in Japan during his career. He also won the 1986 San Marino 250cc Grand Prix and qualified on pole for the 1989 500GP at Suzuka.I had performed well in the 500cc GPs that year and although I only finished 6th overall in the World Championship I got to 3rd

FREDDIE SPENCER, Mick Doohan and Alex Criville will take part in a special series of laps at Motegi this Saturday for Honda.The trio will be part of a series of events to mark ten years of racing by the MotoGP Championship at the Japanese track

triple. Thus began his path to GP greatness. He'd win his first 500cc GP race aged 20 at Spa that year on his way to claiming two race wins and third overall. The following year he'd take Honda's first 500cc championship, making Spencer the youngest ever

than just a rather strange Japanese way of doing things. It means much more. Japan was the last country to drop 500cc GP bikes in favour of Superbikes for their top national championships; and they are now the first to invite GP bikes back in

not realize how special that was until people reminded me about it.”This would mark Read's final 250cc championship as he was signed by MV Agusta to contest the 500cc World championship in 1972. Now back with Yamaha, seven-time champion Read has been reunited

in the August issue, Niall Mackenzie reckoned it felt as close to a 500cc GP as he’d ever experienced on the road. James Whitham reckoned even for him, it was a bit too much of everything on the public highway, but absolutely exquisite once let loose

?I think because at that time everyone was racing for the lead, not second or third. Four or five of us would be going into the last corner together. There was a different winner every weekend.As a bike racer winning the MotoGP Championship is the ultimate

’s auction in April and it represents one of the few chances that mere mortals can sample what it is like to be a GP God from the golden era of racing.While the chassis is a French ROC design, the engine is a full-factory (ok, privateer spec) YZR 500cc V4 two

two podiums and a win in his first three races in the MotoGP class. Even more impressive was his 4th place at Shanghai, gained despite fracturing both ankles and bones in both feet in the biggest highside seen since the days of the 500cc two

was there with his father Graziano, who informed me that young Vale was doing OK racing mini bikes and hoped that one day he would ride a 125cc GP bike. I shook his hand and wished him luck, never thinking for a moment that the young enthusiast might turn out to be a