Quote from: SoCal250 on September 01, 2024, 01:31:13 AMQuote from: SoCal250 on August 21, 2024, 12:35:28 PMThailand has been announced as the opening round for 2025, likely the first weekend of March.
Opening round in Buriram is Feb 28 - Mar 02
2025 GP dates announced so far:
Thailand Feb 28-Mar 02
France May 09-11
U.K. May 23-25
Germany July 11-13
Austria Aug 15-17
Quote from: SoCal250 on September 17, 2024, 06:03:23 PMQuote from: SoCal250 on September 01, 2024, 01:31:13 AMQuote from: SoCal250 on August 21, 2024, 12:35:28 PMThailand has been announced as the opening round for 2025, likely the first weekend of March.
Opening round in Buriram is Feb 28 - Mar 02
2025 GP dates announced so far:
Thailand Feb 28-Mar 02
France May 09-11
U.K. May 23-25
Germany July 11-13
Austria Aug 15-17
A Hungary round at Balaton Park is being added to the calendar next year.
Hungary Aug 22-27
More problems with the India schedule. Following the removal of the original promotor it now sounds like the venue is having financing problems. The round at the Buddh Circuit has now been moved to "reserve" status for 2025, and will serve as a fill-in, if needed. India is planned for inclusion on the 2026 schedule.
The provisional schedule has been officially announced! They've moved Austin up 2 weeks from its usual date so it will now take place during the last weekend of March.
No. Date Grand Prix Circuit
1 02 March Thailand Chang International Circuit
2 16 March Argentina Termas de Río Hondo
3 30 March Americas Circuit of the Americas
4 13 April Qatar Lusail International Circuit
5 27 April Spain Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto
6 11 May France Le Mans
7 25 May Great Britain Silverstone Circuit
8 08 June Aragon MotorLand Aragón
9 22 June Italy Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
10 9 June Netherlands TT Circuit Assen
11 13 July Germany Sachsenring
12 20 July Czech Republic* Automotodrom Brno
13 17 August Austria Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
14 24 August Hungary** Balaton Park Circuit
15 07 September Catalunya Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
16 14 September San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
17 28 September Japan Mobility Resort Motegi
18 05 October Indonesia Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
19 19 October Australia Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
20 26 October Malaysia Petronas Sepang International Circuit
21 09 November Portugal* Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
22 16 November Comunitat Valenciana Circuit Ricardo Tormo
* subject to contract
** subject to homologation
Here's the fancy graphic version
2025 MotoGP Calendar.png
The Barcelona test is underway. It's going to take a while getting used to seeing old names at new teams, and seeing the name Pramac on a Yamaha.
A strange collaboration was announced. Harley-Davidson is at the test and Dorna has announced they will be involved in a collaboration. What's odd is MotoAmerica is not involved and Indian is not there. Not sure what's really going on. :umm:
And MotoGP has a new logo:
MotoGP_new_logo.png
Thanks for the info! 2024 MotoGP was so fun to watch. I wish Yamaha would get Quartararo on a better machine to get the Japanese manufacturers into contention again.
Quote from: Hawaii-Mike on November 19, 2024, 03:18:05 PMThanks for the info! 2024 MotoGP was so fun to watch. I wish Yamaha would get Quartararo on a better machine to get the Japanese manufacturers into contention again.
This year was an exciting season! And only 100 days until the 2025 season gets rolling. :cheerleader:
Yamaha should have a good opportunity to get their act together, although the other manufacturers have a head start. The concessions rankings should be a great benefit for getting back into the lead group. They're in the bottom group so they have no engine freeze during the season and their testing is not restricted. Also having 4 bikes on the grid will be a big plus.
gp_conces_25.png
Lads,
Race day was superb, we were right at the braking point on the finish straight, 350kph right by us, insane.
yamaha did very well in testing on tuesday, Quarteraro second overall and saying that he was very pleased with the new chassis, as was rins. i am hoping for good things in 2025 for them.
who will take it to Marquez next year???
cheers
les.
Suzuki could return to MotoGP
https://www.rideapart.com/news/742503/suzuki-motogp-return-model-lineup/
It would be awesome if they came back. BMW has been pondering entry into GP racing too. If they were both to join and KTM can keep their heads above water it could make for a really interesting series.
Alpine added as a primary sponsor for Pramac Yamaha
https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/alpine-to-sponsor-pramac-motogp-team-from-2025/10679255/
Is anyone on here going to the Austin Motogp?
MotoGP has just signed a new 5-year agreement to race in Brazil at the Goiania Circuit starting in 2026.
They better get to work, the track probably needs a lot of upgrades since they haven't hosted a GP event since the 500cc race in 1989. The recent track record of adding new venues to the calendar isn't very good (see Finland, India, Kazakhstan). I guess we'll see what pans out in roughly 15 months.
