2006

Year: 2006

Month: ALL

MotoGP is up for sale

18 March 2006

MotoGP is up for sale on the eve of the new season – in a deal which will mean British Superbikes must also put up the ‘For Sale’ sign. Current rights owner Dorna is owned by private equity firm CVC.

The first race of the 2006 MotoGP season takes place on Sunday, March 26,2006, but one rider has already ruled himself out of the action. WTR Team Blauer USA rider Michele Pirro will miss the 125cc...

Audio: MotoGP preview

11 March 2006

Download the audio file you’ll find below and listen to a MotoGP season preview from a man who really knows. MCN’s Matthew Birt has long experience in the GP paddock and travelled throughout the...

Capirossi fastest in Jerez

11 March 2006

Ducati riders Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau dominated the final day of testing before the start of the MotoGP season, taking the two fastest times of the test. The two Ducati riders were the only...

No WCM in '06 MotoGP

11 March 2006

The British WCM team won’t compete in the 2006 MotoGP championship, as revealed by the official entry list. Ther Hertfordshire-based squad had been pencilled into earlier lists with rider Jeremy...

Nakano on top form

11 March 2006

Shinya Nakano put Kawasaki at the top of the table on the second day of the final pre-season MotoGP test. The Japanese rider finished over half a second ahead of his closest rival, Ducati’s Loris...

Land VIP Jerez passes

04 March 2006

Bid now and you could land exclusive VIP paddock passes to the opening MotoGP round at Jerez on March 24-26. All funds raised will go direct to MCN’s favourite charity Riders For Health, to support...

Lorenzo fastest in 250s

04 March 2006

Jorge Lorenzo finished day one (March 8) of the 250s test at Jerez on top of the time charts. The day started late, due to fog, but once going it was the Aprilias that dominated, as they had at...

Pasini tops 125 test

04 March 2006

Mattia Pasini has topped the second day of 125cc GP testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The day saw good weather and numerous crashes, including Ranseder, Rodriguez, Bradl, Conti, Di Meglio,...

Lorenzo stays top 250

04 March 2006

Jorge Lorenzo has stayed top of the time sheets for the 250cc GP class on the second day of testing at Jerez. Despite cold and windy conditions, he was able to lap with a time of 1:42.873 on his...

Rossi tops second day

04 March 2006

Rossi stayed on top for the second day of official MotoGP testing at Catalunya. The Yamaha Rider stayed at the top of the table for most of the day but was briefly ousted by a four way battle for the...

Edwards tops test pole

04 March 2006

The final day of MotoGP testing split in to three sections with John Hopkins, Colin Edwards and Sete Gibernau taking a session each. The day was spoiled by wet weather which kept the times slower...

Locatelli led at lunch

01 March 2006

Roberto Locatelli was fastest in Thursday morning’s 250cc test at the MotoGP tests in Catalunya. Testing was set to continue until 6pm Thursday. The MotoGP premier class begins its sessions on...

Rossi fastest in MotoGP

01 March 2006

Surprise surprise! Valentino Rossi was fastest in the first session of official MotoGP testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday morning. Pick your MCN Fantasy Road Race team HERE The first day...

Lorenzo dominates 250s

01 March 2006

Jorge Lorenzo dominated the 250cc MotoGP official test at the Circuit de Catalunya, which ended on Thursday (Mar 2). He ended up fastest rider on both days of the test. The MotoGP teams started...

Smith tackles 125 rivals

01 March 2006

British 15-year-old Bradley Smith looked to be learning fast after the second and final day of his first ever 125cc MotoGP official test. 2005 125cc MotoGP runner-up Mika Kallio was fastest at the...

125/250 Valencia test

25 February 2006

Sebastien Porto and Mike de Meglio benefitted most from better weather on the second day of 125/250 testing at the Ricardo Torme circuit in Valencia. Following a cold first day, Porto clocked 59 laps...

Cold 125/250GP test

18 February 2006

Cold weather disrupted the first day of testing at the Ricardo Tormo circuit near Valencia for a number of 125cc and 250cc GP teams on Thursday, February 23, 2006. Many rider either braved the cold...

