March

Year: 2007

Month: March

Rossi Graham Madden rides for Yamaha

18 March 2007 by tufty

This is my son Rossi Graham Madden. He is only two years old and has already got his first MotoGP ride for Yamaha! Guess it’s all in the name! Plus he’s even got his own “brolly mummy”, pictured with...

Hodgson wrong to reject Ducati GP ride

17 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Former British and World Superbike champion, Neil Hodgson, was wrong to have rejected the chance to join the D’Antin Ducati MotoGP squad for the 2007 world championship. That’s the view of his manager...

Burgess joy at Rossi deal

17 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess reckons the Italian’s recent new deal with Yamaha’s factory team killed off any suggestion of any hangover from last year’s shock MotoGP defeat. Rossi...

Suzuki to get engine upgrade

16 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Factory Suzuki duo John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen will test a different engine spec immediately after the Turkish GP in Istanbul next month. The Japanese factory is keen to build on an impressive...

Stoner: Criticism was unjust

16 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner reckons some of the criticism that came his way in his rookie MotoGP year last season was unjust as he aims to prove the doubters wrong in 2007. The factory Ducati rider was criticised...

Smith eyes '08 switch

16 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

British teenager Bradley Smith has set his sights on a switch to the world 250 championship in 2008. Smith, who is riding for the Repsol Honda 125 squad in GPs again this season, is confident a good...

Breaking news: Ilmor out of MotoGP

15 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor dropped a bombshell today by announcing it has suspended its MotoGP team after just one round of the 2007 world championship. In a phone call to MCN this morning, Ilmor boss Mario Illien...

Q&A with Bridgestone boss

14 March 2007

Bridgestone’s Manager of Motorcycle Sport Hiroshi Yamada spoke to MCN about his firm’s winning start to the MotoGP season in Qatar. Ducati’s Casey Stoner took the first win of 2007 on Bridgestone...

Ilmor - no regrets

14 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Ilmor MotoGP boss Mario Illien says he has got no regrets about embarking on the costly and difficult challenge of trying to be competitive in the MotoGP world championship arena. Despite a nightmare...

Stoner plays down title hopes

14 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner has played down his MotoGP world title aspirations despite his stunning debut premier class win in Qatar. Stoner became the first rider in history to win an 800cc MotoGP race when he...

Faubel takes 125cc win

10 March 2007 by Dan Thornton

The 125cc race at Qatar saw a one-two for the Bancaja Aspar team, as Hector Faubel grabbed 25 points from team-mate Gabor Talmacsi. The pair were on their own for much of the race after third...

Lorenzo starts 250cc defence with a win

10 March 2007 by MCN

Jorge Lorenzo has begun his 250cc championship defence with a comfortable win in Qatar, from Alex de Angelis and Hector Barbera Barbera had a hard duel with Thomas Luthi, who finished fourth after...

Stoner takes the win in Qatar

10 March 2007 by Angus Farquhar

Casey Stoner has won the first MotoGP race of the season after a spectacular battle with Valentino Rossi. The two riders completely outpaced the rest of the field at the Qatar circuit but it was...

McWilliams out for Qatar

10 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

With just 40 minutes to go before the opening race of the season, it has been announced that Jeremy McWilliams will not race. Due to the injuries he has sustained, he sat out the morning warm-up...

Pedrosa heads morning warm-up

10 March 2007 by MCN

Dani Pedrosa has gone fastest in the morning warm-up session for the opening MotoGP of the season in Qatar. The Spanish Honda rider is first of three young riders heading the morning times, with John Hopkins second quickest on the Suzuki, and Casey Stoner third fastest for Ducati. There was a crash for Pedrosa following his fastest lap, along with controversy as he made a practice start. 1.

McWilliams plans to race

10 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Jeremy McWilliams is still planning to race in this afternoon’s Qatar GP despite missing the 20-minute warm-up session. The British rider suffered a massive crash at the end of yesterday’s qualifying...

Tailgating Rossi

10 March 2007 by Top Dog

Carlos Checa tries following Rossi in Donington Park GP practice last year in an attempt to set a better qualifying time.

