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2012

Colin Edwards: “We’ve got 18 tests ahead”

20 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: “We’ve got 18 tests ahead”

American Colin Edwards reckons each race during the 2012 MotoGP campaign will be like an extension of winter testing as he tries to make the Suter-BMW CRT project a competitive package in the new...

Danny Kent: Jerez test good gauge for early season prospects

19 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Danny Kent: Jerez test good gauge for early season prospects

British teenager Danny Kent believes this week’s final Moto3 test at the Jerez track in Spain will give a clear indication of who is going to be competitive in the early part of the inaugural 250cc...

New chassis boost for Bradley Smith in Jerez

19 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

New chassis boost for Bradley Smith in Jerez

British rider Bradley Smith declared himself satisfied with the latest heavily revamped Tech 3 Moto2 machine in Jerez today, despite having to settle for a lowly 17th position on the timesheets. The...

Thomas Luthi sets pace as final Moto2 test begins in Jerez

19 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Thomas Luthi sets pace as final Moto2 test begins in Jerez

Swiss rider Thomas Luthi clocked the best time on the opening day of Moto2 testing at a sun-drenched Jerez circuit in Spain today, with Scott Redding, Bradley Smith and Gino Rea all outside the top...

Nova Racing boss dies

19 March 2012 by MCN

MCN is sad to report that Nova Racing boss Graham Dyson has died after a short illness. Nova Racing build gearboxes for many of the top British and World Superbike teams, as well as supplying dozens of top drag and classic racers. Graham’s expertise will be much missed in race paddocks around the world. Funeral details are yet to be announced. Please see www.novaracing.co.uk for details.

Factory Ducati MotoGP livery unveiled

19 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Factory Ducati MotoGP livery unveiled

This is the new factory Ducati GP12 1000cc machine that the Bologna factory hopes will catapult nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi back to winning ways in MotoGP in 2012. This year’s new...

NGMCC meeting at Brands Hatch

18 March 2012 by Rod Tietjen

NGMCC meeting at Brands Hatch

I attended a cold and sometimes wet NGMCC meeting at Brands Hatch on Saturday 17 March. The event was well organised and there was some good close racing considering the conditions.

Jorge Lorenzo hints at long Yamaha career

16 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo hints at long Yamaha career

Yamaha’s desire to ensure Jorge Lorenzo remains on board a factory YZR-M1 beyond 2012 has been given a massive boost after the Spaniard indicated he’d be happy to end his career with the Japanese...

Yamaha ready to embrace lease price cap in MotoGP

16 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha ready to embrace lease price cap in MotoGP

Yamaha believes it wouldn’t have to drastically reduce the technical specification of its YZR-M1 1000cc machine if new MotoGP rules mean factories can only lease machinery for a maximum price of...

Facebook launch for Ducati GP12

16 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Facebook launch for Ducati GP12

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden will officially unveil the Ducati GP12’s new livery with a special web launch on Facebook next Monday. MotoGP and Ducati fans will be able to watch live streaming of...

Gresini admits love for racing affected by Marco Simoncelli death

15 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Gresini admits love for racing affected by Marco Simoncelli death

Italian MotoGP team boss Fausto Gresini has admitted his love for motorcycle racing has been affected by the tragic death of his star rider Marco Simoncelli in Malaysia last October. Simoncelli was...

Colin Edwards: CRT pace not dangerously slow

15 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: CRT pace not dangerously slow

Colin Edwards has denied the gap in performance between the factory prototype machines and new CRT 1000cc projects will be dangerous in the 2012 MotoGP world championship. Several top riders like...

Alvaro Bautista looking to tap into Honda potential

15 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Alvaro Bautista looking to tap into Honda potential

Alvaro Bautista believes he is yet to tap into the full potential of the new Honda RC213V machine as he prepares for the final pre-season MotoGP test in Jerez next week. The Spaniard, who launched the...

Honda teams step up testing at Snetterton

15 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Honda teams step up testing at Snetterton

Honda Racing and Padgetts Honda BSB teams braved the cold conditions at Snetterton yesterday as their pre-season testing programme intensified. Both teams had a shakedown run at Cadwell last week, but...

Byrne and Easton positive after wrapping up Spanish tests

13 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Byrne and Easton positive after wrapping up Spanish tests

The Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki pairing of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Stuart Easton have today (Monday) completed their Spanish pre-season testing schedule at Almeria as the team now return to the UK for...

Swan Yamaha boosted by Spanish test progress

13 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Swan Yamaha boosted by Spanish test progress

Reigning MCE Insurance British Superbike champion Tommy Hill has completed his Spanish pre-season test ahead of schedule in Almeria as the Swan Yamaha rider now returns to the UK to evaluate the work...

MCN man to race at TT

12 March 2012 by MCN

MCN man to race at TT

MCN Senior Road Tester Adam Child will compete in this year’s lightweight TT race aboard a Kawasaki ER-6 with help from road racing expert Ryan Farquar. Child – or Chad as he’s known at MCN – has...

Hottrax bikes at Brands Hatch

12 March 2012 by Rod Tietjen

Hottrax bikes at Brands Hatch

The first Hottrax bike meeting at Brands Hatch on 10th March had packed grids in most of the races with close racing throughout. Pity the event was not better attended on the Saturday.

