April

Year: 2009

Month: April

Consistency the key for Jorge Lorenzo

17 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Consistency will be the key for Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo to mount a more serious challenge to dominant MotoGP duo Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi in 2009. The Spaniard finished the season’s...

Casey Stoner: GP9 is best Ducati yet

17 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Former world champion Casey Stoner has told MCN the new carbon fibre chassis and swingarm on his stunning GP9 machine has made this year’s factory Ducati the best he’s ever ridden. The 23-year-old...

Qatar needs to consider date change, says Yamaha boss

17 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis believes Qatar might have to surrender its coveted slot as the opening race of the MotoGP world championship to avoid a repeat of the opening race weather disaster. In return...

Casey Stoner is title favourite, says Randy Mamola

17 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

American Randy Mamola reckons factory Ducati rider Casey Stoner is a red-hot favourite to win his 2009 MotoGP battle against reigning world champion Valentino Rossi. Stoner started his quest to win...

Qatar MotoGP: Alex de Angelis warned after Dani Pedrosa clash

14 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Honda rider Alex de Angelis was ticked off and warned about his future conduct after a clash with injured Spaniard Dani Pedrosa in last night’s Qatar MotoGP race. The Gresini Honda was summonsed...

Qatar MotoGP: James Toseland deflated after lowly 16th

14 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

British rider James Toseland cut a dejected figure as his second MotoGP season kicked off in bitterly disappointing fashion in Qatar last night. Toseland was fighting for a place in the top ten behind...

Rossi pays tribute to victims of Italy's earthquake

14 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi showed his support for the victims of Italy’s recent devastating earthquake at the opening MotoGP race in Qatar. The 30-year-old carried a special sticker on his factory Yamaha YZR-M1...

Qatar MotoGP: Stoner wins rescheduled Qatar clash

13 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Ducati rider Casey Stoner won the MotoGP race in Qatar after it was postponed due to torrential rain. The Aussie finished over 7 seconds ahead of Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi. Rossi’s Spanish...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner questions Qatar re-run

13 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Factory Ducati rider Casey Stoner has said the decision to stage the Qatar MotoGP race nearly 24 hours late was strange given a drive to slash costs. The Aussie, who had qualified on pole position for...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi happy to race on Monday

13 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi has said he is happy that the delayed Qatar MotoGP race will go ahead after last night’s rain cancellation. The opening round of the 2009 season was postponed...

Reduced to watching German tv for MotoGP coverage

13 April 2009 by Gordon

For coverage of the MotoGP events I am reduced to the German DSF channel on my Astra satellite (analogue) set up! OK if you understand German, just watch the pictures and learn. I got the gist of most of what was shown. Tried BBC 3, that was pretty awful, will never forgive Eurosport International for dumping MotoGP and the knowledgeable commentators, sadly missed.

BBC MotoGP coverage

13 April 2009 by alan pollard

I would just like to say that the BBC is a joke – I mean first race of the year, look on BBC1/BBC2, no MotoGP… eventually find it on BBC3… It was given to the BBC to enable more fans to be able to watch, ha! someone was having a laugh. Give it all back to Eurosport and bring back Randy.

MotoGP organisers

12 April 2009 by Anonymous

Well done organisers of the MotoGP in Losail! Do you have any brains? UK and Europe are only 2 hours away from Losail so why this stupid eco unfriendly floodlight joke! Lunchtime in the UK is fine and the USA have no interest in MotoGP. Even worse BBC showed some old git waddling around the track on a bmw twin, shouting something that could not be heard. I have seen school sports days that have...

Qatar MotoGP: Race postponed to Monday

12 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

The opening round of the MotoGP world championship in Qatar has been postponed by a day because of torrential rain. Heavy rain started to fall just as the 18-rider field was about to start the warm-up...

Qatar MotoGP: Barbera takes 250GP victory

12 April 2009 by Liam Marsden

Aprilia rider Hector Barbera has bounced back from a pre-season knee injury to win the first 250GP race of 2009 in Qatar. Barbera didn’t have it all his own way, after underdog Jules Cluzel led from...

Qatar MotoGP: Iannone takes 125GP win after rain stoppage

12 April 2009 by Liam Marsden

Aprilia rider Andrea Iannone has won the first 125GP of 2009, but will only be awarded half points after the race was stopped due to rain after just four laps. Completing the podium was Julian Simon...

Qatar MotoGP: Alvaro Bautista takes pole

12 April 2009 by Liam Marsden

Aspar Aprilia rider Alvaro Bautista has claimed the first pole of the season after the 250GP qualifying session was postponed due to heavy rain. Bautista was the fastest of only two riders who managed...

