2006

Year: 2006

Month: ALL

Edwards: No US boost

26 December 2006 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards reckons Nicky Hayden’s stunning 2006 world championship success will have no impact on elevating MotoGP’s status in America. The Texas Tornado said motorcycle racing’s popularity across...

Checa beats GP rivals

14 December 2006

Carlos Checa beat off a host of rivals in a star-studded Supermoto race, as he put one over former GP rival Max Biaggi. The 34-year-old turned out on a Honda CRF450 for the traditional Bologna...

Neeves looks back at riding Rossi's bike

13 December 2006 by Michael Neeves

Road Test Supremo Michael Neeves landed one of the plummest jobs of the year a few weeks ago, he got to get out on the cream of the MotoGP machinery at Valencia. Sitting round a beer down the pub...

Hayden: “800s suit Dani”

12 December 2006 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden has joined Valentino Rossi in backing factory Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa to pose a massive threat in 2007. The American’s will be bidding to make a successful defence on his MotoGP...

Video: Sepang monsoon

07 December 2006 by Angus Farquhar

Torrential rain has flooded parts of the track at Sepang, putting a halt to the MotoGP test – see our exclusive video report. MCN MotoGP reporter Matthew Birt is in Malaysia to follow the test and...

Rossi helps fundraiser

07 December 2006 by Sarah Carnell

Valentino Rossi fans could get their hands on a piece of history and help a charity at the same time. The former World Champion has offered the gloves, boots, and racing suit he wore on that fatal day...

Ilmor announce MotoGP manager for 2007

05 December 2006 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor has ended speculation that former Kawasaki boss Harald Eckl will be their team manager in the 2007 MotoGP championship. The British-based team, which is preparing for its first full season in...

Video: Spy footage of new Ilmor MotoGP bike

05 December 2006

This spy footage of the new Ilmor 800cc British MotoGP bike was shot on a trackday at Silverstone and sent to MCN by reader Deborah Harriman

Hayden aims to return in Sepang

05 December 2006 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden is targeting a riding return in time for the next major MotoGP test at Sepang in late January, after his shoulder operation at the weekend. Hayden needed treatment for injuries sustained...

Operation goes well for McWilliams

04 December 2006 by Matthew Birt

Jeremy McWilliams has undergone successful surgery on the broken left femur he suffered in a horror crash at last week’s Jerez MotoGP test. The 42-year-old had a rod inserted in his left femur at a...

Video: Rossi scooter wheelie action!

01 December 2006 by aurecorse

Valentino Rossi with a yamaha scoot(50cc) in assen.

Camel pull-out of GP's

01 December 2006 by MCN

After four years in Moto GP, Camel has pulled out of International Motorsport including sponsoring the factory Yamaha team. The rumour that the bright yellow sponsor would be pulling out of Moto GP...

Bridgestone boss Q&A

01 December 2006 by MCN

The man heading up Bridgestone’s assault on bike racing has spoken after the end of the MotoGP testing for the year. The firm has upped its input into the class after signing two more big names –...

Video: Ducati bike test Goodwood UK

01 December 2006 by nicholastate

Ducati engine test, turn the sound up its great..

Chaz’s dream fizzles out

01 December 2006 by Matthew Birt

Chaz Davies hopes of landing an Ilmor MotoGP ride have all-but gone after a planned test of the bike had to be aborted due to technical faults. The team lost the first day of the test setting the...

MotoGP Blog: Confused in Jerez

30 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

MCN MotoGP reporter Matt Birt exclusively shares hs views post Valencia.. Matt has spent years living out of a suitcase to follow the MotoGP circus around the world, to get the inside scoops for MCN…...

Pedrosa finishes fastest at Jerez MotoGP test

30 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

With MotoGP testing over for the year, Dani Pedrosa goes into the enforced winter break with his tail up after setting the fastest time overall at the Jerez test ending this afternoon. Pedrosa slapped...

Rossi in charge in Jerez

30 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi may have found himself criticised for taking a few days off at the Sepang test earlier this month to go rally driving, but he:s making up for it in Spain this week. Some fans...

