Simon Patterson

MotoGP

Marc Marquez gives comprehensive update on his recovery

Marc Marquez has provided a detailed update on how his recovery from the injury that has ruled him out of the 2020 MotoGP championship fight is progressing

MotoGP

How MotoGP’s worst team transformed itself

Avintia before 2020: MotoGP’s worst team. Avintia now: Polesitter, podium-finisher, key Ducati team and potentially running rising stars from Moto2 and VR46 in 2021. Simon Patterson heard from colourful team boss Ruben Xaus about the transformation, and whether Avintia really has a long-term MotoGP

MotoGP

Aprilia says it won’t wait for Iannone beyond 2020

Andrea Iannone’s fate and future as an Aprilia MotoGP rider will be conclusively decided one way or another in October, team boss Massimo Rivola tells The Race

MotoGP

Morbidelli: Surprise Spike Lee call a ‘happiness injection’

Franco Morbidelli has revealed that he’d received a congratulatory call from Spike Lee following his maiden MotoGP win

MotoGP

Rossi finally seals 2021 MotoGP deal, announcement this week

Valentino Rossi’s delayed 2021 MotoGP deal with Petronas SRT Yamaha is finally complete and will be announced this week, according to The Race’s sources. And it’s just a one-year contract ahead of an expected 2022 grid shake-up

MotoGP

Did visor tear-offs take both Pramac Ducatis out at Misano?

Francesco Bagnaia believes a discarded visor tear-off caused his crash from the Misano MotoGP lead, and Pramac knows that’s why his team-mate Jack Miller retired

MotoGP

Yamaha’s overtaking problem could wreck its title bid

Yamaha may have won four of the seven 2020 MotoGP races so far, but the bike’s inability to overtake is a significant hurdle for the team’s title bid, say both Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo

MotoGP

MotoGP has a new title favourite – and he hasn’t won a race yet

The 2020 MotoGP title fight got even closer at Misano, with four riders within four points at the top now. One of them has the consistency and momentum the other three lack

MotoGP

Does Alex Marquez and Honda’s sudden pace mean anything?

Alex Marquez and Honda were quickest in the Misano MotoGP warm-up. Is this a sign of hope at last? No, says Simon Patterson

MotoGP

Why Misano 2 may be MotoGP 2020’s biggest dogfight yet

Six days of track time including a race and a test – MotoGP riders have never been as well prepared for a race as they are for Misano today, and that’s resulted in a ferociously close pack

MotoGP

Suzuki runs into Ducati problem of too much grip

Suzuki’s hopes at the Emilia Romagna GP have been hampered by a similar issue to the one that has plagued its MotoGP rider Ducati all throughout 2020

MotoGP

Tensions in works Ducati team rear their head at Misano

Though Andrea Dovizioso leads the MotoGP standings, the comments from Ducati’s two departing riders and team management hint at disharmony

MotoGP

Why Yamaha has been reeled in at Misano

Yamaha dominated practice at Misano last weekend and won the race, but was only the third-fastest MotoGP marque this Friday

MotoGP

Rossi’s half-brother Marini tipped for 2021 MotoGP promotion

Though Tito Rabat is under contract for 2021, he could yet cede his Avintia Ducati MotoGP ride to Moto2 frontrunner Luca Marini, Valentino Rossi’s half-brother

MotoGP

Honda down to just two riders for second Misano MotoGP race

Honda is down to two riders for the second MotoGP race at Misano, with Stefan Bradl joining Cal Crutchlow and Marc Marquez on the sidelines

MotoGP

MotoGP riders to try Algarve on production bikes

A significant number of the 2020 MotoGP grid will travel to Portugal ahead of next month’s French Grand Prix to experience the Algarve circuit before it joins the championship calendar as the final race of the coming season

MotoGP

Thrills of two-way radio aren’t worth diluting MotoGP for

Introducing fully-fledged team radio in MotoGP would definitely create entertainment value, but the downside is simply too great, says Simon Patterson

MotoGP

Yamaha’s dramatic new MotoGP exhaust explained

Yamaha rolled out a significantly-modified exhaust for its M1 MotoGP bike at the one-day post-race test at Misano, delivering the exact modifications that The Race’s technical guru Neil Spalding first predicted two weeks ago in our MotoGP podcast

MotoGP

Valentino Rossi’s new plot for MotoGP world domination

Valentino Rossi has poured his heart, soul and money into Italy’s next generation through the VR46 Academy – and now they’re winning in MotoGP. Simon Patterson explains how Rossi’s unique school works, and why it was all inspired by the loss of Marco Simoncelli

MotoGP

The battle for Ducati’s second 2021 seat looks settled

Ducati’s satellite riders have been fighting for the 2021 works seat left vacant by the team’s dramatic split with current championship leader Andrea Dovizioso, and after the events of Misano’s opener the outcome looks clear

