MCN
Reviews For sale News Insurance

2009

Suzuki delay Chris Vermeulen’s Kawasaki WSB debut

09 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Suzuki delay Chris Vermeulen’s Kawasaki WSB debut

Suzuki will not give special permission for Aussie rider Chris Vermeulen to make his Kawasaki World Superbike debut before the end of the MotoGP season. Kawasaki will test immediately after the final...

Another member of the Rossi fanclub

08 October 2009 by sean13

Another member of the Rossi fanclub

My 3 month old daughter Natalia already gearing up for next year’s Silverstone MotoGP

Colin Edwards: 'Electronics have extended my career’

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards: 'Electronics have extended my career’

Colin Edwards reckons the huge advances in electronic rider aids have helped extend his career after the popular American signed a new MotoGP deal for 2010. The double World Superbike champion has...

Valentino Rossi impressed with Ben Spies

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi impressed with Ben Spies

Valentino Rossi has told MCN how impressed he has been with World Superbike sensation Ben Spies in 2009. The 30-year-old Italian, who is chasing a seventh MotoGP world title in 2009 as the paqddock...

Chris Vermeulen admits Ducati concern

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Chris Vermeulen admits Ducati concern

Chris Vermeulen has admitted he was worried about joining Ducati in MotoGP next season because of the difficulty in matching compatriot Casey Stoner’s results. Confident he would not be another...

Hayate eye Moto2 move

08 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Hayate eye Moto2 move

Hayate’s hopes of retaining its MotoGP status in 2010 appear doomed. A frantic fund-raising mission to find a £5m budget to lease Yamaha YZR-M1 engines and build and develop a new chassis has...

FTR Moto unveil Moto2 race bike

07 October 2009 by Gary Pinchin

FTR Moto unveil Moto2 race bike

These are the first pictures of the new Moto2 machine built by FTR Moto, unveiled today at the Sports Bar and Grill, Marylebone Station in London. The bike is known as FTR Moto M209 and has been built...

Title race still in Valentino Rossi’s hands, says Jerry Burgess

07 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Title race still in Valentino Rossi’s hands, says Jerry Burgess

Valentino Rossi’s quest for a seventh MotoGP crown is still firmly in the Italian’s hands, despite the setback of last weekend’s Estoril clash in Portugal. That’s the belief of Rossi’s legendary...

Toseland: “Ben and Colin deserve the ride”

07 October 2009 by Michael Guy

Toseland: “Ben and Colin deserve the ride”

Despite the obvious disappointment of losing his Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP ride, James Toseland has given his backing to Ben Spies and Colin Edwards for next years championship. Toseland accepts that his...

Toni Elias heads Tech 3 Moto2 wish list

07 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Toni Elias heads Tech 3 Moto2 wish list

MotoGP winner Toni Elias tops a Tech 3 wish list for the French team’s new Moto2 600cc world championship project. The Spaniard has lost his MotoGP ride after being axed by the Gresini Honda squad,...

Aleix Espargaro seals Ducati MotoGP switch

07 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Aleix Espargaro seals Ducati MotoGP switch

Aleix Espargaro has secured the second Pramac Ducati GP9 ride after his recent impressive performances in the Indianapolis and Misano. The Spaniard’s dramatic upturn in fortunes mean he will partner...

Suzi Perry: James Toseland's MotoGP exit 'hugely disappointing'

06 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Suzi Perry: James Toseland's MotoGP exit 'hugely disappointing'

Suzi Perry reckons James Toseland’s MotoGP departure is ‘hugely disappointing’ for British race fans. The 28-year-old will make a swift return to WSB to try and reclaim the title he last won in 2007...

Cal Crutchlow’s WSB move sets back Gresini Moto2 project

06 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow’s WSB move sets back Gresini Moto2 project

Italian race boss Fausto Gresini reckons Cal Crutchlow’s decision to partner James Toseland in Yamaha’s factory World Superbike team has set his Moto2 rider search back by two months. Crutchlow held...

Jorge Lorenzo: "I can win the title"

06 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo: "I can win the title"

Jorge Lorenzo has told MCN his hopes of inflicting a shock MotoGP title defeat on Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi are back on track after a tedious but precious win in Estoril last...

Valentino Rossi curious to see Ben Spies race in Valencia

06 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi curious to see Ben Spies race in Valencia

Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi says he’s curious at seeing the level of performance from Ben Spies when the American make his Yamaha MotoGP debut in Valencia next month. The Texan, who will...

Ben Spies to race number 11 in MotoGP

06 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies to race number 11 in MotoGP

Ben Spies will revert back to his favoured number 11 when he moves to the MotoGP world championship in 2010. Spies opted to run 19 in his rookie World Superbike campaign because factory BMW rider Troy...

Estoril MotoGP: Astronaut Jorge Lorenzo ‘over the moon’

05 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Astronaut Jorge Lorenzo ‘over the moon’

Dressed in astronaut leathers and helmet, it was hardly surprising that Jorge Lorenzo declared himself over the moon after he dominated yesterday’s Portuguese MotoGP race at Estoril. A superb...

Aleix Espargaro to land permanent Ducati deal?

05 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Aleix Espargaro to land permanent Ducati deal?

Spaniard Aleix Espargaro looks certain to be rewarded with a permanent Ducati MotoGP deal for 2010 after impressing as a replacement rider in Indianapolis and Misano earlier this season. Espargaro is...

