2008

Year: 2008

Month: ALL

Indianapolis MotoGP: LCR Honda confirm Randy de Puniet

14 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

LCR Honda has confirmed that French rider Randy de Puniet will stay with the team in 2009. Although de Puniet signed a two-year deal for 2008 and ’09, team boss Lucio Cecchinello has still announced...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Kawasaki confirm Marco Melandri swoop

14 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki has confirmed that Italian rider Marco Melandri will join John Hopkins in its factory squad for the 2009 MotoGP world championship. As was exclusively revealed by MCN four weeks ago in Brno,...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Redding just misses podium finish

14 September 2008 by Angus Farquhar

Scott Redding narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the rain stopped Indianapolis 125GP. Redding got a great start from the second row of the grid to hold third place for most of the race, but was...

Croft British Superbikes: Haslam takes race two win

14 September 2008 by Angus Farquhar

Leon Haslam has taken his fourth win in five races after finishing in the top spot in the second British Superbikes race at Croft. Haslam didn’t get a great start, sitting down in fifth on the first,...

Croft British Superbikes: Camier takes second BSB win

14 September 2008 by Angus Farquhar

Leon Camier has taken the win in the first race at the Croft round of the British Superbike championship. The Airwaves Ducati rider didn’t get a great star, going sixth in to the first corner, but he...

Croft British Superbikes: Cal Crutchlow pole reaction

14 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Cal Crutchlow has admitted he was as surprised as anyone when he scored his third pole of the season at Croft, his second BSB pole at the North Yorkshire circuit in consecutive years. Crutchlow set a...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Casey Stoner hampered by wrist injury

14 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner admitted his left wrist injury is causing him major problems in Indianapolis as he saw his run of seven successive pole positions ended by Valentino Rossi. The Aussie qualified second on...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Danny Webb claims brilliant front row

14 September 2008

British teenager Danny Webb claimed only the second front row start of his 125GP career today with a brilliant performance in Indianapolis. The Aprilia rider will start tomorrow’s race from fourth...

Indianapolis MotoGP: James Toseland rues set-up mistake

14 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland blamed a late set-up mistake for costing him the chance to record a second row grid position for tomorrow’s MotoGP debut at the famous Indianapolis circuit. The Tech 3 Yamaha rider was...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Webb secures front row start

14 September 2008 by Angus Farquhar

British rider Danny Webb has equaled his best qualifying position in GPs by securing fourth place and a front row start for the Indianapolis 125GP. The DeGraaf Aprilia rider came home just over half a...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Eugene Laverty ruled out of 250GP

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Irish rider Eugene Laverty has been ruled out of tomorrow’s Indy 250GP after a massive high-side crash in this afternoon’s final qualifying session. The Blusens Aprilia rider was brought crashing back...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Nicky Hayden just misses front row

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Home favourite Nicky Hayden was denied a front row start for tomorrow’s Indianapolis MotoGP debut by just 0.094s. The Repsol Honda rider will start the 28-lap race, just three hours from his home in...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Ben Spies qualifies top Suzuki

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies showed Suzuki bosses what they might be missing out on next season after he was the best GSV-R qualifier in Indianapolis today. The American will start his third MotoGP race from fifth place...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Rossi takes pole

13 September 2008 by Angus Farquhar

Valentino Rossi pushed aside all concerns over the new Indianapolis MotoGP track to take an impressive pole position for sunday’s race. The torrential rain conditions from Friday blew away leaving the...

Croft British Superbikes: Tom Sykes needing front-end feel

13 September 2008 by Rob Hull

In-form Rizla Suzuki rider Tom Sykes says he’ll need to fine-tune the front-end setup of his GSX-R1000 tomorrow if he is to continue his impressive run of BSB results. Sykes has only been off the...

Croft British Superbikes: Dental dilemma for Shane Byrne

13 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will start from third on the grid for tomorrow’s British Superbike races despite carrying injuries picked up in yesterday’s crash and losing his replacement teeth during...

Croft British Supersport: Hudson Kennaugh pole

13 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Hudson Kennaugh has taken his third pole position of the season at Croft for round ten of the British Supersport Championship. Kennaugh, who lies second in the standings behind Glen Richards, set a...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Toni Elias tops final practice

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Toni Elias continued his surprise resurgence in Indianapolis this morning as he topped the final practice session in vastly improved weather conditions. Having claimed successive podium finishes in...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Storms threaten Indy race

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Thunderstorms forecast for Sunday have placed the inaugural Indianapolis MotoGP under serious threat after Valentino Rossi confirmed the race would be abandoned in torrential rain. Rossi said a repeat...

