March

Year: 2011

Month: March

Honda desperate for final 800cc glory

07 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Honda bosses have admitted failure to win the final 800cc MotoGP world title in 2011 would be a massive disappointment. HRC hasn’t seriously challenged for an 800cc world title since the class was...

Scott Redding: 'I'm ready to bang fairings again.'

07 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding says he can’t wait for the cut and thrust of competition again having completed his Moto2 world championship preparations in Jerez yesterday (Sunday.) The 18-year-old ended the...

MCN BSB blog: Cartagena and Calafat times

07 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Tommy Hill wound up fastest in the four-day test here with a 1:32.9 on the Swan Yamaha but Josh Brookes second and Michael Laverty – each just one tenth of a second further back and Shane Byrne just...

Simpson and Tonus take big gold in Little Silver

07 March 2011 by Paul Harris

The Maxxis British Championships took the gate for the first time in 2011 at Little Silver near the bottom end of the M5. Shaun Simpson made a great impression making his UK debut in the 450 class for Honda, scoring a Toni Cairoli (2-2-2) to take the overall on one of his rare domestic forays. Jason Dougan passed Brad Anderson early on to lead ahead of Simpson and Stephen Sword in race one, but...

Villopoto makes breakthrough at Daytona

06 March 2011 by Paul Harris

It’s been a long time coming, but as the clock ticks over into the second half of the AMA Supercross championship, someone has finally had a decisive break. Ryan Villopoto went to Daytona hanging onto his slender series lead, but by the time he left the Speedway, the lead was out to 23 points – a margin just two points shy of a full win. Given how close the battling has been between the five...

MCN BSB Blog: Cartagena times

05 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Times were the talking point in the Cartagena pit lane today so I’ve compiled this list of top runners. Bearing in mind the BS and the banter, I’d hope that these times are pretty much spot-on since...

MCN BSB testing blog: Hill and Laverty on fire

05 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

There wasn’t exactly fear on the faces of the BSB teams in the Cartagena pit lane but there was genuine surprise at how fast Michael Laverty and Tommy Hill were today on the Swan Yamahas. Everyone...

Rain disrupts Jerez Moto2/125 testing

04 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

After the recent three-day Estoril test was virtually washed out by persistent rain, hopes that the Moto2 and 125GP field would benefit from more favourable conditions in Jerez were quickly dashed...

Shakedown at Cartagena

04 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

The four-day Barry Symmons-run Pro-Test kicked off at Cartagena today with former MotoGP star American John Hopkins making his debut on the Samsung Suzuki. Although primarily an installation day for...

Yamaha can cope without Rossi and Furusawa, says race boss

04 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis is adamant the double blow of losing star rider Valentino Rossi and the major engineering influence of Masao Furusawa in the space of a few months will not hurt the Japanese...

Andrea Dovizioso: Internal battle helping Honda

04 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso reckons the intense internal competition at HRC in 2011 is helping lift the performance of the impressive new RC212V machine. Honda is going all-out to win the final 800cc world title...

All-woman endurance team aims to kick some TT Legend butt

04 March 2011 by Guy Proctor

Four of the world’s most successful female racers will join forces to field a BSB-crew-supported S1000RR in this year’s World Endurance championship. Team Weronica will be the first all-woman team to...

BSB Testing Blog: Viva Espana! Day Three

04 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Cartagena, Thursday, March 3 Another day, another race track. We’re at Cartagena now and it feels more like a normal BSB meeting than a pre-season test – packed garages, loads of new bikes, chilled...

Dani Pedrosa to make last minute chassis choice

04 March 2011

Dani Pedrosa will leave it to the last minute to decide which factory Honda chassis he will begin his quest to win a first MotoGP world title on later this month. Despite only two days of pre-season...

Colin Edwards: Rossi not holding back

03 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards dismissed suggestions that Valentino Rossi is deliberately avoiding showing his true potential ahead of his competitive Ducati debut in Qatar next month. American Edwards mocked gossip...

Cal Crutchlow's 2011 MotoGP livery unveiled

03 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

This is the new Monster Yamaha Tech 3 livery that Cal Crutchlow and Colin Edwards will race in the 2011 MotoGP world championship. Racing with his favourite number 35, former World Supersport champion...

Casey Stoner: Ducati won't be worried

03 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner isn’t expecting Ducati’s current dip in form to drag on for long with the Australian convinced Valentino Rossi will be competitive in the early part of the 2011 MotoGP world...

BSB pre-season testing blog: Viva Espana! Day Two

03 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

It didn’t seem such a busy day on track for the boys at Calafat today, compared to Tuesday – but everyone seemed happy enough with the way things had gone. It was pretty cold early in the morning and...

Steady progress at Calafat

03 March 2011 by Gary pinchin

Swan Yamaha pair Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty both talked about the huge potential of the 2010 factory WSB R1s they will be racing in BSB this year. After yesterday’s ‘installation’ day at Calafat,...

David Aldana to race in Oxford shorttrack

02 March 2011 by MCN Sport desk

David Aldana, one of the legends from the greatest motorcycle film ‘On Any Sunday’, has confirmed he will race in UK again. Aldana is well-known from road racing in the UK with his skeleton leathers...

BSB pre-season testing blog: Viva Espana!

02 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Calafat circuit might not be used for racing these days but it’s a perfect BSB test track – with its dead stop hairpins and flip flop Esses that mimic many of our circuits. It’s a weird old place...

Michael Dunlop picks Kawasaki for the roads

02 March 2011 by Stephen Davison

Michael Dunlop will race a full WSB-spec Kawasaki on the roads in 2011. The 21-year-old from Ballymoney will race a Paul Bird Motorsport-prepared ZX10R at the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and...

Samsung back Crescent Suzuki

02 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

Crescent Racing have new Samsung Mobile title sponsorship that sees National Superstock champion Jon Kirkham joining all-American hero and former MotoGP star John Hopkins on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 in...

HM Plant Honda and Swan Yamaha at Calafat

01 March 2011 by Gary Pinchin

These are the first pictures of the HM Plant Honda and Swan Yamaha teams in 2011 BSB pre-season testing, shot exclusively by Double Red for MCN today at Calafat, Spain. Defending BSB champion Ryuichi...

Motorland Aragon clinches long-term MotoGP deal

01 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

The popular Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain has secured a long-term place on the MotoGP calendar having signed a deal with Dorna today to host a race until at least the end of 2016. The new Spanish...

Suzuki set sights on top six challenge

01 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki is aiming to become a more consistent threat for the top six when the new MotoGP world championship kicks off in Qatar later this month. Alvaro Bautista has impressed during winter testing so...

Loris Capirossi: Phillip Island must move in 2012

01 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Italian veteran Loris Capirossi is adamant there will be no climb down from the powerful MotoGP Safety Commission over demands to move the date of the Phillip Island race in Australia next year. A...

Tech 3 rules out Moto3 bid

01 March 2011 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow’s Tech 3 Racing squad will not expand its Grand Prix effort to be involved in all three world championship classes in 2012. The French-based squad already competes in MotoGP with...