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.
MotoGP flies into warm Welkom in South Africa.
In complete contrast to the wet and windy conditions they left behind at the first race of the season in Japan, MotoGP teams and riders have arrived in the dusty expanse of Free State in South Africa, and to the Phakisa Freeway circuit.
Yamaha Welkom MotoGP set-up report.
In the 2001 race at Welkom, South Africa, Shinya Nakano (Gauloises Yamaha Tech 3) continued to impress the MotoGP 500 World Championship paddock in his second outing aboard the YZR500 with a sensational fourth place.
Correos and West Honda Pons join forces.
The Spanish Postal service and the Motorcycling Grand Prix Team West Honda Pons announce a collaboration for the 2002 MotoGP season which began last weekend in Japan.
Rossi loses bet with friends.
Valentino Rossi's mum got the World Champion to have his hair cut and trim his beard before riding in the opening grand prix of the season. Rossi's friends bet him he would not have his hair cut until after the Suzuka race after he won the title in Australia last year.
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Burgess' chainsaw massacre.
Australian Gerry Burgess,Valentino Rossi's Honda crew chief, was limping round the Suzuka paddock after having a very lucky escape with a chainsaw back home in Australia.
West still waiting for race opportunity.
Anthony West hopes to emulate fellow Australian Garry McCoy's career upswing in 1999 and secure a competitive ride in this year's Moto GP world championship - even though the season has begun.
Giansanti benefits to take second.
The rain-lashed 125 GP featured the largest number of tumbles of the Japanese GP weekend, with Arnaud Vincent (Aprilia) emerging from the chaos the winner.
Rossi wins first MotoGP race.
Valentino Rossi today won the first MotoGP race of the season at Suzuka, Japan. The course of the race saw many riders fall due to the wet track that had experienced a great amount of rain.
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Rossi's reign continues at wet Suzuka.
Reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi became only the second rider to have won a Grand Prix race on both two-stroke and four-stroke machinery, after he took a great victory in the MotoGP race at the SKYY VODKA Grand Prix of Japan.
Miyazaki wins 250cc race for Yamaha.
Home boy Miyazaki won his local grand prix as a wildcard entry for the Motorex Daytona Yamaha team. The Japanese rider started from eighth place on the grid and rode a brilliant race to finish almost ten seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
Vincent gets better of wet Suzuka.
Arnaud Vincent lead the 125cc class to a great start of the 2002 season in a race which was troubled by rain and surface water on the track. The Suzuka circuit offered great entertainment as riders fought for positions and concentrated hard on remaining on the track.
Barros and Capirossi battle for points in rain.
The West Honda Pons duo of Alex Barros and Loris Capirossi both battled through the rain to score vital World Championship points in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka this afternoon (Sunday).
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Yamaha Wild Card upset in wet Suzuka.
It was a Japanese wildcard upset in a wet 2002 Suzuka MotoGP 250 World Championship race, held April 7, when production TZ250 mounted Osamu Miyazaki (Motorex Daytona Yamaha) dominated the 19-lap event.
Rossi and RCV triumphant at Suzuka.
The stunning combination of Valentino Rossi and his all-new Honda V5 four-stroke proved unbeatable in today's historic Japanese GP, the first event of MotoGP racing's new four-stroke era.
Honda wildcard takes podium finish.
Wild card riders Osamu Miyazaki (Yamaha) and Daisaku Sakai (Endurance/Toshio Asahi Honda RS250R/W) used their intimate wet-track knowledge of the Suzuka circuit to dominate the soaking 250 GP, with the 36-year-old Miyazaki coming out the winner after a spirited challenge by 20-year-old Sakai.
Roberto Locatelli to make 100th Grand Prix start.
Roberto Locatelli is scheduled to make his 100th Grand Prix start at the first round of the Championship in Japan.
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Suzuka MotoGP wildcards announced.
The first MotoGP race of 2002 sees wildcard entries for Shinichi Itoh and Akira Ryo with both taking part aboard 4 stroke machines. Itoh will line up on the Honda RC211V with Ryo piloting a Suzuki GSV-R.
125cc: Did you know?
Honda have taken nine wins in the 125cc class at Suzuka, Aprilia have won twice, and Derbi once. The 125 race will have the youngest entry list ever for a Grand Prix race with fifteen riders still teenagers.
Toby Moody's preview: Japanese GP and 2002 - Pt 1.
Top Eurosport MotoGP commentator Toby Moody looks ahead to 2002 and in this first of two articles previews the new season, which kicks off this weekend in Japan:
Yamaha set up for Suzuka.
The 2002 Suzuka MotoGP will mark the launch of the all-new combined four-stroke/two-stroke MotoGP World Championship; with less than 990cc four-strokes taking on the most successful two-stroke engine configuration in more than a decade - the V-four 500.
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Four-strokes are go!
This weekend Grand Prix racing launches into its new four-stroke era at Suzuka, Japan's fastest, most historic racetrack. Suzuka hosted its first Grand Prix 40 years ago, when the earliest battles for supremacy between two-strokes and four-strokes were raging.
Wild-card Suzuka riders announced.
Wild-card riders who will race in the Japanese Grand Prix, scheduled on the circuit of Suzuka on April 7th, are the following:
Japanese day of reckoning for MotoGP.
The day of reckoning arrives at Suzuka on Sunday with the four-strokes late-crashing the two-stroke MotoGP party that has been going on unchallenged for almost three decades.
Honda HRC Suzuka test - Day 2.
Repsol Honda factory tam riders Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa ended the two-day HRC Suzuka test session on a high note. Both men slashed over second off their best times of day one.
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