Le Mans MotoGP 2016

Year: ALL

125/250GP Estoril test

11 February 2006

Many of the top riders in the 125cc and 250cc GP championships began testing at the Estorial circuit in Portugal on Wednesday, Feburary 15, 2006. The biggest news of the day was the crash of Hector...

Melandri top in Sepang

11 February 2006

Marco Melandri dominated the first day of MotoGP testing at Sepang, Malaysia, lapping well inside the lap record. Fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa used his first outing in full Repsol livery to take...

Sepang test washed out

11 February 2006

Loris Capirossi topped the final washed out day of testing at Sepang. The track was damp all day and the riders didn’t manage to put in many laps before the rain started in earnest. Capirossi put in...

MotoGP riders for 2006

11 February 2006

Here is the official list of known riders for the 2006 125cc championship: 3C Racing: (Aprilia) Angel Rodriguez. Stefano Bianco Ajo Motorsport Malaguti: Alex Masbou. Tomoyoshi Koyama. Arie Molenaar...

Video: Rossi on the 06 M1

11 February 2006

We’ve got exclusive footage of Valentino Rossi talking about his 2006 Yamaha M1 Moto GP bike. The World champion was talking after spending the day on the track testing the new bike in Sepang and he...

Sepang: Day two rain

11 February 2006

Rain has forced an early end to the second day of MotoGP testing at the sepang circuit in Malaysia, with Shinya Nakano setting the fastest time on the Kawasaki. Loris Capirossi was second quickest,...

Ellison starts Qatar test

04 February 2006

James Ellison began testing at the Losail circuit in Qatar on Sunday, February 5, 2006, alongside new team-mate Carlos Checa. In addition to the two Tech 3 Yamaha riders, the Suzuki GP squad of John...

Rossi improves in Qatar

04 February 2006

Valentino Rossi knocked almost a second of his lap time to top his second day of testing in Qatar. The World champion spent most of the session testing new tyres for Michelin putting in a total of 60...

Quiet end to Qatar test

04 February 2006

Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards stayed on an extra day at the Qatar test to make the most of the empty track. The two riders spent most of the session working with Michelin on tyre development and...

Rossi tops Qatar test

04 February 2006

Valentino Rossi has finished his first day of testing at Losail, Qatar, well inside the lap record. The world champion joined James Ellison’s Tech 3 Yamaha squad on it’s second day of testing...

Rossi slides in F1 test

01 February 2006

Valentino Rossi’s saw an embarasing start to his latest F1 test – spinning out on his first lap. The test, which is Rossi’s first against other F1 drivers, was delayed for most of the day due to...

Rain hits GP test

01 February 2006

Rain has put a stop to most of the fun on the second day of GP tests at Phillip Island but a few riders made use of the time to get a feel for their bikes in the wet. Marco Melandri used a total of...

GP test back on track

01 February 2006

Sete Gibernau has gone fastest on the third day of testing at Phillip Island as the track dries after the downpour on day two. The Spanish rider sat out testing during the rain, but managed to...

Rossi impresses in F1

01 February 2006

Valentino Rossi has proven that he is not just messing around with Formula 1, finishing his latest test session at Valencia just one second behind Ferraris top driver Michael Schumacher. The MotoGP...

Smith's first GP test

01 February 2006

Britain’s newest and youngest GP star completed his first test for the Repsol Honda team he will race with in the 125GP series on Wednesday, February 1, 2006, chopping two seconds from his time over two days. Bradley Smith only signed for the Honda team on January 27th, and began testing on February 1st at Catalunya, alongside the two top 250cc squads. The 15-year-old finished the test with a...

Checa joins Ellison on M1

28 January 2006

Carlos Checa has been confirmed alongside Britain’s James Ellison in the Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP team for 2006. Spaniard Checa, is the most experienced rider on the grid. He finished ninth last season,...

Philip Island test: Day 1

28 January 2006

Honda has dominated the first day of MotoGP testing at Phillip Island with the class rookies putting in some impressive performances. 2005 runner-up and Fortuna Honda rider Marco Melandri set the...

Brit gets dream GP ride

21 January 2006

British teenager Bradley Smith will be the sole rider for the Repsol Honda 125cc GP team managed by Alberto Puig in 2006. The fifteen-year-old from Oxfordshire got the ride following a season in the...

