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November

Leon Camier to sign for Aprilia

16 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Leon Camier is poised this week to sign for the factory Aprilia team alongside Max Biaggi. Rumours suggested the deal would be finalised today (Monday) and an official  announcement would be made by Aprilia this afternoon but when MCN contacted the company to get confirmation, spokesman Daniele Tosatti said: “We are not expecting to make any announcement until the test at Misano later this...

Shane Byrne eager to get back on track

16 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

The WSB season might only have just finished but Shane Byrne is itching to get back on track now that he’s confirmed his deal with Althea Ducati for next year. “I wish I could go and ride the new bike right now,” he told MCN. The reason for his enthusiasm is that he’ll be on the same top level equipment as new team-mate Carlos Checa. Shakey said: “The difference in 2010 is that I’ll be getting...

Thundersport announces National sidecar series

16 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Thundersports GB have announced a new National F1 Sidecar championship. Although billed as the “Battle of Britain” the organisers claim that the provisional entry list is a ‘who’s who’ of worldwide sidecar racing talent, and as such, is the highest ranking series outside of the World Championship. The Championship – which pays a £4000 purse per round and is covered by Motors TV – will be organised...

Gowland fourth in Jerez Moto2 debut

16 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Gowland fourth in Jerez Moto2 debut

FTR Moto’s new Moto2 machine put in its most impressive display to date as Graeme Gowland finished fourth in class and 13th overall among 1000cc Extreme class bikes at Jerez on Sunday Gowland was...

Coghlan is Spanish Supersport champion

16 November 2009 by Ben Davies

Coghlan is Spanish Supersport champion

Scot Kev Coghlan sealed Spanish CEV Championship Supersport title at Jerez on Sunday with a superb ride to fourth place on his Joe Darcy Honda 600. His rival challenger Ivan Moreno suffered an engine...

Ellison puts Phase One Yamaha on Qatar 8H pole

13 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Ellison puts Phase One Yamaha on Qatar 8H pole

BSB runner-up James Ellison has put the British-based Yamaha Phase One Endurance on pole position for tomorrow’s Qatar 8 Hour – the final round of the World Endurance Championship. He clocked 2:01.002...

Moto Rapido confirm BSB ‘Evo’ team

13 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Moto Rapido confirm BSB ‘Evo’ team

Moto Rapido Ducati will make a step up to the MCE British Superbike Championship next season with a two-rider team. Current racer Scott Smart will return to the main class after a successful year in...

McGuinness and Plater to race indoor shorttrack

13 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

McGuinness and Plater to race indoor shorttrack

TT lap record holder John McGuinness and British Supersport champion Steve Plater will take part in the Braintree Bonanza Indoor Shorttrack meeting on 27th December. Plater, 2009 Senior TT Winner &...

Casey Stoner talks Valencia warm-up lap crash

13 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner talks Valencia warm-up lap crash

Casey Stoner has finally talked about the warm-up lap crash that ended his hopes of claiming victory in the final MotoGP clash of the season in Valencia last weekend. The Aussie started the 30-lap...

Nicky Hayden: "Ben Spies belongs in MotoGP"

13 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden: "Ben Spies belongs in MotoGP"

Former world champion Nicky Hayden said it is obvious that Ben Spies deserves to be in MotoGP after the Texan’s impressive performance in Valencia. Spies rode to a brilliant seventh place on his...

Colin Edwards ends 2009 on the toilet

13 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards ends 2009 on the toilet

Colin Edwards had a miserable ending to a brilliant 2009 after the Texan had to quit the Valencia test earlier this week with a severe virus. The 35-year-old, who claimed a stunning fifth place in...

Scott Redding unsure of future

13 November 2009 by MCN

Scott Redding unsure of future

Eighteen months after becoming the youngest rider in history to win a Grand Prix, Scott Redding heads into the winter with no job.  The 16-year-old will quit 125GPs but as yet has no offers in Moto2...

Hiroshi Aoyama draws on Daijiro Kato inspiration

13 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Hiroshi Aoyama draws on Daijiro Kato inspiration

Hiroshi Aoyama reckons he drew inspiration from late Japanese star Daijiro Kato after he claimed a historic victory in the final 250GP world championship in Valencia last weekend. The Scot Honda...

Best race at Valencia Moto GP

12 November 2009 by alan joy

Just back from Valencia where we froze, was it ever cold! Bradley did his usual excellent job, pity it was second AGAIN. Ben Spies kept us on out toes with his overtaking manoevres, and the 250 race was entertaining which could have ended in disaster for the eventual world champ. Did anybody see the last race for the youngsters on the 50cc bikes? 5 abreast into the first corner and no...

Shane Byrne signs Althea Ducati deal

11 November 2009 by Michael Guy

Shane Byrne signs Althea Ducati deal

Shane Byrne has signed a deal to join the Althea Ducati squad in next year’s World Superbike championship. As revealed by MCN nearly 24 hours ago, the popular former double British Superbike champion...

Hector Barbera top rookie at Valencia test

11 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Hector Barbera top rookie at Valencia test

Hector Barbera grabbed some of the attention away from Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista to end the Valencia test session as best rookie. Making his debut on the Aspar Ducati, the Spaniard ended...

Casey Stoner ends 2009 on top

11 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner ends 2009 on top

Casey Stoner ended a turbulent 2009 campaign on a high today, the Australian posting the fastest time at the end of testing at a sun drenched Valencia.  Continuing to put in crucial early development...

