Valencia Grand Prix 2016

Year: ALL

Qatar MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow aims for maiden rostrum

08 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

British fans who have waited over a decade for a British rider to claim a MotoGP podium might only have to wait another few hours after Cal Crutchlow qualified on the front row of the grid for...

Qatar MotoGP: Chatter thwarts Casey Stoner’s pole bid

08 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner fears a repeat of the severe chatter that ruined his bid to claim pole position in Qatar last night could also deny him the chance to claim the first victory of the new 1000cc era at the...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi shocked by qualifying slump

08 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi’s Ducati troubles deepened tonight in Qatar when the Italian finished in a lowly 12th place in qualifying for tomorrow night’s opening MotoGP round at the Losail International...

Qatar MotoGP: Lorenzo steals pole from Stoner

07 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

2010 MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo has ended Casey Stoner’s dominance, stealing pole position from the reigning champion in the dying moments of the qualifying session with a lap of 1:54.634. Stoner...

Qatar MotoGP: Luthi dominates to take pole

07 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

Suter rider Thomas Luthi has taken pole position with a fastest time of 2:0.187, which he set at the beginning of the session on only his third lap. Luthi has topped every session of the weekend so...

Qatar MotoGP: Sandro Cortese takes first ever Moto3 pole

07 April 2012 by Liam Marsden

Red Bull KTM rider Sandro Cortese has taken the first ever Moto3 pole position under the floodlit Losail circuit in Qatar today, with a time of 2:08.188. Cortese pipped Spaniard Maverick Vinales to...

Qatar MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow plays down podium hopes

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow has played down hopes that he could kick off the new 1000cc MotoGP era with a podium on Sunday night in Qatar after he ended practice in second position and just 0.154s behind Jorge...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi seeks smoother Ducati power

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Understeer is not the only issue that Valentino Rossi believes is preventing him from moving the Ducati GP12 closer to challenging Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo’s recent domination of the MotoGP...

Qatar MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow second, Lorenzo fastest in practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow came tantalisingly close to finishing practice for the opening round of the 1000cc MotoGP world championship in Qatar with the fastest time at the floodlit Losail International Circuit...

Brands Hatch BSB: Byrne tops afternoon session

06 April 2012 by Gary Pinchin

Shane Byrne topped the afternoon practice session at Brands Hatch today ahead of the weekend’s first MCE British Superbike round of the season. The Rapid Solicitor Kawasaki rider was the only one to...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner leads second practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner shrugged off blustery conditions at the floodlight Losail International Circuit in Qatar tonight to top the timesheets in the second MotoGP practice session. The Australian, who was...

Qatar MotoGP: Slow starter Cal Crutchlow sixth in opening practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

For the first half of the opening practice session of the new MotoGP campaign in Qatar tonight, British rider Cal Crutchlow was languishing uncharacteristically outside of the top 10. All through...

Qatar MotoGP: Valentino Rossi worried ahead of season opener

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi said a lack of rear grip with his new Ducati GP12 machine was a big cause for concern after he ended the opening practice session of 2012 at the floodlit Losail International Circuit...

Qatar MotoGP: Chatter returns but Casey Stoner still fastest

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

A return of the dreaded chatter problem that plagued Casey Stoner for long spells of the pre-season winter testing campaign failed to stop the reigning world champion from heading the practice...

Qatar MotoGP: Casey Stoner tops opening practice

06 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Casey Stoner made the perfect start to the defence of his MotoGP crown in Qatar tonight when the Repsol Honda rider held off a Yamaha onslaught to top the opening practice timesheets. Jorge Lorenzo,...

Qatar MotoGP: Nicky Hayden third but cautiously optimistic

05 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Nicky Hayden refused to get too carried away after he kicked off the new 1000cc MotoGP era by setting the third fastest time in opening practice at the floodlit Losail International Circuit in Qatar...

Jorge Lorenzo expecting stronger threat from Dani Pedrosa

05 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo believes Dani Pedrosa will pose a stronger threat in the 2012 MotoGP world championship, which kicks off in Qatar tonight under the spectacular Losail International...

Ducati boss: Valentino Rossi highly motivated for 2012

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Valentino Rossi remains motivated and determined to transform Ducati’s fortunes in MotoGP, despite conceding he’s little chance to start the new 1000cc era in Qatar on Sunday night with a...

