May

Year: 2011

Month: May

Marco Simoncelli to face Race Direction in Catalunya

31 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli has been summoned for talks with Race Direction ahead of this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP clash near Barcelona. The Italian was embroiled in a storm of controversy after an aggressive...

Valentino Rossi pleased with second GP12 test

27 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi completed his second test on Ducati’s new 2012 MotoGP prototype at the Mugello circuit yesterday (Thursday), the Italian declaring a 60-lap run as positive. The nine-times world...

Aspar Ducati confirms MotoGP expansion plan

26 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati could expand its MotoGP involvement to seven bikes in 2012 with the Aspar squad confirming to MCN it is negotiating a deal to run a two-rider effort next season. The Spanish squad, run by...

Ducati’s GP12 unlikely to repeat 2007 dominance

26 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati is unlikely to replicate its domination of MotoGP after the last time the premier class instigated a major rule change back in 2007. When engine capacity was reduced from 990cc to 800cc, Ducati...

Dorna expects Motegi race to go ahead

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

A letter updating teams and paddock personnel of the current situation relating to the staging of the rescheduled Japanese MotoGP race makes it clear that Dorna believes the event will go ahead in...

Valentino Rossi’s development skills vital for Ducati

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati is finally starting to reap the rewards of having the technical skills of Valentino Rossi develop its factory GP11 MotoGP machine, according to factory team boss Vittoriano Guareschi. Rossi has...

Casey Stoner praises Marc Marquez

25 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner has praised Marc Marquez and tipped the talented Spaniard to develop into a MotoGP star of the future. The reigning 125GP world champion won an army of admirers in 2010 and Aussie Stoner...

Ducati confident GP12 will suit more styles

24 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Ducati is confident its new 1000cc MotoGP bike will suit a range of styles and won’t be the extreme and hard to tame package like previous versions of its factory Desmosedici machine. Valentino Rossi...

Colin Edwards: Simoncelli overtake was 'wrong'

23 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

American Colin Edwards reckons Marco Simoncelli’s controversial Le Mans overtake that left Dani Pedrosa injured was too aggressive. Simoncelli and Pedrosa were battling for second place on lap 18 of...

Toni Elias ride not in danger

23 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Toni Elias is not in danger of being axed by the LCR Honda squad, despite his wretched return to MotoGP in 2011. The reigning Moto2 world champion has endured a disastrous return to MotoGP and in the...

Suzuki nearing MotoGP decision for 2012

20 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki’s MotoGP future will be decided by the end of June after bosses held crunch talks in Japan recently. MotoGP boss Paul Denning made a whirlwind one-day visit to the Hamamatsu factory prior to...

Andrea Dovizioso not worried by 1000cc test absence

20 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso has played down his absence from this week’s Honda 1000cc test in Jerez. Factory Honda team-mate Casey Stoner rode the RC212V 800cc replacement in Spain on Tuesday and Wednesday but...

Video: Casey Stoner on new 2012 Honda 1000cc bike

19 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner completed his first test on Honda’s new 1000cc MotoGP bike in Jerez yesterday (Wednesday). And to mark the occasion, HRC has released footage of the new bike on track, though as...

Dani Pedrosa in fitness fight for Catalunya MotoGP

19 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa is facing a desperate race to be fit for his home MotoGP round at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona early next month having undergone surgery on the right collarbone he broke following...

Valentino Rossi confident for Silverstone MotoGP

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi is confident Ducati’s factory GP11 will be a competitive package at next month’s British MotoGP race after the Italian made his debut at the Silverstone track yesterday...

Silverstone unveils new £27m pits and paddock Wing

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Silverstone unveiled its state-of-the-art £27m new pits and paddock Wing yesterday (Tuesday) The Silverstone Wing helps make facilities at the Northamptonshire circuit the envy of the world and the...

Jenson Button says bike racers are 'nutcases'

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button reckons MotoGP riders are ‘nutcases’. The McLaren Mercedes driver was talking about MotoGP during the launch of the impressive new £27m pits and paddock...

Casey Stoner makes Honda 1000cc debut

18 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner kicked off his preparations for the 2012 MotoGP world championship in Jerez yesterday (Tuesday) when he completed his first day of testing on board Honda’s new 1000cc machine. Fresh from...