Jezza aims to ride despite crash

09 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Jeremy McWilliams will undergo precautionary X-rays on his left leg in a Doha hospital later on today, but is confident he will be fit for the first MotoGP world championship race of 2007 tomorrow...

Rossi on pole in Qatar

09 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi has taken the first pole of the 800 MotoGP era, by the smallest imaginable margin in Qatar. Yamaha’s Rossi snatched pole from Ducati’s Casey Stoner in the closing stages of the...

Rossi's hairy back

09 March 2007 by Chris Newbigging

Valentino Rossi has just headed out on track (Friday, March 9, 2007) in Qatar in these leathers with a furry number 46! The custom leather choice with yellow cavallino leather numbers follows his use...

Pitt readies for race

09 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Aussie Andrew Pitt says he is ready for the new MotoGP world championship season despite agreeing that the new Ilmor 800cc machine needed to complete more winter testing miles. Pitt was 19th in free...

Rossi: Speed no issue

09 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Former world champion Valentino Rossi has denied he is concerned that Yamaha’s new 800 is lacking in top speed compared to some of its MotoGP rivals. The speed deficit is hardly going to concern the...

Hayden and Rossi: 990s forgotten

08 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Defending MotoGP world champion Nicky Hayden reckons he’s not looking over his shoulder anymore and wishing he could still ride Honda’s brutal RCV 990cc machine in MotoGP. The switch to the new...

Yamaha fastest in the desert

08 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Yamaha have set the pace throughout the first day of the 2007 MotoGP season, with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi alternately heading the morning and afternoon practice session in Qatar today...

Hayden eyes Rossi and Pedrosa threat

08 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Reigning world champion Nicky Hayden has backed factory Honda team- mate Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi to pose the biggest threat to his hopes of mounting a successful defence of his...

Edwards fastest in Qatar

08 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards is determined not to let Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa assume complete control in the 2007 MotoGP world championship – and backed up his ambition by going fastest in first free...

Dorna makes cash pledge

08 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP bosses have pledged to invest a massive £25m in 2007 to help ease some of the sponsorship worries currently casting a cloud of world championship racing. The money will be split between teams...

2006 British GP wheelies

07 March 2007 by Top Dog

Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden wheelie up to Goddards at Donington 2006.

Laverty praises boss

07 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Irish rookie Eugene Laverty has praised LCR Honda team boss Lucio Cecchinello on the eve of his world 250 championship debut in Qatar. The 20-year-old sacrificed a big-money British superbike ride in...

Vermeulen Q and A

07 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

The new generation 800cc machines have already changed MotoGP racing beyond recognition, with faster corners speeds and later braking seeing lap times already faster than the more powerful 990cc...

Hopper gets green light

07 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

John Hopkins will race in the season’s opening MotoGP clash in Qatar after the American passed a medical check this morning at the Losail International Circuit. Hopkins though has rated his damaged...

Smith gets tech boost

06 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith’s hopes of enhancing his world championship reputation have been bolstered by the arrival of MotoGP-winning engineer Juan Martinez in his Repsol Honda 125 team. Martinez has been signed...

Yamaha confirms Fiat deal and reveals new colours

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

This is the first look at the Fiat-backed factory Yamaha YZR-M1 that Valentino Rossi hopes will win him back the MotoGP world championship in 2007. In one of the worst kept secrets of the paddock,...

OJ fitness boost

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Factory Kawasaki rider Olivier Jacque has declared himself fit and raring to go for the new MotoGP world championship campaign which gets underway in Qatar next week. The French rider is confident he...

Edwards: "Best winter ever"

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards says there’s no doubt that his winter testing campaign was the best in his entire career as he attempts to breaking his MotoGP victory duck in 2007. Delighted at the performance of...

New Ilmor engine planned

05 March 2007 by Matthew Birt

Jeremy McWilliams and Andrew Pitt could get another new spec engine in the Ilmor 800cc contender by the middle of the 2007 world championship. The British and Aussie riders got their first chance to...