Rossi Prolongs With Yamaha - Stays In MotoGP For 2008 Season - Updated

By Kropotkin | Thu, 01/02/2007 - 11:54

Yamaha has announced that Valentino Rossi will be staying with them for the 2008 season as well as 2007. The contract was announced to put a premature end to speculation that Rossi could once again leave MotoGP to race four wheels, either in Formula 1, or, much more likely, in WRC Rallying.

Phillip Island Testing, Day 3 Times

By Kropotkin | Thu, 01/02/2007 - 11:46

Testing finished today at Phillip Island in Australia with a return to form for reigning World Champion Nicky Hayden. He put in the fastest time of the entire three-day test on his Repsol Honda RC212V, setting a time of 1:29.52, just half a second of his track record 1:29.02 pole record at September's race. Team mate Dani Pedrosa even managed to beat the time he set aboard the 990cc RC211V during qualifying by 0.3 seconds.

Phillip Island Testing, Day 1 Times

By Kropotkin | Tue, 30/01/2007 - 12:09

MotoGP testing resumed to day at the Phillip Island track in Australia. And once again, the times showed up a bunch of surprises. Biggest surprise of all is the name of the fastest rider: Aboard the bike which seemed to be permanently lodged at the very tail end of the field in 2006, it was Alex Barros who set the day's fastest time, with a 1:30.6. Good tires and a great rider really can make a huge difference, as the d'Antin Ducati was absolutely nowhere last year.

Two Absentees At Phillip Island Test - Kawasaki And Yamaha Missing

By Kropotkin | Mon, 29/01/2007 - 14:28

Privacy is a precious commodity. And an increasingly rare one, as technology allows ever greater scrutiny. And it seems as if some MotoGP teams sometimes feel the same way. This seems the only plausible reason that both Kawasaki and Yamaha have decided to pull out of the upcoming MotoGP test at Phillip Island in Australia.

The Michelin Conundrum

By Kropotkin | Wed, 24/01/2007 - 20:57

The tire situation in MotoGP presents us with a rather puzzling situation. French tire maker Michelin has dominated MotoGP for many years now, taking every championship since 1992. Bridgestone has only started to compete seriously since the introduction of the four-strokes in 2002, and is now starting to be a truly competitive force. But Michelin continues to dominate the class, taking 13 of the 17 races last year.

Sepang Testing, Day 3, Preliminary Results

By Kropotkin | Wed, 24/01/2007 - 11:39

Testing concluded today at Sepang, and the picture created during the first two days has shifted a little. Where previously the Suzukis dominated, today it was Valentino Rossi's turn to shine. The Doctor set a blistering pace, just 0.3 seconds off his pole position set in September. John Hopkins set the 2nd time, less than a tenth slower than Rossi, showing the Suzukis are still well in contention.

Subscribe to