MotoGP News
We’re first for the latest MotoGP news. Motorcycle racing’s elite competition is a fast paced, ever-evolving beast and here you’ll find all of the MotoGP news you could wish for. We cover everything from interviews with the major players, updates on machine reveals, team news and more. See brand new content from MotoE and insightful ‘first look’ features showing the forthcoming MotoGP season’s riders in their new colours.
<B>Crash.net`s Portuguese GP Blog:</B> Sunday.
Sunday pm - Checa Joins Ten Kate - the Team He's Never Met
250: Lorenzo loses pole.
Dovizioso, so desperately disappointed at his home race in Misano when his bike broke down, was a focused man coming out for the second quarter litre qualifying session.
Hayden exorcises Estoril demons.
Last year the Repsol Honda rider lost his world championship lead at the same circuit, then the penultimate round, when he was taken out by team-mate Dani Pedrosa during a bungled overtaking manoeuvre.
Yamaha clarify Lorenzo status, 2008 tyres.
The Italian stated that reigning 250cc world champion Jorge Lorenzo will be a full factory rider, with Valentino Rossi as his team-mate, and thus directly replace Colin Edwards.
Stoner: Anywhere will do.
The young Ducati Marlboro star heads into the Portuguese Grand Prix needing to score 15 points more than Valentino Rossi to wrap up his first ever world championship, and Ducati's first MotoGP crown.
Chaz talks Ducati test, Stoner to watch.
After turning his back on uncompetitive machinery in the 250cc World Championship, the 20-year-old has revived his career in the AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme championships this season - then was propelled into the MotoGP spotlight when d'Antin Ducati asked the Briton to replace the injured A
Suzuki fills the void.
After a strong start Hopkins slotted into second behind the dominant Ducati rider, but Vermeulen was soon on a charge and - after overtaking both Valentino Rossi and Hopkins within five laps - closed to within a second of Stoner.
Stoner soars as Rossi stops at Misano.
Casey Stoner is on the brink of clinching the 2007 world championship after handing Ducati its first MotoGP victory on home soil with a dominant performance at Misano - while Valentino Rossi failed to finish.
Rossi out!
The home hero, who grew up just ten miles from the Misano circuit, suddenly sat up and began cruising back to the pits while holding fourth position. Rossi was using the new Yamaha engine with pneumatic valves.
MotoGP gets double time.
The 125cc riders will now take to the track at the earlier time of 8.00am, with an extended two hours of MotoGP action - instead of the usual single hour - starting at 9.00am. The remaining Saturday schedule remains as normal, with MotoGP qualifying at 2pm local time.
Has Rossi `lost it`?
Valentino Rossi's latest poor performance, a seventh place finish in the Czech Republic Grand Prix, has dropped the Italian a massive 60 points behind Casey Stoner with six rounds of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship remaining.
New fairing as Stoner form continues.
Stoner tested a new fairing - believed to offer more agility - and was fastest on both qualifying and race tyres, before rain put an early end to the test at 4:00 pm. The Australian was a fraction shy of his pole position pace on the soft rubber, but beat his best lap on race tyres.
Yanagawa back for Kawasaki at Motegi.
"Obviously, as a Japanese factory team, the grand prix at Motegi is an important race for us.
Pedrosa admits frustration.
After qualifying third, then leapfrogging team-mate Nicky Hayden at the start, Pedrosa looked well positioned to challenge Casey Stoner for victory. Instead, the 21-year-old struggled to generate heat in his tyres and slipped quickly back to fifth.
Warm-up delayed by Sekiguchi smash.
Marco Simoncelli fell without harm from his Gilera after running wide over some kerbing, but his bike - hidden in a cloud of dust - then slid back across the track, where it was hit flat out by the unsighted Sekiguchi.
Hayden heats up with first front row.
The Repsol Honda rider was on form from the start of the afternoon session, heading the times on race tyres at the beginning of hour then closing to within 0.280secs of the Ducati star on qualifying tyres.
`Part time` Stoner strolls to pole.
The Ducati Marlboro star suffered some form of mechanical problem during the opening part of the hour, but preferred to wait patiently for it to be fixed rather than ride his spare bike.
Hopkins in the hunt.
The outgoing Rizla Suzuki rider was effectively MotoGP World Championship leader Casey Stoner's nearest rival in both sessions - since Sylvain Guintoli used a qualifying tyre to go fastest in the afternoon hour.
Suzuki wraps up Rizla deal.
The news comes just a day after Ducati's Loris Capirossi confirmed that he will ride alongside Chris Vermeulen at Suzuki next season, in place of the departing John Hopkins.
Greenpeace? Kawasaki change colour.
For the remainder of the 2007 season, Randy de Puniet and Anthony West will run in 'traditional' Kawasaki lime green - rather than the new metallic green that made it's first appearance on the Japanese manufacturer's Ninja ZX-RR machines during pre-season testing.
`Excited` Hayden expecting HRC boost.
Hayden, seeking his first win with the #1 plate, arrives in the Czech Republic looking to erase the disappointment of his home US GP and return to the podium form of the two rounds prior to Laguna Seca.
Pramac goes with Silva.
Despite an impressive debut performance at Laguna Seca, Chaz Davies has missed out on the chance to extend his run in MotoGP after the Pramac d'Antin Ducati team confirmed that Ivan Silva will replace the injured Alex Hofmann in the Czech Republic next weekend.
Czech Grand Prix wild cards confirmed.
The FIM has announced that the wild-card riders who will race in the Czech Grand Prix, at Brno on August 16, are the following: 250cc class:
Hofmann made to wait.
Alex Hofmann will have to wait and see whether he is fit to resume his season at the Czech Republic Grand Prix as doctors continue to monitor his recovery from severe hand injuries sustained at Laguna Seca.