May

Year: 2008

Month: May

MotoGP: Improved run-offs taking away rider skill

21 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP world champions Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden reckon the drive to improve safety in MotoGP is taking away another element of rider skill. Already angered by the significant influence that...

Isle of Man TT: Dunlop brothers won't race as a mark of respect for their father

21 May 2008 by Dermot James

William Dunlop and his brother Michael have decided to withdraw from the Isle of Man TT races as a mark of respect for their dad Robert who was fatally injured during practice for the North-West...

MotoGP: Bradley Smith ready for crucial period

21 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Aprilia rider Bradley Smith believes his career best second place in Le Mans last weekend has given him the perfect platform to build on for arguably the most critical period of the campaign. With...

MotoGP: Aprilia readying V4 motor for GP return

21 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Aprilia bosses have confirmed to MCN that a new V4 engine will begin dyno testing next year as the Italian factory plots a future return to the MotoGP world championship. No official date has been set...

Steve Brogan Wheelie at Oulton

21 May 2008 by Kerry Green

What an entertainer Steve Brogan is. He wheelied from the bottom of Clay Hill to the top at Oulton Park. I managed to capture a great sequence of wheelies from Brogie and this is just one of many from...

BSB Brands Hatch

20 May 2008 by Emma Selling

BSB Take 2 at Brands Hatch 11th May 2008. The first round was exciting, watching the snow melt on the car windows. Taking bets on which drip would get to the bottom first. I would like to thank...

British Superbikes: Airwaves Ducati pull out of Donington Park round

20 May 2008 by Rob Hull

British Superbike Championship leaders Airwaves Ducati will not be racing at Donington Park for round four of the season due to concerns over extra weight being added to their machines. Team Owner...

MotoGP: Valentino Rossi targets Giacomo Agostini record

20 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has set his sights on Giacomo Agostini’s MotoGP victory record after he became the second most successful rider in history last weekend in Le Mans. Rossi’s brilliant victory in the...

William Dunlop considers quitting road racing

20 May 2008 by Michael Carroll

William Dunlop is on the verge of quitting motorcycle road racing, following the death of his father Robert Dunlop during practice for the North West 200 last week. The rider said he hasn’t completely...

MotoGP: Suzuki in no rush to finalise 2009 line-up

20 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki boss Paul Denning reckons there is no need for the Japanese factory to rush finalising its 2009 rider line-up. Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi both have options for next season’s MotoGP...

First time at the North West 200

20 May 2008 by Stu Adams, Barnsley

On Friday 16th May myself and eight mates set off for our first visit to Northern Ireland for the North West 200. We rode from South Yorkshire to Cairnryan in Scotland onto the ferry over to Ireland...

FIM World Motocross: Marc "The Hoover" De Reuver and Antonio Cairoli clean up in Mantova

20 May 2008 by Paul Harris

Marc “The Hoover“ De Reuver has won the MX1 class at the Grand Prix of Italy, as Tony Cairoli stamped his authority on the MX2 title race in Italy at the weekend. Antonio Cairoli was an early victim...

Racing results round-up: May 17-18

20 May 2008 by MCN Sportsdesk

Each week we will have a full list of the racing results from the previous weekend. Click on the name of the championship you wish to see the results of. MOTOGP, LE MANS AMA SUPERBIKES, INFINEON...

MotoGP: Valentino Rossi hails Yamaha improvement

20 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has praised Yamaha for the drastic improvements made to the factory YZR-M1 after the Italian headed an all-Yamaha podium in Le Mans last weekend for the first time since 2001. Rossi...

AMA Superbike: Mat Mladin blasts proposed 2009 rules

20 May 2008 by Henny Ray Abrams

Six-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin used the podium at Infineon Raceway as a pulpit to blast the proposed 2009 rules package for the AMA Superbike Championship. Just after getting beaten by...

Brands Hatch BSB pictures

19 May 2008 by Kevin Langridge

BSB Race action from Brands Hatch. The pictures include Malcolm Ashleys big off at Hawthorn.

Calan Contrino - A star in the making

19 May 2008 by Pat Contrino

Callan Contrino has been taking part in low capacity road racing since October of last year, starting on minimotos and progressing to the Jawa GP50 Auto road race bike, which is a smaller version of...

The Baron and I

19 May 2008 by Ashley Ball

JARNO SAARINEN Some readers will see the above name and say out loud….“Who?” … But, in my household this name is all too familiar, so much so that I have acquired the Christian name as my middle...

