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

HRC boss: Impossible to give Jack Miller Repsol Honda chance

29 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

HRC boss: Impossible to give Jack Miller Repsol Honda chance

Promoting teenage sensation Jack Miller straight into Honda’s official factory MotoGP squad would have been a ‘stupid idea’, according to senior HRC boss Shuhei Nakamoto. Nakamoto has personally...

Yamaha boss: ‘We are ready to challenge for victory in 2015’

28 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha boss: ‘We are ready to challenge for victory in 2015’

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis is confident that Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo can mount a serious threat to end the recent domination of Marc Marquez and Honda in the MotoGP world championship. Marquez...

Jorge Lorenzo ‘more motivated than ever’

28 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo ‘more motivated than ever’

After a bitterly disappointing 2014 MotoGP world championship campaign, it is no surprise to hear Jorge Lorenzo say he is more motivated than ever to kick off this year’s season at the end of March in...

Valentino Rossi expecting stronger Jorge Lorenzo in 2015

28 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi expecting stronger Jorge Lorenzo in 2015

Valentino Rossi says he is expecting factory Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo to pose a much stronger threat in the 2015 MotoGP world championship. Rossi finished second behind dominant MotoGP world...

Yamaha unveils Rossi and Lorenzo’s 2015 YZR-M1

28 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha unveils Rossi and Lorenzo’s 2015 YZR-M1

Yamaha has unveiled the 2015 factory YZR-M1 it hopes will help Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo end the recent domination of Honda rival Marc Marquez. The new YZR-M1 was officially unveiled during...

Biaggi and Laverty continue Aprilia GP development work

27 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Biaggi and Laverty continue Aprilia GP development work

Former world champion Max Biaggi and Tyco BMW MCE British Superbike rider Michael Laverty have been continuing the development of the electronics package for Aprilia’s new MotoGP machine, rumoured to...

Doohan/Schwantz: Honda should have placed Miller in factory team

27 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Doohan/Schwantz: Honda should have placed Miller in factory team

Honda should have gambled on placing rising star Jack Miller alongside Marc Marquez in HRC’s official factory team in 2015. That’s the high-risk strategy that MotoGP legends Mick Doohan and Kevin...

Kawasaki back in MotoGP?

26 January 2015 by Michael Guy

Kawasaki back in MotoGP?

Moto2 contender Dominique Aegerter is at Jerez today testing an evolution of the Avinta Kawasaki CRT bike used in 2014. The project appeared to have no official connection with the current factory...

Injury rules Yonny Hernandez out of first Sepang test

23 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Injury rules Yonny Hernandez out of first Sepang test

A dirt bike training accident has claimed another MotoGP casualty after the Pramac Ducati squad confirmed that Yonny Hernandez will miss the first test of 2015 in Malaysia next month. The Colombian...

Mugello safety works underway

23 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Mugello safety works underway

The fast and technical Mugello track in Italy is currently undergoing numerous safety upgrades. Work to improve and extend run-off in several corners of the spectacular Ferrari-owned track has...

Andrea Iannone never looked to quit Ducati

22 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Iannone never looked to quit Ducati

Andrea Iannone reckons he’d have been ‘stupid’ to quit Ducati just when the Bologna factory is embarking on a radical re-design of its struggling Desmosedici machine. The Italian has been promoted to...

Circuit of Wales preparing for crucial public inquiry

21 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Circuit of Wales preparing for crucial public inquiry

Bold plans to build a state-of-the-art new 830-acre motorsport facility in Wales will face a public inquiry in March. The multi-million pound Circuit of Wales project applied to de-register hundreds...

Michelin to complete intensive 2016 testing schedule

20 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Michelin to complete intensive 2016 testing schedule

Michelin will gather key data and feedback from at least 10 test sessions this year in advance of the French tyre brand taking over from Bridgestone as the sole tyre supplier in MotoGP in...

HRC boss impressed with Valentino Rossi revival

20 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

HRC boss impressed with Valentino Rossi revival

Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto might have witnessed a record-breaking rampage to a second MotoGP world title by star rider Marc Marquez, but it wasn’t only the Spaniard’s brilliant form that caught his...

Scott Redding: No reunion option with old crew chief for 2015

19 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding: No reunion option with old crew chief for 2015

Scott Redding wasn’t given the opportunity to be reunited with former Moto2 crew chief Pete Benson when he returned to Marc VDS Racing to ride a factory Honda RC213V in MotoGP in 2015. The...

Yamaha boss: Best of Bradley Smith still to come

19 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha boss: Best of Bradley Smith still to come

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis doesn’t believe Bradley Smith has demonstrated his full potential in MotoGP, as the British rider prepares for a crucial third season in the premier class world...

LCR boss confident Cal Crutchlow will be podium challenger

16 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

LCR boss confident Cal Crutchlow will be podium challenger

LCR Honda boss Lucio Cecchinello says he is no doubt that Cal Crutchlow can establish himself as a podium force again in MotoGP after a tough experience at Ducati in 2014. Crutchlow struggled for...

Forward Racing abandons chassis project

15 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Forward Racing abandons chassis project

Forward Racing has decided to abandon its self-built MotoGP chassis project for the 2015 world championship campaign. The Italian-based squad had initially intended to continue developing its own...

