Espargaro fumes as Aprilia MotoGP reliability gremlins strike again
Espargaro was in the fight for a top-five position when his RS-GP suddenly slowed on lap eight of Saturday’s 12-lap race, forcing him into the pits and into retirement. It follows a similar episode in last weekend’s Indian Grand Prix, but while Espargaro put that problem down to the intense heat at the Buddh International […]
“Super-slow” Quartararo despondent after woeful Yamaha sprint
Quartararo led home the Yamaha charge as he dropped one place from his grid slot of 14th, having failed to escape the first part of qualifying earlier in the day. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli was a place further back in 16th, while wildcard Cal Crutchlow capped off a miserable day for the Iwata firm in 18th […]
«Time will tell» if Honda MotoGP changes are enough
Going through its worst-ever phase in grand prix racing, Honda has had to resort to changes in its technical line-up in a bid to keep hold of star rider Marquez and challenge for the title for the first time since 2019. Ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, it emerged that long-time technical chief Shinichi […]
Two riders in contention for Motocorsa seat
Italian rider Bassani’s move to Kawasaki, where he will replace Yamaha-bound Jonathan Rea, was finally made official on Friday on the eve of the penultimate round of the season at Portimao. It opens up a coveted seat at one of the most competitive satellite teams on the grid, with Motocorsa boss Lorenzo Mauri confirming he […]
Martin cuts Bagnaia’s points lead with sprint win
Pramac Ducati rider Martin was never truly threatened at the head of the field, easing away from the chasing pack over the course of Saturday’s 12-lap contest to record his fifth sprint race win of the season. It means the gap between Martin and works Ducati man Bagnaia is now down to just eight points […]
Martin smashes lap record for pole
Martin posted a 1m43.198s on his first run in Q2 on Saturday morning to beat Brad Binder’s Friday benchmark, which in turn surpassed Jorge Lorenzo’s 2015 record, by almost three tenths of a second. It gives Martin a second pole in the last three races, as well as a 10th in a row for Ducati. […]
Honda selects replacement for axed MotoGP technical boss Kokubu
Sato, previously head of development for the Honda RC213V, will start in his new role as general technical director on October 1, the same day the Japanese Grand Prix takes place at Motegi. However, it remains to be seen whether the appointment will have any impact when it comes to the subject of determining Marc […]
Kawasaki signs Bassani to replace Rea in 2024
As reported by Motorsport.com earlier this month, Bassani will leave Motocorsa Ducati after three seasons to join Alex Lowes at Kawasaki next year. It follows Rea’s decision to end his deal with Kawasaki with a year left on his contract and move to rival Japanese marque Yamaha. Bassani has been selected to take the place […]
2023 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
Francesco Bagnaia heads to Japan with a reduced lead of just 13 points following his third retirement of the season in India last weekend. Jorge Martin is Bagnaia’s closest challenger in the title fight, with Marco Bezzecchi also having an outside shot in third. 2023 MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix session timings Session GMT BST CEST […]