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.
'Good moment' for West Honda Pons team.
Alex Barros has adapted so well to the new Honda RC211V in such a short space of time that he has become one of the hot favourites for the last two races of the season.
FIM announce 2003 MotoGP calendar.
The calendar for the 2003 season of the MotoGP World Championship announced by the FIM is the following: 2003 calendar:
Pitt goes wild at home.
Andrew Pitt will race in front of his home fans for the first time on the ZX-RR this weekend at Philip Island, while fellow wild card Shinichi Itoh will join him in the MotoGP class. The other wild-card riders for the Australian Grand Prix are named as: MotoGP class:
Slide king McCoy forgets racing and has fun.
Garry McCoy finished today's Malaysian GP in 15th place as the Aussie struggled to overcome a lack of grip, and although he collected a solitary world championship point it was hardly the boost he was looking for with his home race at Phillip Island, near Melbourne, taking place in just seven day
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Aprilia reveal cause of Melandri's retirement.
The MS Aprilia team have revealed that Marco Melandri was deprived of sealing the 250cc World Championship today in Sepang because of an electrical failure on the very first lap.
Fifth is not my potential, says Kato.
Daijiro Kato had a relatively quiet race today in Malaysia, falling prey to the advance of Valentino Rossi on lap five - and Ukawa one lap later - eventually finishing fifth at the flag.
Magnificent Max beats RCV onslaught at Malaysia.
Max Biaggi took a magnificent second Grand Prix victory of the year today at Sepang, as the Roman Emperor out-rode the RCV's of Rossi, Barros and Ukawa - who almost needed to swap insurance details after their epic battle.
Capirossi bails out as wall approaches.
Loris Capirossi was forced to ditch his West Honda Pons machine after running wide, across the gravel and straight at a wall, in today's first qualifying session at Sepang.
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Pitt a hit with Kawasaki after 'remarkable' debut.
Australian Andrew Pitt, World Supersport champion in 2001, made a more than promising - if unexpected - GP debut at Sepang in Malaysia today, with his first ever outing on the brand new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR.
McWilliams on pole - until the straights appear.
Jeremy McWilliams once again exceeded expectations in Malaysia today, with a blindingly fast lap that not only made a nonsense of the team's fears that they would be seriously off the pace at a track with two long straights, but also put him narrowly third-fastest two-stroke, right among the four
Ukawa leads V5 1-2-3-4 at Sepang.
HRC ruled the first day at a sticky Sepang, as Tohru Ukawa led a V5 1-2-3-4 by just 0.089secs from his team-mate Valentino Rossi - with Garry McCoy a surprise best of the rest during first qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
McWilliams, Aoki get Proton V5 ride.
Proton Team KR announced this morning in Malaysia that, as predicted by Crash.Net , current riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki have signed to ride the team's new V5 four stroke for 2003. The two former GP winners both agreed terms for fresh one-year contracts.
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Bridgestone accepts Proton four-stroke challenge.
Bridgestone tyres, who came into the top class in GP racing in 2002 with Proton Team KR, will continue with the team in 2003 - and the Japanese manufacturers are looking forward to the new challenge of the four-stroke machine.
Kenny promises head on attack from new V5.
Proton Team KR, the only fully independent team in top-level motorcycle racing, is taking a bold step into the future in 2003, with a head-on challenge to the factories with their new V5 four-stroke MotoGP racer.
Barros: RCV makes it easy.
It was an unforgettably emotional day for the West Honda Pons team at Motegi, as Alex Barros scored a spectacular victory on his debut with the Honda RCV, after a thrilling duel with World Champion Valentino Rossi which was decided right on the finish line.
Aoki fights 'frozen fuel tank'!
Proton Team KR riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Jeremy McWilliams finished ninth and tenth in yesterday's Pacific GP, after battling for the full race distance.
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Home hero Kato denied by mystery problem.
Daijiro Kato retired from the Pacific Grand Prix after his machine suffered a mechanical problem on lap seven of the Pacific Grand Prix, finally pulling him out on lap nine.
Elias wins first 250 GP after last lap thriller.
Toni Elias took a thrilling first 250cc victory on the very last corner of today's Pacific Grand Prix, after a tense late race battle with Marco Melandri and spectacular wild card Yuki Takahashi - who proved he's a star of the future by finishing on the podium in his first ever 250 GP.
Pain in the neck for Yanagawa after crash.
Kawasaki rider Akira Yanagawa bounced back from a high-speed crash in today's final qualifying session for tomorrow's Pacific GP - and went straight out to cut almost half a second off his previous best time, on his spare machine.
First MotoGP pole for homeboy Kato.
Japanese sensation Daijiro Kato claimed his first ever MotoGP pole position this afternoon, despite being unable to improve on his blisteringly quick time from yesterday's first qualifying session, and after a crash during today's hour-long practice.
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Biaggi: I'll attack Kato tomorrow.
Max Biaggi was bang on the pace at Motegi today, well up to the dramatically faster pace at this stop-and-go track where the four-stroke MotoGP bikes can use their horsepower advantage to good effect.
NSR star Capirossi beats Barros.
Capirossi was the first two-stroke, riding the NSR West Honda Pons machine into fifth place - one ahead of his team-mate Alex Barros on an RCV - despite a last minute tyre problem.
I'm praying for sunshine, says rain ace Checa.
Carlos Checa rode a remarkable race at Rio two weeks ago. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man didn't even finish the rain-soaked event but his ride will live on in the memory of race fans for a long, long while.
Yoda helps Yamaha use the force!
No factory has worked harder during this year's inaugural four-stroke-based MotoGP World Championship than Yamaha. Following a challenging run of preseason tests, the factory's race department has used all its renowned expertise to develop the mighty YZR-M1 into a race-winning 'force'.
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