Honda boss surprised by Alex Marquez progress

15 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Honda boss surprised by Alex Marquez progress

Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto has admitted he did not envisage the level of progress made by new Moto3 world champion Alex Marquez during the 2014 campaign. The younger brother of dominant MotoGP world...

Casey Stoner agrees new HRC testing deal

14 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner agrees new HRC testing deal

Double MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner will make two testing appearances for HRC in 2015. HRC confirmed today that the Australian’s first test on the factory RC213V this year will come at the...

New Ducati GP15 debut delayed

14 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

New Ducati GP15 debut delayed

Ducati’s all-new GP15 Desmosedici machine will not be ready for Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone to assess when the MotoGP pre-season resumes at the Sepang track in Malaysia next month. In a...

Cal Crutchlow: Three-year HRC deal ‘fantastic’ for Jack Miller

14 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow: Three-year HRC deal ‘fantastic’ for Jack Miller

Cal Crutchlow reckons Jack Miller’s three-year Honda MotoGP deal is a dream scenario for the teenage Aussie. Miller has signed an unprecedented three-year deal direct with HRC after Honda took the big...

Bautista backs Redding to challenge top four on factory Honda

13 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Bautista backs Redding to challenge top four on factory Honda

Scott Redding can establish himself as a consistent podium threat in MotoGP after clinching a dream factory Honda deal for the 2015 world championship. That’s the view of Redding’s former Gresini...

Gresini: Aprilia needs time to challenge in MotoGP

12 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Gresini: Aprilia needs time to challenge in MotoGP

Fausto Gresini has admitted Aprilia will need time to establish itself as a major force in the MotoGP world championship. The Italian manufacturer will take on the likes of Honda, Yamaha, Ducati and...

ITV confirm return of MotoGP highlights

09 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

ITV confirm return of MotoGP highlights

ITV have confirmed that they will once again show MotoGP highlights for the 2015 season. The channel is expected to broadcast something similar to their 2014 coverage, with an hour long highlights...

Forward Racing expect ‘strong’ Stefan Bradl in 2015

09 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Forward Racing expect ‘strong’ Stefan Bradl in 2015

Forward Racing Yamaha boss Giovanni Cuzari expects new rider Stefan Bradl to be at least as competitive as departing Spaniard Aleix Espargaro in the 2015 MotoGP world championship. Bradl will ride...

Andrea Iannone relishing Andrea Dovizioso battle

08 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Iannone relishing Andrea Dovizioso battle

Andrea Iannone says he is relishing the challenge of trying to seize the number one spot at Ducati from fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso in 2015. Iannone will join his compatriot in Ducati’s official...

Ex-Stoner crew chief flattered by Lorenzo approach

08 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Ex-Stoner crew chief flattered by Lorenzo approach

Casey Stoner’s former crew chief Cristian Gabbarini says it was flattering to have been approached by double MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo about a technical role with the Spaniard in...

HRC: Scott Redding worthy of factory RC213V chance

07 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

HRC: Scott Redding worthy of factory RC213V chance

HRC boss Livio Suppo believes highly rated Briton Scott Redding fully deserves his big chance to show his potential on a factory Honda RC213V in MotoGP this year. Redding will return to the Marc VDS...

Yamaha boss ‘curious’ to see Jack Miller’s MotoGP move

07 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha boss ‘curious’ to see Jack Miller’s MotoGP move

Yamaha will closely monitor Honda’s gamble on fast tracking Jack Miller straight from Moto3 into the MotoGP world championship in 2015. Aussie Miller will skip the normal route to MotoGP through the...

Cal Crutchlow: ‘I’m fast enough to be back at the front’

06 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow: ‘I’m fast enough to be back at the front’

Cal Crutchlow is confident he can recapture the form that saw him become a consistent podium threat in MotoGP when the new season gets underway in Qatar on March 29. After a difficult season with...

Derek Minter passes away aged 82

05 January 2015 by Simon Patterson

Derek Minter passes away aged 82

Derek Minter, the man famously described by Mike Hailwood as his toughest ever rival, passed away on Saturday aged 82. Minter was regarded as one of the best racers of his generation, succeeding not...

Jerry Burgess: Michelin change bigger than electronics revamp

05 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Jerry Burgess: Michelin change bigger than electronics revamp

MotoGP’s forthcoming switch to Michelin tyres could upset the established elite in the premier class. That’s the view of Valentino Rossi’s legendary ex-crew chief Jerry Burgess, who believes a new...

Marc Marquez: Lorenzo biggest title threat in 2015

02 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Marc Marquez: Lorenzo biggest title threat in 2015

Marc Marquez believes the biggest threat to his hopes of securing a third successive MotoGP world title in 2015 will come from Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo’s challenge in 2014 evaporated...

Ducati boss: ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t help Crutchlow get right feeling’

02 January 2015 by Matthew Birt

Ducati boss: ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t help Crutchlow get right feeling’

If Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna has one regret about last year, it was the failure of Cal Crutchlow to pose a stronger threat on a factory-backed Desmosedici machine. Dall’Igna believes Isle of...

Jorge Lorenzo: 2014 revival builds confidence for fresh title challenge

29 December 2014 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo: 2014 revival builds confidence for fresh title challenge

Jorge Lorenzo believes his revival in the second half of last season bodes well for a renewed title tilt in 2015. But the double MotoGP world champion admits he was lucky to clinch third in the...