MotoGP Features

Nicky Hayden made Honda history on Saturday at Assen when his dramatic last turn victory gave the Japanese giant its 200th premier-class grand prix victory.

If Valentino Rossi was to select a particular event to restart his championship campaign it would surely be his home Italian Grand Prix at the magnificent Mugello circuit.

The famous Spa Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian Ardennes recently reverberated to the sound of a factory grand prix bike for the first time in 16 years, when Shinya Nakano put his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR through its paces.

Michelin may have won both the 2005 Formula One and MotoGP World Championships - with Renault's Fernando Alonso and Yamaha's Valentino Rossi - but the similarities between the tyres essentially begins and ends with the brand name on the side.

Five times MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi is scheduled to make his 100th appearance in the premier-class at Turkey this weekend. The Italian superstar has not missed a race since making his debut in the category at the first race of the 2000 season, in South Africa.

The Istanbul Park circuit holds a special place in Marco Melandri's heart - being the venue of his first ever MotoGP class victory last season - and here the Fortuna Honda rider reviews the secrets of quick lap around the challenging Turkish racetrack...

Reigning five times MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi and Camel Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards face an uphill battle in tomorrow's opening round of 2006 after the much feared chatter problems returned during Saturday at Jerez.

Team Suzuki boss Paul Denning has stated that the 2006 British Superbike season will be a "do or die" year for former MotoGP rider Shane Byrne - if the Briton wants Suzuki backing for a return to world championship action.

Former four-times World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty believes that, within two years, new Suzuki grand prix rider Chris Vermeulen will be capable of beating reigning five-times MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi... if they are on equal machinery.

Former four-times 500cc World Champion, John Surtees, believes that MotoGP engines should be limited to 600cc - rather than the soon to be 800cc - since it would provide a natural progression from the light and nimble 125 and 250cc machines, match the commercial needs of the manufacturers and all

The FIM has today announced the 2006 MotoGP World Championship calendar.

Victory in Sunday's 250cc Australian Grand Prix handed Dani Pedrosa a third successive world title and Honda its landmark 600th win in motorcycle grand prix competition.

After seeing local hero Wayne Gardner take victory for the first two years of the Australian Grand Prix in 1989 and 1990 at Phillip Island, hopes were high for another home victory when the series switched to a new venue at Eastern Creek on the outskirts of Sydney in 1991.

The Losail circuit is located on the western side of the Persian Gulf just outside of the capital city Doha, and was used for the first time last year.

World Champion Valentino Rossi suffering three successive defeats at the same circuit by the same MotoGP team - doesn't sound likely does it? But that's exactly what's happened at Motegi for the past three seasons...

Whilst the achievements of Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards have helped propel Gauloises Yamaha to the top of the 2005 MotoGP teams' championship standings, their success would not be possible without the hard work of a dedicated crew of staff inside the pit box.

MotoGP is the world's fastest motorcycle racing series, so it's no surprise that aerodynamics is a crucial factor in machine development - along with engine, chassis and tyre performance.

Following KTM's recent withdraw as a MotoGP engine supplier - and continued doubts over the Blata V6 project - hope for teams seeking a competitive powerplant could be on the horizon, with the news that Ilmor Engineering are planning to 'design, build and supply' a MotoGP engine.

Crash.net has learnt that the Blata V6 MotoGP machine, which was due to make its belated debut with WCM at the minibike manufacturer's home Czech Republic Grand Prix on August 28, will not make the event.

One of the most influential figures in the brilliant career of Valentino Rossi has been his famously laid back father Graziano, himself a former racer who - despite his son's fame - sleeps in the back of a BMW estate when he attends MotoGPs.

Valentino Rossi falling may have been a fairly frequent occurrence during his first year in the premier-class - as illustrated by this picture of the Italian spectacularly highsiding from his Nastro Azzurro Honda in 2000 - but the #46 soon adapted to the power of the fearsome 500cc machines and b

Valentino Rossi may call the bustling British capital city of London home now, but the MotoGP superstar grew up in a very different environment - being born in a small town called Tavullia near the north east coast of Italy, which he was eventually forced to leave as his worldwide fame increased.

Shortly after finishing second and third in the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, Valentino Rossi took an eye-opening trip to Las Vegas with American team-mate Colin Edwards.

MotoGP finally welcomed a new winner on July 10 when Nicky Hayden joined Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi, Alex Barros, Sete Gibernau, Loris Capirossi and Makoto Tamada on the limited list of active grand prix winners since the premier-class switched from 500cc two-strokes to 990cc four-strokes in 200