James Ellison hoping for chatter boost in Qatar

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

James Ellison is hoping his dream return to MotoGP action in Qatar this weekend isn’t ruined by a chatter issue that severely hampered the British rider during the recent final pre-season test in...

Tech 3 boss hails strongest ever MotoGP line-up

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso spearhead the strongest Tech 3 Yamaha line-up ever in MotoGP in 2012, according to team boss Herve Poncharal. British rider Crutchlow has been in outstanding form...

Dani Pedrosa vows to focus on racing after arrest

03 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Dani Pedrosa has vowed to not let his arrest for allegedly attempting to cheat during an exam to gain a yachtmaster certificate distract him from this weekend’s opening MotoGP round in Qatar. The...

Loris Capirossi: Ducati need time they don’t have

02 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Loris Capirossi reckons Valentino Rossi and Ducati need to be given more time to prove the new factory GP12 machine is the bike to put the Italian in a position to challenge Casey Stoner and Jorge...

Andrea Dovizioso: Difficult to topple Casey Stoner in 2012

02 April 2012 by Matthew Birt

Andrea Dovizioso believes it will be hard for anybody to stop Casey Stoner from winning the inaugural 1000cc MotoGP world championship in 2012. The Australian starts the new season in Qatar this...

Ben Spies: “I have high expectations”

30 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Ben Spies will start the 2012 MotoGP world championship in Qatar next week with expectations of fighting for the title on Yamaha’s impressive new factory YZR-M1 1000cc machine. Spies has been backed...

Scott Redding expected to win in 2012

30 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding’s Marc VDS Racing Moto2 squad believe the British teenager must win races in 2012 to put himself in the shop window for a possible switch to MotoGP next year. The Gloucestershire rider...

Tech 3 halt work on new CRT machine

30 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow’s Tech 3 squad has suspended work on a proposed new CRT 1000cc MotoGP project. The French-based squad planned to have a new prototype chassis ready for track testing by the middle of...

Cal Crutchlow lauds special Jorge Lorenzo

29 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Cal Crutchlow has praised factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo’s silky smooth riding style having been able to observe the Spaniard at close quarters in MotoGP for the last 18 months. The 2010 world...

Colin Edwards: ‘Aprilia gives us hope’

29 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Colin Edwards says the performance of Aprilia’s new CRT MotoGP machine gives other new 1000cc projects hope for the future as he attempts to make the new Suter-BMW package more competitive in...

Casey Stoner: Hard to judge Ducati potential

29 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner says it is difficult to gauge the potential of Ducati’s new factory GP12 ahead of the start of the new 1000cc era in Qatar next week. Ducati has rolled out...

Bradley Smith training with one eye on MotoGP in 2013

29 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Bradley Smith might not have even started the 2012 Moto2 world championship but the British rider is already honing his training regime to be ready for a switch to a more powerful 1000cc MotoGP bike...

Scott Redding picks out 2012 Moto2 title rivals

28 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Scott Redding believes four riders, including Spanish sensation Marc Marquez, stand between him and capturing the 2012 Moto2 world championship. The Marc VDS Racing rider has impressed during...

BBC to show MotoGP in HD in 2012

28 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

The BBC’s extensive coverage of all 18 rounds of the 2012 MotoGP world championship will be shown in HD for the first time. The BBC today also confirmed its coverage plans for all 18 races, with the...

Casey Stoner: Tight tracks frustrating on new 1000s

27 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

Reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner says the extra horsepower on his new 1000cc Honda RC213V machine makes riding short and tight tracks like Jerez a frustrating experience. Many people...

Dorna not at war with factories over radical rule changes

27 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

MotoGP rights owners Dorna is not at war with Honda, Yamaha and Ducati over a range of cost-cutting rule changes under discussion to ensure the long-term future of the premier class world...

Ben Spies: 1000s easier to ride in rain than 800s

27 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

The new generation 1000cc MotoGP bikes might have a lot more horsepower and are more of a physically demanding challenge to ride in the dry, but factory Yamaha rider Ben Spies says the new YZR-M1 is...

James Ellison searching for Bridgestone confidence

27 March 2012 by Matthew Birt

James Ellison believes learning to get maximum performance out of Bridgestone’s new tyres will be his biggest challenge in the 2012 MotoGP world championship. The Paul Bird Motorsport rider is...