2010

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi heads first practice

Le Mans MotoGP: Valentino Rossi heads first practice

Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi left it late to top the timesheets at the end of opening practice for the French GP at Le Mans this afternoon. The Italian looked like he might have to...

Le Mans MotoGP: Technical issue hits Bradley Smith

Le Mans MotoGP: Technical issue hits Bradley Smith

Bradley Smith’s hopes of a good start to the French 125GP weekend to help kickstart his 2010 title challenge were wrecked by a mechanical fault this afternoon. The Oxfordshire teenager, who is chasing...

Big four cautious on 2011 talk

Big four cautious on 2011 talk

Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa have faced a barrage of questions about their future plans in Le Mans. But all of them have adopted a cautious approach when discussing...

NW200 experience

Great racing, big thank you to all concerned. Beautiful country side and biking roads. What a fantastic week. It was spoiled slightly by the mindless cretin who stole my helmet and gloves from our bikes parked on the road side on the way up to the Ballysally roundabout, causing me to miss my ferry and costing me an extra nights B&B. Many thanks to all in the paddock who tried to fix me up with a...

Jorge Lorenzo targets new Yamaha deal

Jorge Lorenzo targets new Yamaha deal

MotoGP world championship leader Jorge Lorenzo has again insisted he intends to race with Yamaha in 2011. The Spaniard has already been strongly linked with a big money move to Ducati’s factory team...

Losing three KG’s easy for Ducati

Losing three KG’s easy for Ducati

Ducati boss Ernesto Marinelli has told MCN that reducing the minimum weight of the 1198 to comply with the amended technical regulations will be easy. Following the Kyalami round of the championship...

Minimum weight reduced for Ducati from Miller

Minimum weight reduced for Ducati from Miller

From the next round of the World Superbike Championship at Miller Motorsports Park, USA, Ducati will have their minimum weight reduced from 168KG to 165KG. For the first time since 2008 when the...

WSB paddock gossip from Kyalami

WSB paddock gossip from Kyalami

Paolo Flammini will host an all top teams meeting of all the manufacturers at Miller Motorsports Park later this month to discuss the current state of the championship with a focus on grid numbers and...

MotorLand Aragón to replace Valencia on WSB calendar in 2011

MotorLand Aragón to replace Valencia on WSB calendar in 2011

The new MotorLand Aragón circuit will host the Spanish round of the World Superbike Championship for the next three years starting from 2011.   WSB boss Paolo Flammini and Spanish rider Carlos Checa...

Casey Stoner confident for Le Mans

Casey Stoner confident for Le Mans

Former world champion Casey Stoner is confident he can kickstart his 2010 MotoGP world title challenge in Le Mans this weekend.  Stoner has yet to score a podium in the opening two races and the...

Ducati will support Troy Bayliss comeback

Ducati will support Troy Bayliss comeback

Ducati will wholeheartedly support Troy Bayliss’s bid to make a dramatic return to the World Superbike championship in 2011. Bayliss stunned the racing world earlier this month when he declared his...

Suzuki duo ditch new chassis

Suzuki duo ditch new chassis

Factory Suzuki duo Loris Capirossi and Alvaro Bautista will not debut a new chassis during this weekend’s French GP at Le Mans. The pair evaluated the new frame during the recent Jerez test session in...

Nicky Hayden aims for Le Mans best

Nicky Hayden aims for Le Mans best

Nicky Hayden is hoping he can bury his French GP jinx at Le Mans this weekend. The American has scored 26 podiums in his MotoGP career but none have ever come at the legendary Le Mans venue. Hayden’s...

Bradley Smith hopes for French success

Bradley Smith hopes for French success

Bradley Smith is hoping a return to the Le Mans circuit will fire his 2010 125GP world championship challenge into life this weekend. The iconic French venue has been a happy hunting ground for the...

My NW200 pictures

My NW200 pictures

Here are some pictures from this year’s NW200. Most of them were taken at Magheraboy chicane during the last two races. Enjoy!

Jorge Lorenzo hopes for easier Le Mans

Jorge Lorenzo hopes for easier Le Mans

Jorge Lorenzo has targeted a second successive French MotoGP victory this weekend at the famous Le Mans circuit. But the Spaniard is certainly hoping for an easier race than the recent Spanish GP in...

Valentino Rossi fit and ready for Le Mans

Valentino Rossi fit and ready for Le Mans

A fully fit Valentino Rossi is hoping he can forget a nightmare French MotoGP last year to mount a strong challenge for glory in Le Mans this weekend. Last year’s flag-to-flag race was a disaster for...

Scott Redding aims for improved qualifying

Scott Redding aims for improved qualifying

British rider Scott Redding has admitted he must dramatically improve his qualifying performances to bolster his hopes of a maiden top 15 Moto2 finish in Le Mans this weekend. The Marc VDS Racing...

NW200 pictures

NW200 pictures

As the day got off to a cold, wet start and delayed racing until the circuit had dried, the action soon warmed up. I was totally amazed at the speeds of these guys racing through, wheelying over the...

