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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

Alex Lowes keen on future Moto2 switch

05 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Alex Lowes keen on future Moto2 switch

Reigning British Superbike champion Alex Lowes has set his sights on a future Moto2 showdown with twin brother Sam Lowes. The Voltcom Crescent Suzuki World Superbike rider was at Silverstone last...

Colin Edwards set to begin Yamaha testing role

03 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards set to begin Yamaha testing role

Colin Edwards won’t have long to get used to life as a retired racer, with the American poised to kick off his new role as Yamaha’s official MotoGP test rider in a few days. The Texan had planned to...

Chaz Davies eyeing MotoGP switch in 2016

03 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Chaz Davies eyeing MotoGP switch in 2016

Chaz Davies is hoping a title challenge with Ducati in World Superbikes next year will be the springboard to a MotoGP switch in 2016. The 27-year-old will remain on a factory Ducati Panigale in 2015,...

Silverstone ‘extremely disappointed’ to lose British MotoGP race

02 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Silverstone ‘extremely disappointed’ to lose British MotoGP race

Silverstone boss Richard Phillips says he is ‘extremely disappointed’ that last Sunday’s thrilling British MotoGP round will be the last at the Northamptonshire circuit for the foreseeable...

Donington Park thrilled to get British MotoGP back in 2015

02 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Donington Park thrilled to get British MotoGP back in 2015

Donington Park management have spoken of the ‘great coup’ to get the British MotoGP round back in 2015. The Leicestershire venue hasn’t been on the world championship calendar since 2009 when it lost...

Donington Park to host British MotoGP round in 2015

02 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Donington Park to host British MotoGP round in 2015

The 2015 British MotoGP race will be staged at Donington Park. Spanish-based rights owners Dorna and the Circuit of Wales have reached an agreement to take MotoGP back to the Leicestershire venue for...

Andrea Dovizioso: New Ducati delay not ideal

02 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso: New Ducati delay not ideal

Andrea Dovizioso fears Ducati will miss out on precious development time for 2015 after Bologna factory bosses confirmed next year’s radical new Desmosedici will not be ready for testing at the end of...

Caterham poised for Moto3 switch in 2015

02 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Caterham poised for Moto3 switch in 2015

The British-based Caterham squad is expected to quit Moto2 and complete a shock move to the Moto3 world championship in 2015. Caterham boss Johan Stigefelt confirmed at Silverstone last weekend that...

Day of Champions raises staggering £200,000

02 September 2014 by Simon Patterson

Day of Champions raises staggering £200,000

Riders for Health, the official charity of MotoGP, have raised almost £200,000 at the Silverstone round of the series. Three and a half thousand fans packed into the day of Champions event to see the...

MotoGP field to debut Michelin tyres at second Sepang test

01 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP field to debut Michelin tyres at second Sepang test

Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi will get their first opportunity to evaluate Michelin’s new controlled MotoGP tyres during the 2015 pre-season testing campaign. Although the French manufacturer...

Alex Marquez signs Moto2 deal with Marc VDS

01 September 2014 by Matthew Birt

Alex Marquez signs Moto2 deal with Marc VDS

Alex Marquez has signed a two-year deal to join the Marc VDS Racing squad in the Moto2 world championship. The Spaniard, who is the younger brother of dominant MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, will...

Redding pleased to be top Brit at Silverstone

01 September 2014 by Simon Patterson

Scott Redding has come away from his home grand prix pleased to have been the top home favourite, after the class rookie once again demonstrated what he’s capable of, taking his customer specification Honda to tenth and beating a pair of full-on Ducati GP machines in the process.   “I’m happy with the result today. At the beginning, with a full fuel load onboard, I was struggling to get the bike...

Lowes disappointed with seventh place

31 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Lowes disappointed with seventh place

Sam Lowes has left his home race disappointed with hisseventh place, the best finish of any of the Brits, after setting his sights firmly on scoring his maiden Moto2 podium finish early in the...

Cracked rim ends promising race for Smith

31 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Cracked rim ends promising race for Smith

A cracked rear wheel was the cause of the end of a promising weekend for Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider Bradley Smith, who was forced to pit for a new back wheel while battling for sixth in his home...

Smith: The cool-down lap was the coolest thing I've ever witnessed

31 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Smith: The cool-down lap was the coolest thing I've ever witnessed

Bradley Smith might not have had the end to his home race that he wanted at Silverstone, when a cracked rear rim forced him into the pits and left him at the back of the field in Sunday’s race.  ...

Silverstone Moto3: Rins takes last corner victory

31 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone Moto3: Rins takes last corner victory

Alex Rins has made up for his Brno last lap mistake, where the KTM rider cost himself a podium finish by sitting up a lap early, by taking an amazing last corner victory at Silverstone, holding back...

Silverstone MotoGP: Marquez reignites winning streak

31 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone MotoGP: Marquez reignites winning streak

Marc Marquez has reignited the winning streak that fizzled out at Brno, taking a dominant win from Jorge Lorenzo this afternoon at Silverstone in front of packed grandstands and under blue skies.   It...

Silverstone Moto2: Rabat extends championship lead with victory

31 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone Moto2: Rabat extends championship lead with victory

Tito Rabat has taken a dramatic victory in the Silverstone Moto2 rce, closing down hisMarcVDS teammate Mika Kallio in the closing stages of the race to pass the Finn on the last lap and lead over the...

