MotoGP

Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso believes that a compressed schedule in the second half of 2020 owing to the global coronavirus pandemic will be “difficult for everyone”. The new season is currently due to begin at Jerez in early May following the cancellation of the Qatar Grand Prix for the premier class and the postponement

KTM MotoGP boss Pit Beirer has confirmed to Autosport that a test will take place prior to the coronavirus-delayed 2020 season getting underway. The current championship has had the first four races of the season struck from the schedule, while it is highly expected that May’s Spanish, French and Italian Grands Prix will also be

MotoGP has clarified its homologation rules for engines and aerodynamic fairings amid the coronavirus shutdown, with the cancelled Qatar race the point at which the rules are being enforced. MotoGP’s current technical regulations stipulate that engines and the first of two allowed aero fairings for all non-concession manufacturers (Yamaha, Honda, Ducati, Suzuki) must be homologated

Danilo Petrucci admits negotiations regarding a contract renewal with Ducati would have been underway by now had the start of the MotoGP season not been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. After being awarded a one-year extension to his works deal with the Borgo Panigale marque off the back of his Mugello victory last year, Petrucci

Aprilia MotoGP rider Aleix Espargaro says he feels “ready” to fight for the podium this season and doesn’t think there are many riders “quicker than me” on the grid. The 2020 season will be the elder Espargaro brother’s 10th in the premier class and his fourth with Aprilia, who will race its “revolution” RS-GP. Espargaro

Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti believes it will be “impossible” for MotoGP to begin its season before June or July given the worsening coronavirus situation in Europe. After the Qatar opener was run earlier this month for Moto2 and Moto3 only in light of the worsening COVID-19 crisis, the three following races in Thailand, Austin

Maverick Vinales says Jorge Lorenzo’s Barcelona MotoGP wildcard will be “important” for Yamaha to allow it to properly test new parts, and hopes the three-time champion will do further races. Yamaha announced earlier in the month that Lorenzo will make his MotoGP race comeback at his home Catalan Grand Prix (currently slated for June), just

Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez and Honda have the most to gain from the coronavirus-induced delay to the start of the 2020 season, believes Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna. The worsening COVID-19 pandemic has put the start of the 2020 campaign on hold, with the season opener at Qatar taking place only for Moto2 and

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta says it’s possible a replacement for the cancelled Qatar MotoGP race could take place earlier than the new 19 April season start in Argentina. Dorna had to cancel the Qatar race owing to tighter quarantine restrictions being imposed on Italian travellers, though Moto2 and Moto3 went ahead due to both

The FIM and Dorna Sports have announced that MotoGP’s Argentine Grand Prix has been postponed a day after it was confirmed as the new season-opener. The outbreak of coronavirus and ever-tightening travel restrictions led to MotoGP having to cancel its original season-opener in Qatar, with Thailand and Austin subsequently postponed in the following week as

The Ducati MotoGP team is still planning to conduct a two-day private test in Valencia at the end of March despite the entirety of Italy being under coronavirus quarantine. After a partial lockdown on numerous provinces affecting 16 million people was put into force, the Italian government extended that quarantine to cover the entire country

The MotoGP 2020 calendar has undergone a further revision prompted by the threat of coronavirus, with Austin ceding season opener status to Argentina and the finale moving a week later. An amended calendar was initially presented to the public on March 5, with Austin’s Grand Prix of the Americas becoming the first premier-class race on

FIM president Jorge Viegas admits MotoGP could resort to running two races on the one weekend should coronavirus force more races to be cancelled. Tighter quarantine procedures in Qatar for travellers from Italy initiated prior to the Qatar Grand Prix meant MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports had no choice but to scrap the season-opener for the

Qatar Moto2 Grand Prix winner Tetsuta Nagashima says qualifying 14th meant he had to think “like a beast” from the race start, with “win or crash” his only options. Nagashima has raced full-time in Moto2 since 2017, though made his debut as a wildcard back in 2013, and had thus far only managed a best

Several MotoGP manufacturers are set to carry out a private test at Jerez later in March in the absence of racing this month as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. This weekend’s season-opening MotoGP round in Qatar had to be cancelled due to new quarantine procedures being placed on Italian travelers by the country, while