Estoril MotoGP: Traction issue blunts Valentino Rossi’s challenge

05 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Traction issue blunts Valentino Rossi’s challenge

Rear traction issues cost Valentino Rossi his hopes of inching closer to a seventh MotoGP world title after he could only finish in a distant fourth in Estoril. The Italian was never in contention in...

Estoril MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa looking for Honda consistency

05 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Dani Pedrosa looking for Honda consistency

Dani Pedrosa believes Honda’s factory RC212V machine must find a more consistent level of performance to be regularly challenging for victories in MotoGP. The Spaniard claimed his eighth podium finish...

Estoril MotoGP: Bradley Smith breaks Portugal jinx

05 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Bradley Smith breaks Portugal jinx

Bradley Smith ended his Estoril jinx with a brilliant third place finish in a dramatic Portuguese 125GP yesterday. After crashing out of last year’s race and never coming close to a top six finish at...

Hiroshi Aoyama secures 2010 MotoGP switch

04 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Hiroshi Aoyama secures 2010 MotoGP switch

Hiroshi Aoyama, current leader of the 250GP world championship, will move to MotoGP in a new Honda team in 2010. The Japanese rider, who heads into the final three races of 2009 with a commanding...

Estoril MotoGP results: Lorenzo wins, Stoner takes second

04 October 2009 by MCN

Estoril MotoGP results: Lorenzo wins, Stoner takes second

Team mates Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi started the race together but Lorenzo soon opened up a gap between the two riders. Rossi finished 23 seconds behind Lorenzo which left the Italian off the...

Estoril MotoGP: 125 Results - Bradley Smith third

04 October 2009 by MCN

Estoril MotoGP: 125 Results - Bradley Smith third

Championship leader Julián Simón crashed out of the race on the 16th lap leaving Pol Espargaró to take the race. Sandro Cortese took second place with Bradley Smith third. Results: 1 Pol ESPARGARO SPA...

Estoril MotoGP: Moto2 entry list unveiled

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Moto2 entry list unveiled

The first Moto2 600cc world championship in 2010 could be contested by nearly 40 bikes after the final selection of teams invited into the new series was unveiled in Estoril today. Teams comprising a...

Estoril MotoGP: Valentino Rossi chasing grip

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Valentino Rossi chasing grip

Having solved braking stability issues that plagued Valentino Rossi in Estoril yesterday, the Italian blamed traction issues for costing him the chance of claiming his seventh pole position of the...

Estoril MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo to go for broke

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Jorge Lorenzo has vowed to go for broke in tomorrow’s Estoril MotoGP race to try and reduce Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi’s title advantage. Lorenzo ended his six race quest for a pole position with a brilliant performance in today’s qualifying session, the Spaniard clocking a best lap of 1.36.214 to claim his fifth pole of the season. With Rossi one place further back on the grid,...

Estoril MotoGP: Casey Stoner exceeds expectations

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Casey Stoner exceeds expectations

Casey Stoner admitted his stunning front row start for tomorrow’s Estoril MotoGP race exceeded his expectations after he missed pole position by just 0.3s. The Aussie, who has missed the last three...

Estoril MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo takes Portugal pole

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo takes Portugal pole

Jorge Lorenzo romped to his fifth pole position of the season in Estoril today. The Spaniard, who won his first ever MotoGP race at the Estoril circuit in 2008, produced a brilliant qualifying...

Estoril MotoGP: Bradley Smith storms to front row

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Bradley Smith storms to front row

British teenager Bradley Smith shrugged off a massive practice yesterday to surge to a brilliant front row start for the Portuguese 125GP. In bright and sunny conditions for this afternoon’s...

Ben Spies to race Valentino Rossi and James Toseland in Valencia

03 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies to race Valentino Rossi and James Toseland in Valencia

Ben Spies will make a shock Yamaha MotoGP debut in the season’s final race in Valencia next month. MCN learned that Yamaha has submitted an entry application to Dorna and the International Race Teams...

Estoril MotoGP: Casey Stoner faster and fitter than expected

02 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Casey Stoner faster and fitter than expected

Casey Stoner admitted he was faster and fitter than he expected as he ended his self-imposed exile in impressive fashion in Estoril today. Back on board his factory Ducati GP9 for the first time...

Chris Vermeulen signs Kawasaki World Superbike deal

02 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Chris Vermeulen signs Kawasaki World Superbike deal

Aussie Chris Vermeulen has signed a two-year deal to ride for Kawasaki in the 2010 World Superbike championship. As was widely expected, the current factory Suzuki rider penned his deal in Estoril...

Estoril MotoGP: James Toseland satisfied with eighth

02 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: James Toseland satisfied with eighth

James Toseland kicked off the last part of his MotoGP career with the eighth quickest time in Estoril this afternoon. Shrugging off the bitter disappointment at losing his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 ride...

Estoril MotoGP: Bradley Smith escapes injury after heavy practice spill

02 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Bradley Smith escapes injury after heavy practice spill

Bradley Smith has been given a clean bill of health after a big high-side crash in opening practice for Sunday’s Estoril 125GP. Just under 15 minutes of the session remained when the 18-year-old was...

Estoril MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo tops MotoGP practice

02 October 2009 by Matthew Birt

Estoril MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo tops MotoGP practice

Jorge Lorenzo’s love affair with the Estoril circuit continued today after the Spaniard returned from the summer break with the fastest time in opening MotoGP practice. Lorenzo, who won his first...