Redding equals best ever qualifying

30 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Redding equals best ever qualifying

Scott Redding has equalled his best ever MotoGP qualifying at Silverstone, starting the race tomorrow from eleventh, with a special paint job on the Gresini Honda to celebrate his home round of the...

Crutchlow left disappointed with absence of pace

30 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Crutchlow left disappointed with absence of pace

Cal Crutchlow says he has no answer for the lack of pace he’s had all weekend at his home Grand Prix, and after qualifying a lowly fifteenth for tomorrow’s race doesn’t believe that he’ll be able to...

Silverstone MotoGP: Marquez starts Brno bounceback with pole

30 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone MotoGP: Marquez starts Brno bounceback with pole

Marc Marquez has started his bounce back from Brno, where he lost his first race of the year after a ten-run streak, by taking pole position at Silverstone this afternoon, putting aside a FP3 crash to...

Silverstone Moto3: Rins on pole as he chases maiden win

30 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone Moto3: Rins on pole as he chases maiden win

Alex Rins will start tomorrow’s British Grand Prix from pole position, after controlling the timesheets for most of the session, to eventually finish 0.112 ahead of Niccolo Antonelli and Alex Marquez.

Silverstone Moto2: Rabat bounces back for fastest time

29 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone Moto2: Rabat bounces back for fastest time

Tito Rabat has bounced back from a slow start to the day at Silverstone to take provisional pole position, after the winner of the lastround at Brno finished this morning’s free practice one back in...

MotoGP Silverstone: Marquez top, Brits on podium pace

29 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

MotoGP Silverstone: Marquez top, Brits on podium pace

Marc Marquez, out to prove a point after losing last time out in Brno, has put himself firmly at the front of the grid at Silverstone, finishing the session half a second faster than anyone else as...

Silverstone Moto3: Kent on top on opening day

29 August 2014 by Simon Patterson

Silverstone Moto3: Kent on top on opening day

This weekend’s British Grand Prix couldn’t have got off to a better start for the home riders, with Danny Kent taking his Husqvarna to provisional pole ahead of tomorrow’s Moto3 race qualifying.  ...

Ducati preparing ‘significant’ Desmosedici revamp for Aragon

27 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Ducati preparing ‘significant’ Desmosedici revamp for Aragon

Ducati is planning to debut a ‘significant’ upgraded version of its Desmosedici machine in the forthcoming Motorland Aragon MotoGP race, MCN can reveal. The revamp will be the biggest since Gigi...

Leon Camier relishing British MotoGP chance

27 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Leon Camier relishing British MotoGP chance

Leon Camier says his chance to race in the British MotoGP race at Silverstone this weekend is a ‘dream come true’. Camier will continue to deputise for injured Nicky Hayden on the Aspar production...

Jorge Lorenzo never seriously considered Ducati or Suzuki move

26 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo never seriously considered Ducati or Suzuki move

Jorge Lorenzo has denied he ever gave serious consideration to completing a shock move to Ducati or Suzuki in 2015. The Spaniard signed a new two-year deal with Yamaha on the eve of the recent...

Aprilia to sacrifice WSB project for MotoGP return?

26 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Aprilia to sacrifice WSB project for MotoGP return?

Aprilia may sacrifice its factory World Superbike squad to complete a shock move to MotoGP in 2015. In a surprise strategic change, the Noale factory has decided to return to MotoGP next season,...

LCR and Honda back Cal Crutchlow to bounce back in 2015

26 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

LCR and Honda back Cal Crutchlow to bounce back in 2015

Cal Crutchlow’s new 2015 team boss Lucio Cecchinello and senior Honda management have backed the British rider to bounce back from a torrid spell with Ducati next season. Crutchlow will switch to the...

Andrea Dovizioso: Dall’Igna key to new Ducati deal

22 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizoso has admitted the ambitious plans by new Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna to radically revamp the struggling Desmosedici for 2015 convinced him to sign a new two-year contract with the Bologna factory. The Italian, who attracted big interest from Suzuki, has put his faith in Dall’Igna having been impressed with the former Aprilia chief since he defected to Ducati for 2014. Dall’Igna is...

Ducati monitoring Scott Redding’s future situation

22 August 2014 by Matt Birt

Ducati monitoring Scott Redding’s future situation

Ducati is keeping a close eye on Scott Redding’s MotoGP future, with the British rider’s 2015 plans up in the air. Redding was expected to be riding a factory Honda RC213V for the Gresini squad next...

Marc Marquez backs Moto3 age limit switch

21 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Marc Marquez backs Moto3 age limit switch

Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has backed an age limit change that will allow highly rated French teenager Fabio Quartararo to start the Moto3 world championship campaign in...

Rossi and Lorenzo hope to race 2015 Yamaha chassis this season

21 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Rossi and Lorenzo hope to race 2015 Yamaha chassis this season

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have said they would both like to race a new 2015-spec Yamaha YZR-M1 chassis in the final phase of the current campaign. Italian Rossi and double MotoGP world...

Jeremy McWilliams to race in Moto2 – aged 50!!

21 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Jeremy McWilliams to race in Moto2 – aged 50!!

Jeremy McWilliams is to make a shock world championship comeback in next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The former 250GP winner is to ride the experimental Brough Superior in the Moto2...

Record interest in Moto2 and Moto3 for 2015

21 August 2014 by Matthew Birt

Record interest in Moto2 and Moto3 for 2015

Record interest has been already been expressed in the 2015 Moto3 and Moto2 world championships ahead of the initial selection meetings due to take place during the forthcoming British GP at...