British Superbikes: Ducati pre-register 1098R’s to meet BSB homologation regulations

19 May 2008 by Rob Hull

Ducati UK has announced they will pre-register the remaining 1098R’s that do not have customer orders before June 1 to make them eligible to run as homologated models in British Superbikes. By the...

British Superbikes: Ducati to be hit with extra weight

19 May 2008 by Rob Hull

MCN understands there is set to be an official announcement today from BSB organisers to add extra weight to the 1200cc Ducati machines. The move will come as response to some of the four cylinder...

British Superbikes: Ex BSB Rizla Suzuki Team Boss joins engine spec debate

19 May 2008 by Rob Hull

Former Rizla Suzuki British Superbike Team Manager Simon Buckmaster has defended the current engine specification rules in BSB, calling for the teams to rev their bikes less to be more reliable. The...

Michael Rutter and the lucky duck

19 May 2008 by Denise Nesbitt

I told Michael Rutter the duck would bring him luck! Picture Taken at North West 200

First BSB meeting

19 May 2008 by ian lambert

Here is my daughter Shannon [right]with her cousin Abby at her first race meeting at Brands BSB,where Nial Mckenzie signed her Toseland t-shirt.she also met John Reynolds and Scott Smart.

French MotoGP: Valentino Rossi eases to 90th win

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi produced a dominant display at the Le Mans MotoGP today to claim his 90th Grand Prix victory to seize the lead in the 2008 world championship. Once the Italian surged by reigning world...

French MotoGP: Engine failure dents Casey Stoner’s title defence

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner’s hopes of defending his MotoGP world crown suffered another crushing blow today in France as he failed to score points for the first time in his factory Ducati career. An engine failure...

French MotoGP: Heroic Jorge Lorenzo in dreamland after second

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo reckoned he was in dreamland after he claimed a stunning second place finish in Le Mans today. Still severely hampered by the two fractured ankles he suffered in Shanghai just 16 days...

French MotoGP: Colin Edwards disappointed despite third

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards admitted he was disappointed with his French GP result today, even though the American helped Yamaha claim its first podium clean sweep since 2001. The Texan was third to claim his ninth...

French MotoGP: Andrea Dovizioso unhappy with James Toseland

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

Italian rookie Andrea Dovizioso reckons British rider James Toseland cost him the chance to fight for a podium finish in today’s French GP. Toseland crashed in an incident with the JIR Scot Honda...

French MotoGP: James Toseland suffers first race crash

18 May 2008 by Matthew Birt

James Toseland’s hopes of protecting his 100 per cent point-scoring record in his rookie MotooGP record disappeared in Le Mans today when he crashed out of ninth place on lap three. The Tech 3 Yamaha...

Leon Haslam steals mountain bike

18 May 2008 by kev randall

Leon Haslam highside at Druids during qualifying for BSB race at Oulton Park 4th May.

French MotoGP: Valentino Rossi equals Angel Nieto's record on way to victory

18 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Valentino Rossi has equalled Angel Nieto’s 90 wins in a stunning performance at Le Mans today to take his second successive victory of the season. The Fiat Yamaha rider finished 4.997secs ahead of...

French MotoGP: Alex Debon storms to maiden 250 win

18 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Alex Debon has taken his first ever victory in the battle of the tyres in the 250GP race in Le Mans. The Aprilia rider was well in control from almost the beginning of the race after opting for slick...

French MotoGP: Bradley Smith takes fantastic second in five-lap dash 125GP

18 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

Bradley Smith has finished a fantastic and emotional second in a five-lap dash 125GP race in Le Mans today to take the best finish of his career. And there was more emotion from French rider Mike Di...

French MotoGP: 125GP red flagged

18 May 2008 by Sarah Carnell

The French 125GP has been red flagged and will now run over five laps after rain began to pour down on the Le Mans circuit. Sergio Gadea took the lead into the first corner, whilst Bradley Smith...

Scott Nicholls diary: Poland Speeway GP

18 May 2008 by Mark Thursfield

Last Saturday was the Speedway European Grand Prix in Poland, and for me it was an absolute f***ing disaster. The engines were just way off the pace, I’ve been having a few problems with the engines...

Go Shakey Go

17 May 2008 by mbimson@tiscali.co.uk

My son luke at his first BSB race (as seen on TV)