More Bradley Smith please

11 November 2009 by hyabusa47

Bradley Smith in MCN this week. Hi all first of all well done on the MCN being reading it weekly for years so keep up the good work. My only issue was that reading the sports section this week I see no mention of Bradley Smith at all. Come on whats going on?  The guy has rode exceptional well this year and has produced some excellent viewing and sometimes the 125 racing has been better viewing...

TT and Silverstone will continue to work together

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

TT and Silverstone will continue to work together

TT boss Paul Phillips says that he hopes to continue to work closely with the Silverstone management – even though the date clash between the 2010 TT and the Northants MotoGP race has now been...

New £9million motorsport park to host British MX GP

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

New £9million motorsport park to host British MX GP

The British Motocross GP has a new home, just across the Severn Bridge, on the outskirts of Newport. The new GP-class motocross track will be part of a brand new £9million facility on a 140-acre site...

NW200 course improvement

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

NW200 course improvement

Twelve times North West 200 race winner Michael Rutter has welcomed major improvements carried out by the Department of Regional Development (DRD) Roads Service at Mathers Cross on the 8.9mile...

Neil Hodgson signs for Motorpoint Yamaha!

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Neil Hodgson signs for Motorpoint Yamaha!

Neil Hodgson has signed to ride for Motorpoint Yamaha to race in BSB next year. The deal was finalised last week and Hodgson jetted in from his home on the Isle of Man to sign the contract at...

Scot Honda quit MotoGP

11 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Scot Honda quit MotoGP

Only 17 bikes will contest the 2010 MotoGP world championship after the cash-strapped Scot Honda squad confirmed it has abandoned plans to race in the premier class next season. The Italian team had...

Tommy with Worx Suzuki

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Tommy with Worx Suzuki

Tommy Hill lines up with Yukio Kagayama in the Worx Suzuki BSB team next year. Hill was at Crescent Suzuki in Verwood last Thursday to sign his 2010 contract with the team and told MCN:  “I had a lot...

Motorpoint Yamaha - back from the brink

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Motorpoint Yamaha - back from the brink

What a turnaround. One minute Rob McElnea is ready to close down his race shop after their most disappointing season ever. The next he’s arguably bagged the biggest coup in BSB by signing former WSB...

Linfoot is Hodgson's Motorpoint team-mate

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Linfoot is Hodgson's Motorpoint team-mate

Dan Linfoot will be Neil Hodgson’s team-mate in next year’s Motorpoint Yamaha team, leaving the team’s 2009 rider Chris Walker and Graeme Gowland both looking for pastures new. Linfoot was bowled over...

BMW for National Superstock?

11 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

BMW for National Superstock?

BMW Motorrad UK plans to run a two-man team in next year’s National Superstock championship but is looking to form a partnership with a well-established outfit in the BSB paddock, rather than run the...

Blog: Thanks, JT

11 November 2009 by Mike Nicks

Blog: Thanks, JT

Thanks, James Toseland, for everything you’ve done for British motorcycling in the past two years. If you hadn’t had the guts to risk the move from a safe home in WSB to leap into the raging MotoGP...

Manx Tattoo

11 November 2009 by gareth keep

Manx Tattoo

I passengered at the TT for derek rumble jnr. 1987 to 1991. I had this done earlier in this year, so there will always a part of the island in my heart.

Jorge Lorenzo fastest in Valencia

10 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo fastest in Valencia

Jorge Lorenzo ended his 2009 MotoGP campaign on a high when the Spaniard topped the timesheets on the second day of testing in Valencia today. Continuing to assess a new chassis on his Fiat Yamaha...

Wanneroo success story

10 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Last weekend saw the second running of the Kings of Wanneroo event in Australia and with stars of World and British Superbikes in attendance, the hard-working Western Australia motorcycle club had certainly assembled a grid packed with racing talent. From start to finish the UK riders were treated like ‘Kings’ and whilst the meeting certainly has the classic end of year feel to it, where there’s...

Rutter aims for seventh Macau GP win

10 November 2009 by Gary Pinchin

Rutter aims for seventh Macau GP win

Michael Rutter is gunning for a record seventh victory at Macau next month, riding in the colours of Team of Paris AXA Racing on an MSS Kawasaki ZX-10, alongside MSS’ regular BSB star Simon...

Bradley Smith signs new 125GP deal

10 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith signs new 125GP deal

British teenager Bradley Smith will stay in the 125GP world championship in 2010. The Oxfordshire rider has signed a new deal with the Aspar Aprilia squad having been unable to secure a switch to the...

Tech 3 confirm Moto2 line-up

10 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 confirm Moto2 line-up

Raffaele de Rosa and former Scot Honda MotoGP rider Yuki Takahashi will ride for the new Tech 3 Moto2 squad in 2010. Italian de Rosa finished sixth in this year’s 250cc world championship and a...

Tech 3 sign Jorge Lorenzo’s former boss

10 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

Tech 3 sign Jorge Lorenzo’s former boss

The French-based Tech 3 squad has pulled off a big coup by confirming that Jorge Lorenzo’s former Fiat Yamaha team boss will join its Moto2 effort in 2010. Italian Daniele Romagnoli will work as...

British MotoGP date changed in calendar reshuffle

10 November 2009 by Matthew Birt

British MotoGP date changed in calendar reshuffle

The 2010 British MotoGP race at Silverstone will now take place on June 20, as was revealed by MCN yesterday. The Silverstone date has been pushed back two weeks from June 6, with five dates changing...