PBM Kawasaki and Swan Yamaha wrap up Cartagena test

12 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin & Laura Stevens

PBM Kawasaki and Swan Yamaha wrap up Cartagena test

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki and Swan Yamaha have today (Sunday) completed their pre-season test at Cartagena as the teams now pack up and head to Almeria for their final track time in Spain before...

Aragon complete as Byrne and Easton head for Cartagena

12 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Aragon complete as Byrne and Easton head for Cartagena

The Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team have completed their opening two days of testing at Aragon in Spain as the former MCE BSB champions now pack up and head to Cartagena to join Swan Yamaha on circuit...

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki arrive at Cartagena

10 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki arrive at Cartagena

The Rapid Solictors Kawasaki team truck has arrived at Cartagena this morning after the late night 350-mile drive from Aragon. Team manager Paul Risbridger said that Shane Byrne was in good form and...

Ducati: Lease price limit means lower spec machinery

09 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ducati: Lease price limit means lower spec machinery

A 1m Euro (£830,000) cap on the cost of leasing a MotoGP bike in the future will make it impossible for Ducati to deliver the same high level of technology featured on its existing customer bikes. To...

Yamaha not worried by Casey Stoner’s testing dominance

09 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha not worried by Casey Stoner’s testing dominance

Yamaha has said the impressive speed shown by reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner in winter testing is not an early cause for concern ahead of the start of the 2012 campaign in Qatar next...

Hill crashes in Cartagena

09 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Hill crashes in Cartagena

Tommy Hill was lucky to escape unhurt after a big fourth-gear crash at Cartagena this afternoon. He fell in the fast left turn six and, while he walked away unscathed apart from a sore hip, the bike...

Positive first impressions for Haga

09 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Positive first impressions for Haga

Noriyuki Haga rolled into the pit lane this afternoon, dismounted from the Swan Yamaha and walked over to put his arm around his crew chief Simon Green. Haga had been in and out of the pit box every...

Hill’s first impressions of 2012 Swan Yamaha

09 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Hill’s first impressions of 2012 Swan Yamaha

The Swan Yamaha team might be spending time fine-tuning the fuelling with the new Motec spec ecu but Tommy Hill was happy enough with his first morning back in the office at Cartagena. “Considering...

Laverty and Kirkham get taste of Honda power at Cadwell Park

09 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Laverty and Kirkham get taste of Honda power at Cadwell Park

Michael Laverty and Jon Kirkham shared the track at Cadwell Park yesterday (Thursday) with their Padgetts Honda rivals as the pair got their first experience of the Honda UK Fireblades ahead of the...

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki kick off testing at Aragon

09 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki kick off testing at Aragon

In a busy week of pre-season testing for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship teams, returning former championship winners Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki made their on track debut in Aragon,...

Lowry and Scassa debut Padgetts Honda at Cadwell Park

09 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Lowry and Scassa debut Padgetts Honda at Cadwell Park

Padgetts Honda’s Ian Lowry and Luca Scassa have completed their initial shakedown of the new specification Fireblades at Cadwell Park as the team got their pre-season testing schedule underway ahead...

Haga and Hill on track in Spain

09 March 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Haga and Hill on track in Spain

These are the first pictures of Swan Yamaha duo Noriyuki Haga and BSB champion Tommy Hill on track at Cartagena this morning. Right up to leaving for Spain, the team worked with Motec back at the...

Barbera and Abraham to get new Ducati at fifth race?

09 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Barbera and Abraham to get new Ducati at fifth race?

Hector Barbera and Karel Abraham could have to wait until the fifth race of the 2012 MotoGP world championship in Catalunya before they get chance to ride the latest GP12 Desmosedici machine. The...

Chris Burns returns to Dutch Superbike championship

08 March 2012 by MCN Sportsdesk

Chris Burns will return to the ONK Dutch Superbike Championship this season after signing a deal to remain with the GS Racing Team with official support from Ten Kate Racing.   The Newcastle rider finished third in his rookie season of The Netherland’s leading motorcycle series in 2011 on board the team’s Honda, but this year has unfinished business as he returns with his eyes firmly on the title.

Team WFR complete six days of testing

08 March 2012 by Laura Stevens

Team WFR complete six days of testing

The WFR Honda team completed their final day on track at Alcarras yesterday (Wednesday) as Alex Lowes, Graeme Gowland and James Westmoreland wrapped up six days of Spanish testing. The team had...

Positive MSS Kawasaki test in Spain

08 March 2012 by MCN Sportsdesk

Positive MSS Kawasaki test in Spain

MSS Bathams Kawasaki boss Nick Morgan summed up their three day Alcarras test as “one of the most positive experiences we’ve had as a team.” The team took a full range of bikes, equipment and staff...

Michael Dunlop’s TT programme: Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki machines

07 March 2012 by MCN sportsdesk

Michael Dunlop’s TT programme: Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki machines

Michael Dunlop has concluded his plans to race at the 2012 Isle of Man TT Races and the popular Northern Ireland based rider has announced will be competing in all of the solo classes at this year’s...

William Dunlop confirmed for Lightweight TT

07 March 2012 by MCN Sports Desk

William Dunlop confirmed for Lightweight TT

William Dunlop is the latest TT star to commit to the new Twins race on the Island. He will be riding the ex-Wayne Hamilton Kawasaki ER6 in the newly introduced Lightweight TT, scheduled for Friday...