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Tetsuta Nagashima came through from 14th to grab a surprise emotional maiden Moto2 win in a frantic Qatar Grand Prix. Nagashima grabbed the lead late on and opened up an insurmountable gap to cruise to his first win, some 10 years after fellow Japanese rider Shoya Tomizawa won the very first

Albert Arenas clinched the first Moto3 win of the new decade and KTM’s 100th after beating John McPhee by 0.053 seconds in a thrilling Qatar Grand Prix. Arenas spent several stints at the head of the field, and made a break with McPhee in tow on the final lap, repelling the Petronas Sprinta rider’s advances

Tatsuki Suzuki clinched the first Moto3 pole of the 2020 season after beating Raul Fernandez by 0.008 seconds in qualifying at Qatar. The SIC58 Squadra Corse rider had to go through Q1 after missing out on a top 14 place across the three practice sessions. Suzuki set the pace immediately in the second 15-minute session

Joe Roberts became the first American to qualify on pole in Moto2 since 2010 after beating Luca Marini in qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix – with both setting identical laptimes. Roberts topped practice overall with a record lap of 1m58.421s in FP2 on Friday, and came into Saturday’s running as the favourite to end

MotoGP’s new season-opener in Texas has been thrown into significant doubt following the declaration of a state of emergency in host city Austin due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Circuit of the Americas, originally slated to host the third round of the 2020 MotoGP season, was subsequently due to kickstart the campaign on April 5

KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez led the opening free practice Friday for the 2020 Moto3 season, after surging to top spot late on in FP2 for the Qatar Grand Prix. The coronavirus outbreak led to the Qatari government imposing new travel and quarantine measures, which meant the opening round of the year has had to go

American Racing Team rider Joe Roberts usurped the Losail lap record to end Moto2 Friday practice for the Qatar Grand Prix fastest on combined timesheets. As with Moto3, the Moto2 class was already present in Qatar for a pre-season test and will race this weekend – while the MotoGP grand prix is cancelled as a

Retired triple MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo will return to racing in June’s Catalunya Grand Prix in a wildcard outing with Yamaha. Lorenzo announced his retirement from racing at the end of last season, after a difficult and injury-hit year on the Honda sapped him of confidence and motivation. Over the winter he penned a

MotoGP has issued an updated 2020 calendar in wake of the coronavirus cancellations of Qatar and Thailand, with Austin officially the first round. New quarantine procedures implemented by the Qatari government on travelers from Italy led Dorna Sports to cancel the MotoGP season-opener, though Moto2 and Moto3 will race at Losail this weekend owing to

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta admits running MotoGP races behind closed doors is a consideration to minimise disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. New quarantine procedures for those travelling from Italy in Qatar led MotoGP to cancel to the first race of the season, while the second round in Thailand was postponed due to a

MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez says Honda has “found the way” with its troubled 2020 RC213V, following a pre-season testing phase that “worried” the injured Spaniard. Marquez’s pre-season has been hindered by his ongoing recovery from a shoulder operation in November, though he admitted after a difficult Sepang test that he was more worried about

Valentino Rossi admits he is worried about the 2020 Yamaha’s race pace ahead of the first race of the new MotoGP season, as he is still ‘suffering’ with tyre wear. In recent years Yamaha riders have constantly struggled in races with rear tyres beginning to fade too much halfway through a race distance. Michelin’s new-for-2020

Marc Marquez says his younger brother and works Honda MotoGP team-mate Alex must “earn” a contract renewal, and that he will not “impose” his preference on the Japanese manufacturer. Reigning Moto2 champion Alex was brought in to replace the retiring Jorge Lorenzo at the factory Honda outfit for 2020, joining his elder brother for his

The MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix has been postponed due to coronavirus fears, the country’s government has announced just hours after Dorna Sports and the FIM cancelled the opening Qatar race. Dorna Sports and the FIM officially confirmed the postponement of the Thailand GP later on Monday morning. A statement read: “Due to the ongoing coronavirus

MotoGP has announced its 2020 season-opener in Qatar will not go ahead due to travel restrictions brought about by the coronavirus outbreak. The virus – known as Covid-19 – originated in China and is reported to have infected more than 80,000 people globally and resulted in at least 3000 deaths since the outbreak. In recent