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.
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.
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.
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.
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'.
Aprilia wraps up 250 Manufacturers' Championship.
Four races from the end of the season, Aprilia has wrapped up the 250cc manufacturers' title with an unassailable 103 point lead over nearest rivals Honda, with Yamaha a further 13 points back.
Roberts returns to Rio rostrum.
Kenny Roberts Jr took his best result of a difficult 2002 campaign - and his first rostrum finish on the new four-stroke GSV-R racer - in a rain-sodden Rio Grand Prix, after leading half the race, and finishing third.
Sebas slam-dunks debut win.
In what was the most dominating display of the 2002 GP250 season, Petronas Sprinta Yamaha TVK rider Sebastian Porto claimed his first race win during the Brazilian round of the MotoGP world championship.
Crashes and chaos hinder Yamaha runners.
Antena 3 Yamaha d'Antin team leader Norick Abe put in a strong performance to finish the Rio Grand Prix in sixth position as best of the Yamahas behind second-placed Max Biaggi, but there was the usual mix of highs and lows for the rest of the Japanese marque's riders.
Barros wins two-stroke race for home crowd.
Twenty-three-year old Valentino Rossi clinched the very first MotoGP World Championship with his tenth grand prix victory of the season in the Rio Grand Prix, but Alex Barros gave the home crowd something to cheer by racing through the field to snatch two-stroke glory behind the leading four-stro
Double joy for Biaggi in Rio.
As Max Biaggi fired his Yamaha M1 bike onto provisional pole position for this weekend's Cinzano Rio Grand Prix, for once the talking point was not about the Italian's supreme ability to set flying laps at breakneck speeds, but about the simultaneous announcement that he had signed a three-year c
Yamaha set-up report - Rio de Janeiro.
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.
Three continents and five weekends fine for MYT.
MotoGP racing is all about speed.