Guintoli stays with 250s

21 January 2006

The top privateer in the 250cc GPs in 2005, Sylvain Guintoli, will stay with the Equipe GP de France team for 2006. The Frenchman will get an Aprilia RSW250 LE, the 2005 factory machine. But while he...

GP test starts in Sepang

21 January 2006

The first MotoGP test of 2006 is underway at Sepang in Malaysia with the Yamaha team of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards already displaying the new Camel sponsorship livery. The test runs for three...

125cc GP teams merge

21 January 2006

The Racing World and Team Seedorf 125cc Grand Prix teams will join forces for 2006, sponsored by Valsir, and using Honda machinery. Valsir Seedorf Racing will field two Italian riders in the shape of...

Sepang GP test: Day two

21 January 2006

Sete Gibernau has gone 0.5 seconds quicker than the best time set by Valentino Rossi in MotoGP testing at Sepang. The Spaniard’s time of 2:01.66 on the second day of testing saw him beat Rossi’s time...

Rule change for MotoGP

21 January 2006

The rules have changed for the red flag procedure in MotoGP in 2006, with unanimous agreement from the Grand Prix Commision. The Commision, which consists of Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpleta, Claude Denis...

Sepang: Gibernau fastest

21 January 2006

The final day of MotoGP testing has seen Sete Gibernau remain the quickest rider on the track, having improved slightly on his time from day two. Once more it was the Ducati duo of Gibernau and Loris...

Sepang GP test: Day one

21 January 2006

Valentino Rossi has gone fastest on the unofficial timesheets for day one of a three-day test at Sepang in Malaysia. Rossi was testing the 2006-spec Yamaha YZR-M1 in the new Camel Yamaha colours...

Jerez test for 125/250s

21 January 2006

The final day of a three-day test for around 20 of the 125 and 250cc GP teams has been affected by heavy clouds and strong winds. While some teams gave the final few hours a miss, there were also a...

Biaggi tests F1 car

14 January 2006

Max Biaggi was in the UK on Wednesday (Jan 18) to test a Midland-MF1 Toyota Formula One car. The former MotoGP star spent one day with technicians preparing the car, before venturing onto the...

Great deal for Davies

14 January 2006

As reported in Motor Cycle News on January 18, 2006, Chaz Davies is set to ride a semi-factory Aprilia in 2006. The 18-year-old is about to sign for the Campetella Racing squad, who will be able to...

BQR decide line-up

14 January 2006

The BQR team will field former Spanish champion Alex Espargaro in the 125cc GP class on a factory-spec Honda. Espargaro has high hopes for the season as his bike will be similar to that of 2005...

Tamada stays put in GPs

14 January 2006

The Konica Minolta Honda team will again run Makoto Tamada in a one rider team in 2006. The Japanese rider will face his fourth season in the MotoGP championship, with the first testing taking place...

Zanetti gets GP ride

14 January 2006

Lorenzo Zanetti has signed for the Skilled ISPA Racing Team to compete in the 125cc world championship in 2006. The 18-year-old Italian competed in several races in 2005, finishing the season in 17th...

Honda supplies Roberts

14 January 2006

Honda has announced its 2006 motorcycle road race plans – confirming the supply of engines to Team Roberts in MotoGP. The intention is to take titles in each category and win with ‘next-generation...

06 Desmosedici unveiled

14 January 2006

Ducati’s 2006 MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici GP06, has been launched at Madonna di Campiglio in Italy. It will be ridden by Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi in the MotoGP, both of whom were present...

Carchano joins 250GPs

14 January 2006

Jordi Carchano will race for the Stop and Go team in the 250cc GP world championship in 2006, in a move for both rider and team from the 125cc class. Carchano rode for the Aspar team in 2005, and...

Upgrades at Laguna Seca

07 January 2006

Improvements are underway at Laguna Seca for the MotoGP event on July 23, 2006. Around $7 million dollars will be spent on safety and facility upgrades, including repaving the entire surface of the...

Camel cash starts row

07 January 2006

The decision for Yamaha to run under Camel sponsorship in 2006 is now the subject of war of words between Yamaha and former sponsors Gauloises, a brand of Altadis. The cigarette firm has issued a...