MotoGP News

Pirelli To Replace Michelin As Official Tire Supplier In MotoGP From 2027

By David Emmett |

Pirell is to take over as single tire supplier for the MotoGP and MotoE class in the MotoGP paddock from 2027. The switch of tire suppliers will take place when MotoGP changes to the new technical regulations featuring 850cc engines, no ride-height and holeshot devices, and much greater restrictions on aerodynamics.

Phillip Island WorldSBK Round Up: Will The Ducati Whitewash Continue?

By Steve English |

There is no better setting for Round 1 of the Superbike season than Phillip Island. With the Bass Strait dominating the horizon it offers a truly unique setting. It also all but guarantees that we’ll have classic battles with the drive to the line, a slipstreaming battle separated by thousands of a second...it was just a shame that Nicolo Bulega didn’t get the memo.

Toprak threatens to walk away from WorldSBK

As ever the WorldSBK paddock is centred around Toprak Razgatlioglu. Last year it was for his stunning championship winning upset. This year it’s because the Turkish star is upset.

Coming to Australia it was clear that BMW would be on the back foot. A late change, mid-January, in the regulations saw them unable to capitalise on their former Super Concession status and upgraded chassis parts. The change in regulations was small but incredibly significant; a manufacturer developing a new bike can only use Super Concessions if they are still eligible. In the past BMW would have been able to continue to use the upgrades with their new homologation.

Augusto Fernandez To Replace Jonathan Rea In Portimão

By David Emmett |

The foot injury which Jonathan Rea suffered in preseason testing at Phillip Island will force him to miss at least the first two rounds of the 2025 WorldSBK season. The Pata Yamaha rider fractured several bones in his left foot, requiring surgery, which he had back at home in Northern Ireland. The recovery period for that injury is such that the Northern Irishman is to miss both the Portimão WorldSBK test on March 14-15, and the second WorldSBK round at the Portuguese circuit on the weekend of March 30th.

Yamaha's newly signed test rider Augusto Fernandez is to substitute for the injured Rea. The young Spaniard, who lost his ride with the Tech3 KTM MotoGP team last year, has been busy testing for Yamaha's MotoGP project, but he will take Rea's place on the Yamaha R1 for both the test and the race at Portimão.

Portimão WorldSBK Test Round Up: Toprak Is Back, Redding Is Hungry, Rea Turns To New Crew Chief

By Steve English |

The WorldSBK paddock decamped to the Iberian Peninsula for four days of winter testing. Unfortunately, rain and wind followed the paddock from Jerez to Portimão. Teams were severely hampered with running at both tests and the majority could only use two days of running to try and get ready for the start of the coming campaign.

While the tests wasn’t as efficient as manufacturers would have hoped it certainly wasn’t a waste of time. The majority of the field felt that enough was done to be ready for Phillip Island, because we’ll have two days testing at the thrilling Australian venue, and a mid-March test at Portimão will allow them to get fully ready for the start of the European season at the Portuguese venue.

BMW’s talisman is back on track

After missing the Jerez test a week previously Toprak Razgatlioglu was back on track at Portimao. The Turkish rider arrived mid-afternoon on Monday and was immediately the centre of attention. Speaking to him as he left the garage he was relaxed but obviously concerned about his finger injury.

Jerez WorldSBK Test Round Up: Lessons Learned Despite The Rain

By Steve English |

In four weeks time the lights will go out at Phillip Island and the 2025 WorldSBK season will start. The campaign is already underway, as WorldSBK is in the middle of the Iberian Winter Test season. Two days at Jerez followed by two days at Portimao are ideal for getting ready for the new season. Four days of running will be complimented by two days of testing in Australia before the first race of the season.

It’s hard to find a better way to prepare for the year. The south of Spain offers the promise of good weather and the Algarve almost guarantees it. These winter sun destinations are popular tourist traps at the time of year. What could go wrong?

Quite a bit it seems. Two days of rain-interrupted testing saw the value of the Jerez days questioned by teams. WorldSBK regulations limit teams to just ten days of testing throughout the season for their race riders. Was it better to get track time now to be ready for Australia or to save the days for later in the year? The majority of teams opted to sit it out. The expense of travelling to Jerez was balanced by the value of running.

Pit Stops To Be Compulsory For Both WorldSBK And WorldSSP At Phillip Island Round

By David Emmett |

The WorldSBK series will once again see mandatory pit stops for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, as was the case during the 2024 round. The combination of the new surface at Phillip Island, laid ahead of the 2024 season, the high speeds around the circuit's long left handers, and the abrasiveness of the asphalt place very high loads on tires and generate exceptionally high temperatures. Last year, Pirelli said that they had seen 160°C in pit lane, which translates to nearly 200°C on track.