Valentino Rossi has talked about his future in a long interview in this week’s Motosprint magazine that will leave his numerous fans happy, his haters unhappy and his many racing rivals wincing, because The Doctor has once again said that he would like to stay in racing for another three years and has hinted once again that it could be with Yamaha.

The 9 times World Champion talking about his future said: “I think I can race at the top for another three years. Racing is the thing in my life that I love the best: it’s my passion, I don’t need any other motives.”

Rossi has said that he’ll reveal where he’s going in 2011 only in June, but he feels very good in Yamaha:

“To change, you have to think of going where you can feel better. For me it’s hard to think that there’s something better than Yamaha. Fans would be happy to see me in Ducati, but these decisions can’t be made by factoring in emotions.”

We’ll be getting more of silly season as soon as the championship starts.

Continue reading: Valentino Rossi: Racing for Another 3 Years

LCR Honda is one of the privateeer MotoGP teams that often changes it’s liveries during the season depending on the sponsors that they have.

Last season we saw the Playboy livery which was a big hit, along with the grid girls decked out as Playboy bunnies, Radio Montecarlo, GIVI, and ELF liveries. While eye catching liveries won’t make you win, they are important to fans and sponsors who pay to see their product’s name on the TV screen and changing the graphics on a bike isn’t just slapping on a couple of stickers, the process is complex and as team owner and manager Lucio Cecchinello confirms in this interview:

“After having set the contracts with our supporters, we usually start working on the bike layout fixing the logos dimensions and positioning together with a main colour which will stand out our bike image amongst the others. In 2006 we created a special Australian livery for Stoner and that was a very successful feedback for us. Recently we have focused our work on the number plate using the fluo colour and last year we have prepared a special layout for the wheels colour. Together with the Graphic Department we study several combinations to make the bike more attractive and more visible on TV.”

Continue reading: How LCR Honda Liveries are Created

With the start of the 2010 MotoGP season that starts in April, the Repsol Honda Team held its official launch at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid, Spain. In front of 7000 fans who were present for the penultimate round FIM Indoor Trial World Championship, Dani Pedrosa rode in on trials bike to present the 2010 Honda RC212V with it’s new chassis and swingarm that he and team mate Andrea Dovizioso will use to contest in the upcoming season.

Like last year, one of the riders was absent from the event, last year it was Pedrosa who was recuperating from injury and this year it was Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian rider was unable to attend the team launch because he is suffering from a bad case of the flu, prefering to sit out the promotional event in order to be healthy enough to take part in the final pre-season test that takes place in Qatar next week.

After the jump you can read what Pedrosa had to say and Dovizioso’s message, and you can watch the video of the team presentation in Madrid.

Continue reading: MotoGP: Repsol Honda 2010 Team Launch (w/video)

Rizla Suzuki has unveiled their new livery designed by Troy Lee Designs and if you were expecting something more dramatic than a slightly darker shade of Rizla blue on the bike you’ll certainly be left wanting.

The new 2010 800cc GSV-R that will be used by veteran Motogp rider Loris Capirossi and by rookie Alvaro Bautista has been developed with the intention of improving both acceleration and durability to coincide with the new engine restrictions that have been implemented this year (6 engines for 18 races).

According to Suzuki their have been improvements in aerodynamics, chassis performance and electronic system and the Japanese manufacturer labels the 2010 machine as its “most advanced machine yet.”

Continue reading: Rizla Suzuki New Livery Unveiled

We thought we’d see the new Rizla Suzuki livery designed by Troy Lee Designs during the Qatar tests, instead Rizla Suzuki will be unveiling the new livery of the 2010 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R that Loris Capirossi and Alvaro Bautista will be using this season on Friday March 12th.

So check back with us tomorrow to see the official pics, but we guess you guys will have to wait until the first race or maybe even the second, since Qatar has religious problems with scantily clad grid and paddock girls to see what kind of outfits Troy Lee has thought up for the Rizla girls .

Continue reading: MotoGP: New Rizla Suzuki Livery Unveiling tomorrow

MotoGP is hot item for track organizers and after Qatar whose night race now traditionally opens the championship season, Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE and largest of the seven Emirates Gulf Coast countries is also vying to host a MotoGP round.

Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management who wants to make Abu Dhabi a motorsport capital and runs the Yas Marina Circuit where they already have international events like Formula 1, GP2 Asia Series, Australian V8 Supercars, FIA World GT1, an International Drag Racing Festival and would like to add premier motorcycle racing to their calendar and have already talked with Dorna, as confirmed by AMM CEO Richard Cregan:

“MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta was here last year and the track designer Hermann Tilke will be coming up with a proposal in the next couple of weeks. But it will take time. We are looking at a time-frame of maybe two to three years when Abu Dhabi will be able to hold a MotoGP round.”

Ultra modern circuit, but will they able to fill the stands like they do at Mugello or Jerez de la Frontera?

Source | khaleejtimes.com via bikeracing.it

Continue reading: Abu Dhabi to Host MotoGP?

Jorge Lorenzo wrote on his Twitter page ressuring his loyal fans: “this is the 5th day after i injured. Every day i feel better so im optimistic about my recovering” also underwent a check-up yesterday by his surgeon Dr. Auguste Josè Casasnova.

The 2009 MotoGP World Championship runner-up who sustained a metacarpal fracture and a displaced thumb after a motocross training accident last Thursday, has already been ruled out of the second Sepang test could also miss the final pre-season test that takes place in Qatar March 18-19, according to his personal press manager Hector Martin:

“At the moment there are serious doubts as to whether Jorge will be fully recovered for the Qatar test. We must wait and see how his injury and rehabilitation go after he has his stitches removed, which will be next Friday or Monday.”

Lorenzo however, will still be heading to Indonesia for a second Yamaha promotional tour at the end of the month.

Source | motogp.com

Continue reading: MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo in Doubt for Qatar Test

Ducati’s Nicky Hayden is the latest of riders who has gone under the doctor’s knife. Hayden needed a clean-up procedure to remove scar tissue from his right arm from an arm pump (the bane of professional riders) operation that he underwent in November.

Hayden’s surgery was carried out in Doctor Angel Vilamor’s clinic in Madrid, Spain immediately after the recent tests in Sepang, but unlike FIAT Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, the American rider luckily will not miss out on the upcoming tests that take place February 25th and 26th, always at the Sepang circuit.

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden Undergoes Surgery

Rizla Suzuki will be getting a make-over this season, because they have teamed up with American design icon Troy Lee.

Troy Lee and his team of designers will be re-designing Rizla Suzuki’s livery, Loris Capirossi’s and Alvaro Bautista’s leathers and will also create the livery for the team’s pit-box and hospitality unit, as well as the team clothing and merchandise ranges.

The team’s 2010 ‘Troy Lee Designs’ inspired livery will be launched at the last pre-season MotoGP test in Qatar, March 17-19.

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading: Rizla Suzuki and Troy Lee Designs Team Up

The Fiat Yamaha Team officially presented their new Yamaha YZR-M1 and Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo who will contest in the 2010 MotoGP season.

For the fourth consecutive year Fiat will be sponsoring the team and there’s also new sticker slogan/message on the tail section of the bikes, which reads Semakin Di Depan, which means One Step Ahead in Indonesian, which shows the importance of the Asian market for Yamaha company.

Continue reading: Fiat Yamaha 2010 Unveiling

We’ll not only see MotoGP track action at the Sepang test these next two days, but as Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta mentioned during the Wrooom Ducati launch last month, there should also be the first of two important meetings between Dorna, MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association) and FIM to draft the new technical rules that will be the basis of the return to the 1000cc format.

We already now that the basic concept for MotoGP racing in 2012 will be a maximum displacement of 1000cc, a maximum of four cylinders and a maximum bore of 81 mm, so the outcome of this meeting should give us a little more technical info on what the manufacturers have decided.

Another matter on the agenda could also be the contract renewal between the manufacturers and Dorna that expires at the end of the 2010 racing season, that could see different scenarios in 2011, if the economic crisis should continue.

There’s also been speculation in the last few weeks that we could actually see the 1000cc class in action as early as next season, but we won’t hold our breathe on this one.

Continue reading: MotoGP Sepang Test: First Meeting for 1000cc Rules

The 2010 Fiat Yamaha Team launch will be presented at the Sepang circuit on February 4th, where the official unveiling of the new YZR-M1 will take place.

Fiat on the Web has given us this little teaser to tide us over until Thursday when we’ll see the real thing.

Continue reading: MotoGP: Fiat Yamaha Team 2010 Teaser Video