Seeley’s North West 200 double

Seeley’s North West 200 double

Alastair Seeley clocked up his first North West 200 Superbike race win when he took the second race of the day and earlier in the day he had scored his first Supersport 600 NW200 win. Beating Padgett...

Kyalami WSB: Haslam takes race two win

Kyalami WSB: Haslam takes race two win

Factory Suzuki rider Leon Haslam has extended his world championship lead with victory in the second race at Kyalami. Jonathan Rea looked odds on to finish first after several failed overtake attempts...

Kyalami WSB: Fabrizio takes dominant race one win

Kyalami WSB: Fabrizio takes dominant race one win

Xerox Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio has won the first race at Kyalami after taking the lead after the first corner and gapping the rest of the field. Veteran Carlos Checa finished second after he too...

Laverty targets third consecutive win after taking pole

Laverty targets third consecutive win after taking pole

Eugene Laverty secured his third pole position of the year at Kyalami, but revealed that he is not sure that he wanted it. His two previous poles at Portimao and Valencia both ended in disappointment...

Kyalami WSB: Crutchlow takes pole ahead of Toseland

Kyalami WSB: Crutchlow takes pole ahead of Toseland

Sterilgarda Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow has taken his third pole position of the season ahead of team-mate James Toseland making it a Yamaha and Brit one two. Althea Ducati rider Carlos Checa and...

WSB Kyalami: Smrz fastest in second qualifying

WSB Kyalami: Smrz fastest in second qualifying

B&G Ducati rider Jacob Smrz maintained his reputation as an exceptional qualifier by overhauling factory Ducati man Michel Fabrizio to claim provisional pole position. The 27 year old Czech rider...

WSS Kyalami: Laverty continues WSS domination in Kyalami

Parkalgar Honda rider Eugene Laverty dominated this morning second free practice in Kyalami. The 23 year old set provisional pole position in first qualifying yesterday ahead of Frenchman Mathieu Lagrive, riding the BE1 Triumph. Laverty won last years World Supersport race and if he can repeat that achievement he will have won the last three WSS races which will put him firmly back in contention...

NW200 blog: Busy day despite no track action

Considering today (Friday) has been a day off at the North West 200, it’s been one hectic one, tinged with controversy. This morning the stewards met to decide the formation of the superbike grid. When Steve Plater’s crash brought out the red flag in final Superbike qualifying it meant some riders were unable to get a flying lap in to secure a leading grid slot. Protests were filed and initially...

Kyalami WSB: Brits up the pace, but Fabrizio stays top

Kyalami WSB: Brits up the pace, but Fabrizio stays top

Italian Michel Fabrizio continued to set the pace in Kyalami today and sits at the front of the provisional grid onboard his factor Xerox Ducati 1198. Fabrizio racked up 24 laps on his way to...

Alvaro Bautista fit for Le Mans

Alvaro Bautista fit for Le Mans

Alvaro Bautista will be fit to ride his factory Suzuki GSV-R in Le Mans next weekend. The Spaniard had looked a major doubt for round three of the MotoGP world championship when he broke his...

WSB Kyalami: Fabrizio on top as Ducati dominate

WSB Kyalami: Fabrizio on top as Ducati dominate

Xerox Ducati rider Michel Fabrizio set the fastest time of the opening free practice session at Kyalami this afternoon. The Italian rider who finished second in both races last year to his team-mate...

Bayliss takes one step closer to WSB comeback

Bayliss takes one step closer to WSB comeback

Troy Bayliss exceeded all expectations when he completed his scheduled two day test at Mugello this week onboard a development Ducati 1198.  On day one the three time WSB champion completed 60 laps...

Alvaro Bautista breaks collarbone

Alvaro Bautista breaks collarbone

Factory Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista looks a certainty to miss next weekend’s French GP at Le Mans after breaking his collarbone in a motocross training accident. Suzuki is making no official comment...

Plater crash and controversy mar NW200 practice

Plater crash and controversy mar NW200 practice

Steve Plater’s 100mph crash that left him with a broken arm, intermittent drizzle and controversy over the qualifying times combined to mar Thursday’s final Superbike qualifying at the North West...

NW200: Plater injury update

NW200: Plater injury update

HM Plant Honda issued this press realease regarding Steve Plater’s crash in qualifying yesterday (Thursday) at the North West 200. “HM Plant Honda’s Steve Plater and John McGuinness have experienced...

Honda VFR1200 to Jerez

Honda VFR1200 to Jerez

Graham & Ann-Marie White from Tingley, West Yorkshire at Jerez MotoGP on their new VFR1200.

Steve Plater suffers massive practice crash at NW200

Steve Plater suffers massive practice crash at NW200

Update at 16:00: Statement issued by NW200 organisers on behalf of the HM Plant Honda team: “On the final lap of the Superbike Practice session Steve Plater had a crash at the final corner.   Steve’s...