Trackhouse Racing has signed a deal with Gulf Oil as a sponsor. Could we see a cool retro Gulf livery next season on the Aprilia satellite team?
Yamaha announced that they have signed Augusto Fernandez as a test rider for 2025. He will likely take part in the 6 wild-cards the manufacturer is allowed since Crutchlow is still recovering for injuries.
Lorenzo Savadori has signed for another 2 years as a test rider at Aprilia.
KTM has let test rider Jeremy McWilliams go after 15 years, terminating his contract a year early. Part of ongoing cost-cutting by PMG.
Is anyone going to Austin? My son and I will be there hanging out with Russ (SoCal250). If you're going look us up.
VR46 announce special livery 'surprise' for Austin MotoGP
VR46 duo Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio to race in a one-off American-inspired livery at the COTA MotoGP. The only clue is that the special livery, which will only appear on Sunday and replace the usual fluorescent yellow and white, is inspired by 'American culture'.
And unfortunately it sounds like Trackhouse won't be running their cool Gulf livery any more, and going back to their boring 'corporate colors'.
Trackhouse ditches Gulf livery for home MotoGP round
The Trackhouse Racing team has confirmed it will switch liveries on its satellite Aprilia for its home MotoGP Americas Grand Prix, ditching the iconic Gulf colors it has run so far this season.
Where is Yamahas V4...?
Quote from: busa1300 on April 05, 2025, 11:28:37 PMWhere is Yamahas V4...?
Yamaha plans to test the V4 engine it has been developing for its M1 MotoGP machine at a private test in Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday this week
https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/yamaha-test-v4-motogp-engine-valencia/10713449/
Martin is having the worst luck this year. Three bad injuries in 65 days. Reports are that he'll be in the hospital at least two weeks in Qatar with his 11 broken ribs and collapsed lung, as his condition prevents travel. He is not expected back on track for approximately three months.
Quote from: SoCal250 on April 14, 2025, 10:17:16 PMQuote from: busa1300 on April 05, 2025, 11:28:37 PMWhere is Yamahas V4...?
Yamaha plans to test the V4 engine it has been developing for its M1 MotoGP machine at a private test in Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday this week
https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/yamaha-test-v4-motogp-engine-valencia/10713449/
Yamaha confirms MotoGP V4 engine testing is underway but won't commit to switch unless it beats current inline-four.
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1068023/1/yamaha-have-started-test-v4-engine
Would be cool to see KTM and Yamaha build street bikes like Aprilia and Ducati with V4's
Following a successful test at Jerez this week, Yamaha will be bringing a new, more powerful engine to the next round at Le Mans. The update to their current inline-4 supposedly increased top speed by 2 kph, which is one of the areas they were suffering compared to the competition, and helped to drop lap times by about 0.5 second.
The French round was crazy. Another chaotic dry-rain tire strategy circus, similar to Austin.
And wow, to get almost 212,000 fans in a weekend is incredible! (and a new record) Turnout in the US is dismal by comparison.
In other news, there are rumors that Martin is already considering invoking the bailout clause in his contract! Kind of nuts since he hasn't really even been on the new bike this season. The only open seat next year is at Honda, but there are other discussions that Acosta or Toprak could move into it. Not sure what Martin is thinking. It sounds like a good way to end a career, but who knows, crazy stuff happens.
Quote from: SoCal250 on April 16, 2025, 12:57:01 PMQuote from: SoCal250 on April 14, 2025, 10:17:16 PMQuote from: busa1300 on April 05, 2025, 11:28:37 PMWhere is Yamahas V4...?
Yamaha plans to test the V4 engine it has been developing for its M1 MotoGP machine at a private test in Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday this week
https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/yamaha-test-v4-motogp-engine-valencia/10713449/
Yamaha confirms MotoGP V4 engine testing is underway but won't commit to switch unless it beats current inline-four.
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1068023/1/yamaha-have-started-test-v4-engine
Yamaha has confirmed that they are planning to run their new V4 with a wildcard rider in a race this season after the summer break.
Source: BikeSportingNews.com (https://bikesportnews.com/motogp/yamaha-will-wildcard-with-its-v4-engine-as-soon-as-possible/)
The latest rumor is that Toprak Razgatlioglu will move over from WSBK to join the Pramac team for 2026, although so far it's just a rumor. Borsoi said that no contract has been signed but they have talked with him. If it does happen one of 3 riders under contract will be impacted (Oliveira, Miller, Rins).
Another rumor going around that seems a little far fetched is that Bagnaia will bail on Ducati to jump over to Yamaha. In my opinion I don't see the slightest chance of that happening.
Luca Marini will be out for an extended period after a big crash during testing in Japan for for the Suzuka 8 Hours. He dislocated a hip, tore knee ligaments, fractured his sternum and collarbone, and had a collapsed lung.