Crashes at Estoril test

18 February 2006

Testing for many of the top 250cc and 125cc GP teams ended early at Estoril on Friday, February 17, 2006 following a spectacular crash for Red Bull KTM rider Manual Poggiali. Due to the seriousness...

Rookie signs for Angaia

18 February 2006

Anagaia Racing has signed Luca Morelli to ride in the 250cc GP championship for 2006, giving the Italian his GP debut. Morelli has limited GP experience, competing in the final two rounds of both the...

Edwards tries road tyres

18 February 2006

Michelin fitted a set of road tyres to Colin Edward’s 260bhp Yamaha M1 at the recent Sepang test and got within eight seconds of MotoGP pace. Edwards did 5 laps on the new dual-compound Pilot Power...

Stoner hopeful for Jerez

18 February 2006

Australian Casey Stoner should make his MotoGP debut at the first round of the championship at Jerez on March 26th, despite undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury. Stoner pulled out of the recent...

Rossi tests Maserati GT

11 February 2006

Rossi has added yet another choice of career for when his contract ends at the end of this year, testing an Italian GT championship Maserati MC12 at Misano. Rossi has already tested Ferrari F1 and...

125/250GP Estoril test

11 February 2006

Many of the top riders in the 125cc and 250cc GP championships began testing at the Estorial circuit in Portugal on Wednesday, Feburary 15, 2006. The biggest news of the day was the crash of Hector...

Melandri top in Sepang

11 February 2006

Marco Melandri dominated the first day of MotoGP testing at Sepang, Malaysia, lapping well inside the lap record. Fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa used his first outing in full Repsol livery to take...

Sepang test washed out

11 February 2006

Loris Capirossi topped the final washed out day of testing at Sepang. The track was damp all day and the riders didn’t manage to put in many laps before the rain started in earnest. Capirossi put in...

MotoGP riders for 2006

11 February 2006

Here is the official list of known riders for the 2006 125cc championship: 3C Racing: (Aprilia) Angel Rodriguez. Stefano Bianco Ajo Motorsport Malaguti: Alex Masbou. Tomoyoshi Koyama. Arie Molenaar...

Video: Rossi on the 06 M1

11 February 2006

We’ve got exclusive footage of Valentino Rossi talking about his 2006 Yamaha M1 Moto GP bike. The World champion was talking after spending the day on the track testing the new bike in Sepang and he...

Sepang: Day two rain

11 February 2006

Rain has forced an early end to the second day of MotoGP testing at the sepang circuit in Malaysia, with Shinya Nakano setting the fastest time on the Kawasaki. Loris Capirossi was second quickest,...

Ellison starts Qatar test

04 February 2006

James Ellison began testing at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Sunday, February 5, 2006, alongside new team-mate Carlos Checa. In addition to the two Tech 3 Yamaha riders, the Suzuki GP squad of John...

Rossi improves in Qatar

04 February 2006

Valentino Rossi knocked almost a second of his lap time to top his second day of testing in Qatar. The World champion spent most of the session testing new tyres for Michelin putting in a total of 60...

Quiet end to Qatar test

04 February 2006

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards stayed on an extra day at the Qatar test to make the most of the empty track. The two riders spent most of the session working with Michelin on tyre development and...

Rossi tops Qatar test

04 February 2006

Valentino Rossi has finished his first day of testing at Losail, Qatar, well inside the lap record. The world champion joined James Ellison’s Tech 3 Yamaha squad on it’s second day of testing...

Rossi slides in F1 test

01 February 2006

Valentino Rossi’s saw an embarasing start to his latest F1 test – spinning out on his first lap. The test, which is Rossi’s first against other F1 drivers, was delayed for most of the day due to...

Rain hits GP test

01 February 2006

Rain has put a stop to most of the fun on the second day of GP tests at Phillip Island but a few riders made use of the time to get a feel for their bikes in the wet. Marco Melandri used a total of...

GP test back on track

01 February 2006

Sete Gibernau has gone fastest on the third day of testing at Phillip Island as the track dries after the downpour on day two. The Spanish rider sat out testing during the rain, but managed to...