MotoGP Features

Eddie Lawson was undoubtedly one of the greatest motorcycle racers of modern times, claiming four 500cc world titles and 31 Grand Prix victories while racing for three different manufacturers.

Lawson bridged the gap: At the start of his 500cc career he lined up as Kenny Roberts' team-mate and in his final season was racing with Alex Barros and future world champion Alex Criville.

With the off-season well and truly upon us, Crash.net felt it was time to look back on the careers of some of the Motorcycle Grand Prix greats - and where better to start than with multiple World Champion Mick Doohan, still involved in the sport as General Manager of Racing for Honda.

In a ten year career, Doohan would claim an amazing 54 500cc victories and five consecutive World Championships - all on Honda NSR's. However his success came at a high price and he had to have a f

The fast flowing nature of Phillip Island is a favourite of many riders, often lending itself to close racing while allowing the rider the rare opportunity to be truly aggressive on those 180 two-strokes and 200-plus horsepower four-strokes they attempt to tame each weekend...

Because of its hairpins, and numerous hard braking areas, a fast lap and any hope of making a pass at the Sepang circuit comes down to braking stability and the bike's turn-in characteristics...

No wonder Antonio Cobas is smiling - at last his West Honda Pons team are starting a grand prix on a level playing field.

On Sunday at Motegi in Japan, they join the four-stroke brigade for the first time when Alex Barros rides the RCV Honda four-stroke after 12 previous races attempting to stay with the 990cc five-cylinder flyers that have dominated the first year of the new MotoGP World Championship.

It was a thrilling two-part Brazilian race that concluded not only the 16 round 2001 MotoGP 500 World Championship, on November 3, but the era of the two-stroke only GP500s as well - with the MotoGP premier class opening up to 990cc four-strokes for 2002.

It was certainly raining men at Estoril on Sunday - men on motorcycles. No less than 90 riders crashed during Friday, Saturday and the soaking Sunday race day which puts the Portuguese circuit on top of the crashing list, since the Fallers Register was introduced seven years ago.

At Estoril 2001, Pole-sitter Biaggi timed the start to perfection and led the opening lap before the Honda's of Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi forced their way past.

The Italian fought back but could only manage to hold onto the lead pair until he lost the front of the Marlboro machine. Yamaha will be looking to avoid such an early exit by capitalising on a strong set-up this weekend.

On a blisteringly hot summers day in Spain two passionate sportsmen met to compare notes and have some fun. Two men consumed by the same desire for perfection in their chosen dangerous professions and the tools of their trade, two very different motorcycles.

The meeting between West Honda Pons MotoGP star Loris Capirossi and French Motocross and Extreme Sports perfectionist Manu Troux ended in a spectacular cross over that even had their respective battle weary technicians on their feet, chee

When Alex Hofmann lines up on the grid at the Sachsenring riding the NSR West Honda Pons machine this Sunday, ask any German if a rider from their country has ever won a 500cc grand prix race. The answer almost certainly will be that no German rider has won a premier class race - but they would be wrong.

In an era when the likes of Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read and Barry Sheene were making all the headlines a certain Edmund Czihak won the 1974 West German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

Carlos Checa is now arguably the number one Spaniard in the Moto GP class after 1999 500cc world champion Alex Criville moved to the d'Antin Yamaha team, then failed to appear at all in 2002.