Qatar MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli withdraws from 250GP race

11 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Reigning 250GP world champion Marco Simoncelli has withdrawn from tomorrow’s opening race in Qatar. The Italian bravely tried to ride just a week after breaking his right wrist in a motocross training...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner takes first pole of 2009

11 April 2009 by Liam Marsden

Factory Ducati rider Casey Stoner will start from the front tomorrow after setting the fastest lap during qualifying in Qatar. The Australian dominated the session, consistently setting the fastest...

Qatar MotoGP: Bradley Smith qualifies second

11 April 2009 by Liam Marsden

Brit Bradley Smith will start the first 125GP race of 2009 from second on the grid after team-mate Julian Simon bumped him off top spot. Fellow Brits Scott Redding and Danny Webb qualified 11th and...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner quickest in first practice

11 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner took his winter domination into the new MotoGP world championship campaign tonight, the Aussie topping the timesheets in the first practice session of 2009 in Qatar. A late attack by...

Qatar MotoGP: Bradley Smith second in first 125GP practice

10 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith got his 2009 campaign off to a bright start under the spectacular Losail International Circuit floodlights tonight when he posted the second best time in the opening 125GP session. The...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau end feud

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Bitter MotoGP rivals Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau went a long way to burying their long-running feud after a very public and shock reconciliation in Qatar today. The pair shook hands and embraced...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi hoping for exciting racing

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi has told MCN he hopes the new MotoGP season will deliver the excitement and thrills craved by fans. But the 30-year-old Fiat Yamaha rider, who starts the...

Qatar MotoGP: James Tosland ready for ‘massive year’

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

British MotoGP rider James Toseland has admitted that 2009 is the biggest year of his career as he prepares for the season opening race in Qatar on Sunday night. The double World Superbike champion is...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner assured by wrist assessment

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Aussie Casey Stoner has laid to rest any lingering pre-season nerves about the lengthy recovery of his left wrist injury ahead of this weekend’s crunch first MotoGP race in Qatar. Ever since the...

Qatar MotoGP: Jerry Burgess confident in 2009 Yamaha

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha’s 2009 factory YZR-M1 is good enough to withstand a fresh onslaught from Ducati’s impressive new GP9, according to Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess. After a nightmare first season in...

Qatar MotoGP: Jerry Burgess assesses Casey Stoner threat

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s legendary crew chief Jerry Burgess has inevitably marked Ducati’s Casey Stoner as the biggest threat to the Italian’s hopes of clinching a seventh MotoGP title in 2009. Assessing the...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner confident in carbon fibre gamble

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Former world champion Casey Stoner is confident that he can show Ducati’s gamble on radical carbon fibre chassis technology can be a major success when he starts the new MotoGP season in Qatar this...

Qatar MotoGP: Bradley Smith names 125GP title threats

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith has named Aspar Aprilia team-mate Julian Simon as his biggest threat in the 2009 125GP world championship. Get all the latest MotoGP news The Spaniard has dominated winter testing and...

Qatar MotoGP Danny Webb aims for 125GP podiums

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Danny Webb believes he can be a regular podium contender when the new 125GP world championship campaign kicks off on Sunday night in Qatar. Webb has secured a factory RSA Aprilia...

Qatar MotoGP: Suzuki eye return to 2007 form

09 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki boss Paul Denning believes a successful season for the Japanese factory will be to emulate its success of the first year of the new 800cc era in 2007. Get all the latest MotoGP news Suzuki...

Qatar MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa to ride in first race

08 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Spaniard Dani Pedrosa will ride in this weekend’s opening MotoGP of 2009 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The 24-year-old will fly to the Middle East despite fears that left arm and leg...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi backs Suzuki for success

08 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has backed Suzuki to be the major surprise of 2009 ahead of the first race in Qatar this Sunday. The Fiat Yamaha rider, who won nine races last year to...

Qatar MotoGP: Bradley Smith quickest in warm-up test

08 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Bradley Smith posted the fastest time on the opening night of 125GP testing in Qatar as part of a warm-up for the first race of 2009 this weekend. Smith, who claimed pole position at...

Qatar MotoGP: Yamaha boss targets top three for Jorge Lorenzo

07 April 2009 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo’s Fiat Yamaha team boss is confident the Spaniard can cut the gap on dominant duo Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi in 2009 to claim a top three MotoGP world championship finish. Lorenzo...