower...

Laverty disappointed with pace, pleased with a point

01 June 2015 by Steve English

Laverty disappointed with pace, pleased with a point

Mugello was a bittersweet race for Eugene Laverty. The Irishman was disappointed to have finished ten seconds adrift of Loris Baz in the Open class but pleased to come away with 15th place and another...

Crutchlow dislocates ankle in crash

01 June 2015 by Steve English

Crutchlow dislocates ankle in crash

Cal Crutchlow dislocated his ankle when he crashed out of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. The LCR Honda rider had been running a very strong fifth in the race before his spill at the high speed Aribiata...

Lowes to test at Aragon this week

01 June 2015 by Steve English

Lowes to test at Aragon this week

Sam Lowes was disappointed after Sunday’s race not to do better than fourth but given his second lap clash with Simone Corsi his effort in the race was commendable. Lowes dropped to ninth and had to...

Factory riders testing Michelins today

01 June 2015 by Steve English

Factory riders testing Michelins today

Another day and another set of bikes out on track at Mugello. For the first time since the second Sepang test the factory contracted MotoGP riders will have an opportunity to test the Michelin tyres...

Strategic Kent extends title advantage

01 June 2015 by Steve English

Strategic Kent extends title advantage

Danny Kent may not have won at Mugello but the English rider rode like a champion as he picked his way through the pack to finish second. The race was incredibly competitive with a group of 15...

Lorenzo makes it three wins in a row at Italian MotoGP

31 May 2015 by Steve English

Lorenzo makes it three wins in a row at Italian MotoGP

Once he turned up the wick Jorge Lorenzo was able to open a huge lead at the front of the MotoGP field at Mugello with the Spaniard claiming a dominant third win in a row. This was the 57th win of...

First win of 2015 for Rabat

31 May 2015 by Steve English

First win of 2015 for Rabat

Tito Rabat claimed his first win since Misano last year by taking advantage of a tight fight for second between Johann Zarco and Dominique Aegerther. The reigning world champion bided his time before...

First career win for Oliveira

31 May 2015 by Steve English

First career win for Oliveira

In a thrilling Moto3 race that saw the lead change hands on almost lap by lap basis for the most part Miguel Oliviera was able to come through the pack and claim his first career win at Mugello.

Lorenzo fastest, Dovi crashes

31 May 2015 by Steve English

Lorenzo fastest, Dovi crashes

Jorge Lorenzo was fastest in this morning’s 20 minute MotoGP warmup session with the Spaniard leading the way from Andrea Iannone and Dani Pedrosa. The action behind however was far more interesting...

Rabat from Lowes in warmup

31 May 2015 by Steve English

Rabat from Lowes in warmup

Tito Rabat topped the Moto2 warmup with a last lap special to end the 20 minute session 0.017s faster than pole sitter Sam Lowes. Lowes, riding the Speed Up, looked impressive and comfortable once...

Kent keeps the pressure on rivals with fastest time in warmup

31 May 2015 by Steve English

Kent keeps the pressure on rivals with fastest time in warmup

Danny Kent stormed to pole position yesterday and afterwards told MCN that his plan was to get away from the front of the field and try and open a gap to his chasers. With the long Mugello start...

Pole for Lowes with new lap record

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Pole for Lowes with new lap record

Sam Lowes claimed his second pole position of the year at Mugello and the Englishman will have his sights firmly set on adding to his victory at COTA earlier in the year. The Speed Up rider has been...

Ducati on pole at home with Iannone setting the pace

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Ducati on pole at home with Iannone setting the pace

Andrea Iannone claimed the first premier class pole position of his career, and his ninth in all classes, with a stunning lap record at Mugello that saw the Ducati rider lead the field with three...

Hernandez knocks Marquez out of QP2

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Hernandez knocks Marquez out of QP2

Yonny Hernandez caused a stir by setting the fastest time in QP1 and knocking Marc Marquez out of the top two places in the session. As a result the Columbian and Aleix Espargaro made it through to...

Dovi leads the way as Marquez crashes

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Dovi leads the way as Marquez crashes

At the end of a typically informative FP4 session Andrea Dovizioso set the fastest time to lead the way from Dani Pedrosa at Mugello. Pedrosa had set the pace for most of the session and looked set...

Kent smashes lap record for pole at Mugello

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Kent smashes lap record for pole at Mugello

Danny Kent threw down a gauntlet to the rest of the Moto3 field by storming to a dominant pole position at Mugello. Kent felt so comfortable with his time that he elected to come into the pits with...

Rabat fastest from Lowes and Zarco

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Rabat fastest from Lowes and Zarco

A late lap from Tito Rabat saw the reigning world champion break the lap record at Mugello for the Moto2 class. Rabat ended the session two tenths faster than Sam Lowes and Johann Zarco. The top three...

Marquez misses out on QP2

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Marquez misses out on QP2

Marc Marquez will have to make it through QP1 this afternoon after finishing outside the top ten in the combined times from the first three practice sessions. Marquez missed out by nine thousands of a...

Quartararo quickest ahead of qualifying

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Quartararo quickest ahead of qualifying

On his first visit to Mugello Fabio Quartararo set the pace ahead of qualifying with the French rookie two tenths faster than Miguel Oliveira and Danny Kent. Kent is the only rider to have been inside...

Yamaha riders weigh in on Ducati

30 May 2015 by Steve English

Yamaha riders weigh in on Ducati

At Le Mans the top speed of the Ducati saw Andrea Iannone blast past Marc Marquez at will on the pit straight during their late race battle and with the fastest top speeds of the year reached at...

Lorenzo looking strong after day one

29 May 2015 by Steve English

Lorenzo looking strong after day one

Jorge Lorenzo was second fastest today and showed the potential to continue his strong run of form at this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. Lorenzo has always been strong at Mugello and while he could...

Ducati looking strong but need another step

29 May 2015 by Steve English

Ducati looking strong but need another step

Andrea Dovizioso topped the times on an impressive opening day for Ducati with the Italian leading the way ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Iannone. Having tested at Mugello before the French Grand...