aboard the 800cc, inline four-cylinder MotoGP racer. Melandri's focus today was on familiarising himself with both a new bike and a new crew. The 26-year-old former world champion was quick to adapt to the characteristics of Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR, as he

.In it Rossi says that: "The difference between a car with four wheels and the F1 prototype is like a rally car and a MotoGP 800cc motorcycle. During a rally you don't get as tired as much as you do in a F1 car, the pace is a lot more tiring and you have

Pedrosa ... 2mph faster than an F1 carDANI PEDROSA had set a new landmark top speed for 800cc MotoGP bikes, breaking for the first time the record set by the previous-generation 990s and clocking a top-speed higher than the F1 cars manage

800cc racers lend themselves more to a 250cc rider's style; most of Spies' experience has been on big-bore superbikes."I think Spies has the potential, but for sure he needs time to understand the bike and the tyres, and to demonstrate that he's a top

welcomed by 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner."I have been the tester of this bike [the 800cc Desmosedici] since the beginning, so I know it perfectly," he added."In this regard, I can really give the riders a hand. This is why Casey wants me to continue

NINE-TIME World Champion Valentino Rossi has backed an initiative to bring 1000cc engines back into MotoGP.In 2007, the sport introduced a new rule reducing engine capacity from 990cc to 800cc in a bid to increase safety. The move has been described

MotoGP will return to 1000cc engines for 2012, from the 800cc regime currently in place. However, Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta, the man behind the MotoGP series, has hinted that the new rules could be brought forward to next year.The 2010 MotoGP season

15-17 with recently-named team rider McCoy. The team's three-cylinder 800cc bike, which has been built using technology from the now defunct BMW MotoGP squad, needs to show it's capable of running competitively in MotoGP before it's officially allowed

MOTOGP ROOKIE Hiroshi Aoyama has criticised the cuts in pre-season MotoGP testing, which restricts the time riders can spend on the 800cc machines prior to the 2010 championship start. The reigning 250cc World Champion told Motosprint magazine

-cylinder 800cc bike, built using technology from the now defunct BMW MotoGP squad.From what we can gather, FB Corse weren't developing their bike at a fast enough pace for McCoy, who's itching to get back into top-flight racing:"After spending the last 4 months