Yamaha unveils 50th anniversary paintjob for MotoGP

17 May 2011 by Andy Downes

Yamaha has unveiled a 50th anniversary celebration paintjob for the factory MotoGP team which will be raced at Assen at the end of June and raced by reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo and teammate...

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi blames Simoncelli

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi conceded that Marco Simoncelli’s overtake during the French MotoGP race that left Dani Pedrosa with a broken left collarbone was too aggressive. Rossi has been a staunch supporter of...

Le Mans MotoGP: Casey Stoner hails ‘fantastic’ win

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion in yesterday’s French MotoGP race as a dominant performance saw him halve Jorge Lorenzo’s world championship lead. Stoner went into the 28-lap...

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi revels in first Ducati podium

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi toasted his first Ducati podium in Le Mans yesterday after the Italian finished the French MotoGP race in third position. The 32-year-old just failed to defeat compatriot Andrea...

Le Mans MotoGP: Yamaha not fast enough, says Jorge Lorenzo

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo admitted Yamaha has work to do to bridge the gap in performance to Honda after he was comprehensively beaten in yesterday’s French Grand Prix at Le Mans. Lorenzo never looked like...

Debate rages over Simoncelli move that took out Pedrosa

16 May 2011 by John Westlake

Marco Simoncelli’s reputation as the bad boy of MotoGP rose to new heights after he was involved in a collision with Pedrosa that left the luckless and injury prone Spaniard with a broken right...

Le Mans MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli defends controversial overtake

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Marco Simoncelli has defended himself against a renewed barrage of criticism after he was involved in a controversial incident in yesterday’s Le Mans MotoGP race that left Dani Pedrosa with a broken...

Le Mans MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow bemoans first DNF

16 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow was left to rue a small mistake early in yesterday’s French MotoGP race that he believes cost him the chance to score his first premier class top six in Le Mans. The British rider was...

Le Mans MotoGP: Stoner secures second victory of the season

15 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda) secured his second victory of the season at Le Mans. After starting from pole Stoner reclaimed first from team mate Dani Pedrosa in the second lap, where he then stayed for...

Le Mans MotoGP: Casey Stoner fined after de Puniet punch

15 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner has been hit with a 5000 Euro fine (£4350) fine after he punched French rider Randy de Puniet following an incident in the MotoGP Warm-up session at Le Mans this morning. Stoner was on a...

Le Mans MotoGP: Márquez takes first Moto2 victory

15 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) battled from sixth to take his first Moto2 victory at Le Mans in the first race of the season that the reigning 125GP champion has completed. The top five...

Le Mans MotoGP: Viñales snatches his first 125GP win from Terol

15 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Maverick Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team) snatched first place from Nicolas Terol (Bankia Aspar Team) in the final corner of the last lap at Le Mans after a race long battle between the...

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi ninth again in qualifying

14 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi qualified his factory Ducati GP11 machine in ninth position for the third time in four races today in Le Mans, the Italian conceding he faces another tough race to claim a top...

Le Mans MotoGP: Casey Stoner impressed with Honda domination

14 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner said he was thrilled to see Honda dominating practice and qualifying for tomorrow’s French MotoGP clash at the famous Bugatti circuit in Le Mans. The French venue has traditionally been a...

Le Mans MotoGP: Classy Cal Crutchlow claims top six

14 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow produced another outstanding performance this afternoon to claim a career best sixth position on the grid for the French MotoGP race at Le Mans. The 25-year-old, who has been a...

Le Mans MotoGP: Marco Simoncelli ‘I just need to finish’

14 May 2011 by Matthew Birt

Italian Marco Simoncelli came within 0.059s of claiming a stunning maiden MotoGP pole position in Le Mans today. The San Carlo Gresini rider produced a brilliant final lap of 1.33.212 to come...

Le Mans MotoGP: Stefan Bradl takes fourth consecutive Moto2 pole

14 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) took his fourth consecutive Moto2 pole this season in qualifying at Le Mans. Swiss rider Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) took second place in the final...

Le Mans MotoGP: Stoner takes pole position

14 May 2011 by Tom Cambio

Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda Team) continued his run of consistently fast laps at Le Mans to take pole position in qualifying, finishing the session 0.059s ahead of Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda...