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 sticker album and trading cards for 2003!
Dorna Sports have signed an agreement with the Panini Group to produce a new range of trading cards and sticker album collection for the MotoGP World Championship.
Rossi doubtful for FIM Awards.
The spa town of Saint Vincent, set in the Italian mountain resort of Valle d'Aosta, will this Saturday host the FIM World Champions Award Ceremony, which will honour the title winners in MotoGP and all other two-wheeled disciplines homologated by the FIM.
Fortuna and Gauloises Yamaha to launch at Jerez.
The Fortuna Yamaha Team and Gauloises Yamaha Team will make their official Team Presentation on Thursday 20th February - the evening before the first MotoGP IRTA tests of 2003.
Rossi bomb sent by anti-globalisation group.
Spanish press agency Efe has reported that an anti-globalisation group are behind the recent spate of parcel bombs in Spain and Italy, including those sent to Spanish owned Iberian airlines - as many as two of which contained threats against Valentino Rossi, due to his Repsol links.
Rossi becomes terrorist target.
Valentino Rossi appears to have become an unwitting - and unlikely - target of terrorists, having been singled out for mention in a note attached to a parcel bomb at Milan's Malpensa airport over the weekend.
Malaguti signs up as 125cc manufacturer.
Italian scooter company Malaguti will join fellow motorcycle manufacturer KTM in entering a two-rider team to take on the established factories in the 2003 125cc World Championship.
Young Brit Camier confirmed in 125s.
British 125cc Championship frontrunner Leon Camier will make the move into Grand Prix racing next season with the Honda Racing Service team. 17-year-old Camier won the 125 championship in 2001 and followed that up with a third in this year's standings, riding for Padgett's.
Chaz joins ex-McWilliams team in 250s.
Brit Chaz Davies will become one of the youngest-ever competitors in the 250cc World Championship, following the announcement that the 15-year-old has signed for the Aprilia Germany team.
320 million TV viewers for each Grand Prix.
Extensive global television coverage of the MotoGP World Championship continued in 2002, with an average of 320 million viewers tuning in to coverage of each Grand Prix, including a live audience average of 130 million people across 187 countries.
Vd Goorbergh left out of 2003 line-up.
Jurgen van den Goorbergh is in danger of being without a ride for the 2003 MotoGP World Championship, after the Dutchman's name was absent from the provisional entry list released today.
Hayden signs for Repsol Honda.
As expected, Honda Racing Corporation has revealed that Nicky Hayden will ride for the official HRC Repsol Honda Team alongside reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, in the 2003 season.
Full 2003 MotoGP entry list.
The full provisional entry list for the 2003 Motorcycle World Championships are as follows. MotoGP class:
Proton V5 set for January track debut.
The Banbury-based Proton KR MotoGP team are on course to test their new five-cylinder 990cc four-stroke at the end of January, at Jerez, Spain.
MotoGP greats - Wayne Rainey.
Wayne Rainey will forever be remembered as the triple world champion whose career was brought to a tragically early end by a paralysing crash at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix - while chasing his fourth world crown.
Edwards matches Rossi on new Cube at Jerez.
Today, Colin Edwards got his first taste of the 2003 RS Cube - lighter, faster and better handling than it's predecessor. The result? He was a massive 1.3secs faster, and matched Rossi's race pace in the Spainish Grand Prix.
D'Antin signs Nakano, Abe demoted to test rider.
Yamaha Motor Co. and Team d'Antin have announced the continuation of their partnership in the MotoGP World Championship. The new agreement will see the Yamaha/d'Antin outfit enter the 2003 season with a further option for 2004.
Red Bull Yamaha reborn as Harris WCM!
Peter Clifford's former Red Bull Yamaha WCM team will be reborn next season when Harris Performance Products and his World Championship Motorsport [WCM] outfit combine to build a new Grand Prix racer to challenge the factory machines.
MotoGP greats - Mick Doohan.
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.
Ukawa confirmed at Pramac Pons.
It has been announced that, as expected, Tohru Ukawa will be joining Max Biaggi in the Honda Pons team for the 2003 MotoGP World Championship.
Bayliss goes backwards after losing #21.
Troy Bayliss has lost his preferred #21 race number to new Suzuki rider John Hopkins, and has had to choose a new identity under which to ride in GP's next season.
Fortuna continues to smile on Rolfo.
Roberto Rolfo will stay in GP250 with Fortuna next year, even if he has had to switch teams following his former employer's graduation from the series.
Ant West to make Grand Prix comeback.
Anthony West is set to rejoin the Motorcycle Grand Prix circus next season, with the ex-500cc rider campaigning Roberto Locatelli's 2002 Aprilia race bikes for the UGT 3000 - Abruzzo team as they move from the 125 to 250cc class.
Doohan: Continuity will carry Rossi to crown.
MotoGP legend Mick Doohan has stated that despite the massive team/rider changes for next year, he believes Valentino Rossi will counter the competition and claim his third World Championship in the premier class.
Biaggi: The real Rossi isn't nice.
This season saw relatively little of the verbal - and sometimes physical - confrontations between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi that led to an official conduct warning from the FIM in 2001.