Checkers – Racing News

by Dan Gruchala For three nights, the hills of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain were filled with the sounds of motorcycles, campfires, music and other essential noises of a good revelry. Unlike some places where only a smattering of people attend the early weekend practice sessions, the Jerez GP—the opening ...    Read more

Words by Dan Gruchala Though Freddie Spencer had to see it coming, it still must have been painful to watch the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas despite COTA's widely praised exquisiteness. Marc Marquez replaced Spencer's name in the MotoGP history books for the second time in as many days ...    Read more

Words by Dan Gruchala After dominating the time sheets during the private Austin test only a few weeks ago, it was clear the Repsol Honda machines of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa stood ready to do well when it came time to qualify for the race at the same Circuit of ...    Read more

During the recent MotoGP test at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, Motorcyclist sat down with HRC MotoGP riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez for a brief interview. During this conversation, MotoGP rookie Marquez discusses the challenge of learning new tracks, the differences between Moto2 and MotoGP, and the secret to selecting ...    Read more

During the recent MotoGP test at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, which will host its first-ever Grand Prix event on Sunday, April 21st, Motorcyclist sat down with HRC MotoGP riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez for a brief interview. During this conversation, MotoGP veteran Dani Pedrosa talks tires, comments on ...    Read more

Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha Factory Racing claimed an immaculate first place victory on Sunday at the Qatar MotoGP race at the Losail International Circuit. Despite battling nerves before the race started, Lorenzo took the hole-shot into turn one and quickly began putting a gap between himself and the other riders. ...    Read more

Today the start of the 2013 MotoGP season kicks off at Losail under the floodlights of the Qatar circuit. If the winter testing is any indicator of what’s to come, we are in for some exciting battles. Current reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha Factory Racing has some tough competition ...    Read more

Finally, there's clarity on coverage of MotoGP in the U.S., with Fox Sports 1 (what SPEED will become in August) entering into a "multi year" deal to televise the premier racing series. With three rounds in the U.S. this year—Austin, Indianapolis, and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca—an American television component has ...    Read more

This year’s MotoGP event at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, is already action-packed, and the race hasn’t even happened yet. COTA and 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz are currently slugging it out in court over the circuit’s decision to pass over the champ’s promotion company for the ...    Read more

While the entire moto-world was falling all over themselves messing about with testing (testing!) at that fancy-schmanchy new track in Austin, Texas we held a little thing here in Florida we like to call The 72nd Annual Daytona 200. Daytona 200 Wrap-upBoasting a pre-pavement history long enough to recall racing ...    Read more

As the sun sets on the recent MotoGP test at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, we can say it illustrated many things. Perhaps foremost, for a worldwide sport trying to survive in a suffering global economy, it gave further perspective on that which was already apparent; there is ...    Read more

MotoGP will race on American soil three times in 2013. But before the inaugural motorcycle Grand Prix at the sparkling new Circuit of the Americas, three MotoGP teams have made the trek to Austin, TX, for an unofficial test. Factory Honda and Yamaha teams are here, in addition to the ...    Read more

The second MotoGP test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia has wrapped up despite difficult weather conditions, which included several days of heavy rain followed by a dry track and blistering heat on the third and final day of testing. An extra three days of testing will take place on ...    Read more

If you’ve been wondering where to see FIM World Superbike Championship on TV since SPEED dropped the series to show even more NASCAR content (“Tune in tonight for a five-hour ‘Top Ten Daytona Tailgate Parties’ special!”) you’re not alone. The rumors have been flying this past week, predicting the series ...    Read more

Photo: Courtesy of Repsol Honda Team Rossi’s humble return to the Yamaha M1 and the arrival of rookie Marc Marquez has many MotoGP fans anticipating the start of the 2013 season, and now it’s finally arrived. The first official test was held in Sepang, Malaysia, where the sky was overcast, but ...    Read more

Well  before the start of the 2013 Dakar Rally, it seemed like there was no point in actually running the race. The fans and press were touting Frenchman Cyril Despres as the likely winner, mostly because his KTM teammate Marc Coma had dropped out of the rally with shoulder problems ...    Read more

As if riding at the Isle of Man weren't already dangerous enough, now some loonies are booby-trapping "green ways"––unpaved roads open to vehicle traffic––with nasty tire-shredding devices made of 2-inch nails stuck in a piece of plywood and left on the ground pointy side up. This is just the latest ...    Read more

The 2013 Dakar Rally is only days away, and while most teams are putting the finishing touches on their bikes, perennial favorite KTM is scrambling after one of its two top riders, three-time Dakar winner Marc Coma, was injured during the Rally of Morocco. “We worked really hard with the doctors ...    Read more

American Suzuki racing fans will look forward to Suzuki's return to MotoGP. At the end of the 2011 MotoGP season, Suzuki packed up its one-bike team, turned off the garage lights, and pulled out of the series, citing the worldwide economy’s accelerating spiral down the drain as the reason. The factory ...    Read more

If you're WSBK champion Aprilia Racing, how do you keep the momentum going after your champion retires? Turn to a "young veteran" known for his gritty racing: Sylvain Guintoli. Guintoli has been chosen by the Aprilia Racing Team for its 2013 World Superbike Championship squad, replacing Max Biaggi. Guintoli will ...    Read more

Photo by Andrew Wheeler - AutoMotoPhoto. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Valentino Rossi is the winningest rider in the modern era and arguably the brightest genius roadracing has ever seen. As fans, it has pained us to watch him struggle against the torrential current of MotoGP development ...    Read more

The other shoe has dropped in the shakeup for Ducati’s MotoGP squad as embattled engineer Fillipo Preziosi has been moved up the corporate ladder while ex-BMW Superbike Director, Bernhard Gobmeier takes his place as GM of Ducati Corse. Valentino Rossi’s relationship with Preziosi unraveled in the press over the last ...    Read more

Yamaha Factory Racing rider Jorge Lorenzo wrapped up a season of domination today with second on the podium in the Grand Prix of Australia to claim his second MotoGP World Championship title, becoming Spain's first ever double premier-class Grand Prix Champion. Starting from second on the grid, Lorenzo took the ...    Read more

Today, the Repsol Honda team has tasted glory and disappointment in equal measures at the Australian Grand Prix. The glory, seeing the 2011 World Champion, Casey Stoner, celebrating victory at his last home race of his career, with a sixth consecutive win at Phillip Island, the fifth of the 2012 ...    Read more

Japanese Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will step in to replace injured Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies for the final round of the 2012 MotoGP Championship, the Grand Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana in two weeks time. Nakasuga-san has already proven to be a trustworthy rider to handle the ...    Read more