McWilliams in hospital

30 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Jeremy McWilliams crashed heavily this afternoon at Jerez, and reports from hospital suggest that the veteran star has badly broken his left leg. McWilliams lost the front of the Ilmor X3 800 at the...

Kawasaki dig at Eckl

29 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Kawasaki has broken its silence over the reason for its hurried split with former MotoGP team boss Harald Eckl, blaming his close involvement with the Ilmor team for the shock move to take the whole...

Toseland shares sponsors with Melandri

29 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Marco Melandri and Toni Elias will share the same sponsors as James Toseland’s World Superbike team for 2007. The pair’s Gresini Honda MotoGP team signed a sponsorship deal with electronics firm...

Jerez MotoGP timesheet

28 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi ended the first day of the final major MotoGP test of the year at the top of the timesheets. Rain brought the decrease in lap times to a temporary halt after lunch, at which point...

Jerez MotoGP testing update

28 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

The last MotoGP test of the year has had a slow start, with cold temperatures and rain curtailing meaningful evaluation of the next generation 800s. Ex-champ Valentino Rossi was quickest this morning...

MotoGP testing starts in Jerez

28 November 2006 by MCN

MotoGP’s top men and teams are back out riding today, at the start of the last major test of the year. A two-month testing ban follows this week’s action, which will keep them off track until...

Davies' dream ride

28 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Teenage star Chaz Davies will be handed the chance any young rider dreams about tomorrow, with a test of the new Ilmor X3 800cc MotoGP bike in Spain. Despite agreeing to ride in the USA next year he...

Ellison makes switch to U.S. Superbikes

27 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

James Ellison began the process of rebuilding his career in AMA Superbikes when he rode a Corona Honda FireBlade this weekend. The 26-year-old will use the bike to race in 2007 and made the most of...

Valentino Rossi's World Rally success

27 November 2006 by MCN

Valentino Rossi won his first car racing title on Sunday – before going on to say that we can probably expect to see more. The Italian MotoGP star won the glitzy Italian Monza Rally, and went a step...

MCN reader grabs Rossi for a picture at Valencia

24 November 2006 by Lorraine Burleigh

This is a photograph I had taken with Valentino Rossi in the paddocks at the Valencia Moto GP. It was taken the night before the big race at about 10 30pm,Vale’ was just about to go to dinner after...

Enjoying Valencia with the Rossi fan club

24 November 2006 by Gemma Stead and Ali Vollans

Sat with the Offical Rossi fanclub at the final round at Valencia with a little light reading!

Bumping into Rossi at Le Mans airport

24 November 2006 by Jon Betts

A picture of me meeting Valentino off the plane at Le Mans airport.

Rossi to race in the Rally of Monza

24 November 2006 by MCN

Valentino Rossi is back behind four-wheels again this weekend competing in the Rally of Monza. Seven-time World Champion Rossi will drive a factory-spec Subaru and his co-driver will once again be...

Honda pair to test 800s in Jerez

24 November 2006 by MCN

Honda has confirmed Marco Melandri and Shinya Nakano will make their 800cc debuts next week in Jerez. Melandri missed the recent three-day session in Sepang while he recovered from an operation on his...

Tamada's Dunlop hopes

24 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Tech-3 Yamaha newboy Makoto Tamada has revealed that the Dunlop front tyre on his Yamaha M1 is already inspiring him with more confidence than he ever had in his time with Michelin at Honda in...

Smith prepares for 2007 125GP season

24 November 2006 by Matthew Birt

Fresh from winning the coveted world 125 championship Rookie of the Year award, British teenager Bradley Smith has begun his 2007 preparations in Jerez. The Oxfordshire rider took part in a three-day...

Aoayam shatters Kato's Jerez 250GP lap record

23 November 2006 by MCN

KTM’s Hiroshi Aoyama has smashed 1.6s off Daijiro Kato’s long-standing 250 lap record at Jerez. The Japanese rider, who rejected a move to Kawasaki’s MotoGP squad at the end of last season, set an...

Hopper's take on Honda

18 November 2006

After comprehensively outpacing the much-heralded new Honda RCV 800 at last week’s Sepang MotoGP test in Malaysia, Suzuki star John Hopkins has said he feels Honda have been too ambitious with their...