MotoGP

MotoGP’s craziest title battle yet will only get stranger

Comparing the points table after round six of the 2020 MotoGP season to the same point a year ago shows just how crazy this unpredictable championship is

MotoGP

Quartararo and Vinales handle disaster very differently

Yamaha’s MotoGP title hopes Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales both had huge disappointments at Misano – and their responses contrasted wildly

MotoGP

What riders make of MotoGP’s radio communications push

MotoGP is trialling radio communications with riders on track. Valentino Rossi’s a fans, others have concerns – and not just about their swearing being broadcast

MotoGP

Morbidelli uses Spike Lee-inspired helmet for anti-racism stance

Franco Morbidelli is running a Spike Lee-inspired helmet for his home race this weekend at the San Marino Grand Prix, with the Petronas SRT Yamaha rider the first in MotoGP to publicly lend his support to 2020’s global anti-racism protests with the special design

MotoGP

Honda reaches new depth of misery at Misano

Cal Crutchlow joining Marc Marquez on the sidelines. Fastest rider Takaaki Nakagami only 14th on the grid. Alex Marquez slowest of all. MotoGP 2020 is getting worse for Honda

MotoGP

Lorenzo set for first in-season MotoGP test with Yamaha

Jorge Lorenzo will make a long-awaited return to his Yamaha MotoGP testing duties in an October test at the Portuguese Algarve track.

MotoGP

Crutchlow out of Misano race due to ‘risk of infection’

Cal Crutchlow will not continue riding in this weekend’s San Grand Prix weekend at Misano due to complications from right arm surgery

MotoGP

Resurfaced Misano’s bumps cause MotoGP race retirement fears

MotoGP riders have expressed alarm at the newly-resurfaced Misano track’s bumps, with one saying they’re so bad they might stop him finishing the race

MotoGP

What’s the ‘confidential’ upgrade Quartararo’s so excited by?

MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo says there’s an important – but very secret – piece of “good news” coming for his Petronas SRT Yamaha team. What is it?

MotoGP

Moto2 star set for Avintia as Zarco gets Ducati promotion

Moto2 frontrunner Enea Bastianini is ‘99% sure’ of securing a MotoGP seat at Avintia Ducati for 2021, as the double race winner looks set to be rewarded for his impressive results so far this season with the chance to replace the departing Johann Zarco

MotoGP

Rossi frustrated Yamaha isn’t using Lorenzo for testing

Yamaha factory rider Valentino Rossi and MotoGP championship-leading stablemate Fabio Quartararo have admitted that they are stumped about why Yamaha isn’t utilising three-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo in his new role as test rider

Formula 1

Why F1’s Tuscan GP prompts rare MotoGP envy

Modern MotoGP is in rude enough health not to envy F1 on most days – but Sunday’s Tuscan GP will be an exception to the rule

MotoGP

How MotoGP reacted to first rider COVID scare

MotoGP’s riders have raised concerns over the busy upcoming schedule following feeder-series frontrunner Jorge Martin’s positive COVID-19 test

MotoGP

Rossi denies retirement rumour, not in a hurry to sign deal

Valentino Rossi has reaffirmed his commitment to riding in MotoGP next year despite rumours of a retirement, and says he is in “no hurry” to sign a deal with Petronas Yamaha in a deal which is “99% certain”

MotoGP

Everyone seems to be trying to lose the 2020 MotoGP title

The riders vying to be 2020 MotoGP champion in Marc Marquez’s absence are lurching from triumph to disaster and no one can take control of the title race

MotoGP

Moto2 title contender Martin sidelined by coronavirus

Moto2 title contender Jorge Martin is set to become the first grand prix motorcycle racer to sit out a race thanks to coronavirus

MotoGP

Zarco interview: ‘I was scared I could taste the end’

After the drama of his split with KTM, Johann Zarco got his career back on track with Avintia Ducati, then found himself in a fresh storm. He invited The Race’s Simon Patterson to his home for an exclusive in-depth conversation about his fraught 12 months

MotoGP

Brembo: Vinales ignored ‘clear suggestion’ for brake spec

MotoGP brake manufacturer Brembo has laid the fault for Maverick Vinales’ brake problems at last week’s Styrian Grand Prix firmly on the shoulders of the Monster Energy Yamaha rider

MotoGP

Why Dovizioso won’t be replacing Lecuona at Tech3

Andrea Dovizioso’s options in MotoGP appear sparse in 2021, especially given Tech3 KTM boss Herve Poncharal tells Simon Patterson that rookie Iker Lecuona’s ride with the team is safe

MotoGP

How it feels to end a 20-year wait for a win

Tech3 has made a huge contribution to the MotoGP scene in its two decades on the grid, but it had never been a winner until the incredible Styrian Grand Prix finish. Simon Patterson heard what it meant to team boss Herve Poncharal