There is a new trumpeting sound to be heard at the GPs. It comes not only from the high-level four-into-one tailpipe of Yamaha's new four-stroke GP bike, but also from the same factory's publicity machine. Though, after the first few races, this has become somewhat muted.To some,...

500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racers want the same thing. To win races. They also want something else - though in the end it is part of that too.They all want a Honda V-four. And those of them that already have one want a better one. All the way until you get to Valentino Rossi. An...

This was history. And just in case nobody had noticed, the shout from new-generation GP bikes - the complex throb of the Honda, the rude-boy bluster of the Suzuki, the howl of the Yamaha and the smooth, shrill Aprilia - underlined the fact. Listen up: this is the new era. And the...

Star.The other difference with F1? Their TV producers wouldn't have missed the manic McWilliams. They'd have made damned sure that his battling ride was fully exploited. It's a surprise to learn that this was one of a handful of races where the host country

Half-term report. And here are the results of the new MGP 990cc four-stroke class.Honda. Dux of the class. Wrought a wonderfully compact and integrated concept, and made very few errors, once Rossi had tested and told them to knock the power down at small throttle openings. If Ho...

Let's assume that Max Biaggi is the second best GP rider in the world and the Yamaha the second best GP bike - behind, obviously, Valentino Rossi and the Honda. An over-simplification, for the sake of argument and not a million miles from the truth. Which leads directly to the ob...

and second-last in the dry.Spies not only had to learn the bike and the technically challenging British circuit, but also adapt from his usual Dunlops to Bridgestone tyres and different front-and-rear suspension, and use carbon brakes for the first time. “The

Roberts Jr. slides his 990. Try that on an 800 says ScottIn your dreams, you can probably power-slide a sports bike on tar. Properly, I mean - using throttle control and footrest-weighting; pulling it upright to get on the fatter part of the tyre

to improved road-bike safety.Nobody's so far blaming the riders, though Stoner's persistent speed has left them looking pretty sheepish (as in follow-my-leader). Maybe Stoner should watch videos of Rossi winning on the last lap, so he can learn how to make a

diligent application to learning how to ride a 500. By mid-season you could see him pick the bike up on corner exits to steer with wheelspin rather than relying on ever-more-daring lean angles, often the hardest thing for an ex-250 rider to learn (ask