Croft British Superbikes: Cal Crutchlow scores career fourth pole

13 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Cal Crutchlow has backed up his fine Croft pole from 2007 with Rizla Suzuki with another first position British Superbike start tomorrow. The HM Plant Honda rider posted a best lap of 1.20.386, over a...

Practice makes perfect

13 September 2008 by Dale Royal

A days practice at croft (12th sept) did not go too well for some riders!

Croft British Superbikes: HM Plant Honda head FP3

13 September 2008 by Rob Hull

HM Plant Honda team-mates Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow have topped this morning’s final British Superbike practice session in damp conditions at Croft. Heavy rain overnight has meant a drying track...

Croft British Superbikes: Tom Sykes desperate to impress at home round

13 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Tom Sykes set the fastest time of Free Practice 2 on the first day at Croft British Superbikes despite crashing out of the first session in the morning. Sykes crashed at the fast Tower corner but...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Eugene Laverty on provisional front row

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Irish rider Eugene Laverty produced a brilliant display of wet weather riding to claim a place on the provisional front row of the grid for Sunday’s Indianapolis 250GP. In appalling conditions for...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Toni Elias signs for Gresini Honda?

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Plans to run a third factory Kawasaki in 2009 appear to have hit trouble in America with top target Toni Elias heavily rumoured to have signed a deal to rejoin Fausto Gresini’s satellite Honda...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Marco Melandri’s Kawasaki deal to be confirmed

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki will confirm Marco Melandri as the second rider in its 2009 factory team in Indianapolis this weekend. MCN understands the deal will be announced either today (Saturday) or just before...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Anthony West shines in torrential rain

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Anthony West might have been axed from Kawasaki’s factory MotoGP squad for 2009, but the Aussie produced a stunning display in Indianapolis to dominate a rain-lashed opening day of free...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Valentino Rossi worried by gloomy forecasts

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Dire weather forecasts predicting more heavy rain in Indianapolis have seen MotoGP world championship leader Valentino Rossi raise concerns about Sunday’s inaugural Indy clash. The Fiat Yamaha rider...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Casey Stoner third but unhappy

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Reigning world champion Casey Stoner’s tough period continued on the opening day in Indianapolis today, with the Aussie third fastest but far from happy in treacherous conditions. Stoner walked away...

Indianapolis MotoGP: James Toseland alarmed by grip levels

13 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

British rider James Toseland reckons a repeat of the torrential downpours that hit the opening day of practice in Indianapolis during Sunday’s race will make it ‘impossible’ to ride. The Tech 3 Yamaha...

Indianapolis MotoGP: West sets wet provisional pole

13 September 2008 by Angus Farquhar

The new Indianapolis circuit had posed some concerns for a few MotoGP riders before they rode it but despite the torrential rain conditions the track seems to have gone down well, with wet weather...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Scott Redding on provisional front row

13 September 2008 by Mattthew Birt

Scott Redding has continued his impressive start to the inaugural Indianapolis race by claiming second on the provisional 125GP grid. The Blusens Aprilia rider once again impressively mastered tricky...

Croft British Superbikes: Shane Byrne crash reaction

12 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Shane Byrne will have to wait on a medical in the morning to determine whether or not he will be fit enough to race this weekend. Get all the latest BSB news The championship leader highsided at the...

Croft British Supersport: Hudson Kennaugh on top on day one

12 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Raceways Yamaha rider Hudson Kennaugh is desperate to keep his British Supersport title bid alive and started round 10 at Croft as he means to go on by setting the fastest lap. Get all the latest BSB...

Indianapolis MotoGP: Anthony West fastest in wet first practice

12 September 2008 by Matthew Birt

Axed factory Kawasaki rider Anthony West showed his wet weather prowess this morning to top the timesheets in a rain-hit opening free practice session in Indianapolis. Get all the latest MotoGP...

Croft British Superbikes: Tom Sykes heads rain and crash interrupted FP2

12 September 2008 by Rob Hull

Tom Sykes set the fastest lap of the second Free Practice session of the day this afternoon with a time set in the opening minutes before the session was red flagged. Get all the latest BSB...