Monday Yamaha will be testing a new engine spec at Aragon after this weekend's round. So far they are saying that it will be the current inline-four configuration not the new V4.
Big news today! Toprak has signed with Pramac Yamaha for 2026 & 2027. That means either Miller or Oliveira will lose his seat (I'm hoping for the latter, as I'm a huge #43 fan). Miller has been outperforming Oliveira this season but his contract expires at the end of 2025.
Yamaha has confirmed they will be testing their new V4 this week at Catalunya with the test team and Pramac riders.
And there are rumors that an investment group led by Guenther Steiner is interested in Tech3 and a possible switch from KTM to Ducati. Poncharal is saying that the team is remaining with KTM for the time being and has a contract to fulfill.
This weekend at Mugello, the Ducati and VR46 teams will sport special liveries. Pramac will also run a special livery to honor their 10th anniversary.
Ogura has been declared fit and makes his return from injury this weekend.
Nakagami will fill in this weekend for injured Marini.
Dovi has officially signed a 3-year deal as a Yamaha test rider. He has been working with the team over the past year but now he's a full-fledged test rider.
Bulega has signed on as A Ducati MotoGP test rider, in addition to his WSBK extension with Ducati for the 2026 season.
Rider radio testing was conducted again after the Aragon round. The system is not a typical speaker but a bone conduction device with pre-configured race control voice messages, not live messages from the box. Feedback from riders was mixed but most said when pushing they couldn't really hear anything. Where it would typically be used, on the straights is when the riders have the most difficulty hearing due to the speed and aerodynamic helmet movement. Alex Marquez said that when he was really pushing and concentrating that he tended to block it out and didn't hear anything.
The Liberty Media acquisition of MotoGP was approved by the European Commission. They now hold 84% at a cost of roughly $4.8B, with the deal closing on July 3. It will be interesting to see how this goes.
TT Circuit Assen is celebrating 100 years this weekend :toot:
Yamaha is celebrating the Assen 100th and their own 70th.
Yamaha-70th-_Assen-TT.jpg
Both Yamaha teams will be running a special livery on race day which is a throwback to the '99 R7 livery.
Yamaha-70th-Assen-TT.jpg
And Joe Roberts has confirmed for another year at American Racing so he will remain in Moto2 for 2026 (unless something really unexpected happens).
Quote from: SoCal250 on March 27, 2025, 11:42:26 AMAnd unfortunately it sounds like Trackhouse won't be running their cool Gulf livery any more, and going back to their boring 'corporate colors'.
Trackhouse ditches Gulf livery for home MotoGP round
The Trackhouse Racing team has confirmed it will switch liveries on its satellite Aprilia for its home MotoGP Americas Grand Prix, ditching the iconic Gulf colors it has run so far this season.
Trackhouse has announced they are bringing back the Gulf livery for Indonesia and Malaysia, with the final design being selected by a fan vote. :clap:
Diogo Moreira is reported joining LCR Honda next year in MotoGP, and the deal is now being finalized. So much for the rumors he was going to Yamaha for 2026.
Pramac Yamaha announced they have signed Miller for another year so he will be with the team through 2026, alongside Toprak who is on contract through 2027. Oliveira is out.
Zarco has signed a 2-year deal to stay at LCR Honda with confirmation that he will be defending his Suzuka title with Honda next year as well. The other seat at LCR is the only one on the grid remaining that has not been officially announced but it is expected to go to Moreira.
The two riders left out in the cold this year, Oliveira and Chantra may be moving over to WorldSBK.
The end of the '26 season is going to be crazy! Only 2 riders - Razgatlioglu and Zarco - will be on contracts. And the 2027 season will be the start of the new regulations; 850cc, tire change from Michelin to Pirelli, less aero, and banning of ride-height & holeshot devices.
And this biggest news of the week is the acquisition of the Tech3 KTM team by former F1 boss Guenther Steiner. Despite the ongoing denials from Poncharal in recent weeks the deal was officially announced at Barcelona. Poncharal is reported to be staying on next year as a consultant. I hope the new owners keep him around and don't push him out because I really like the guy. His personality and humor will be missed on the grid.
Quote from: SoCal250 on May 17, 2025, 02:25:27 PMQuote from: SoCal250 on April 16, 2025, 12:57:01 PMQuote from: SoCal250 on April 14, 2025, 10:17:16 PMQuote from: busa1300 on April 05, 2025, 11:28:37 PMWhere is Yamahas V4...?
Yamaha plans to test the V4 engine it has been developing for its M1 MotoGP machine at a private test in Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday this week
https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/yamaha-test-v4-motogp-engine-valencia/10713449/
Yamaha confirms MotoGP V4 engine testing is underway but won't commit to switch unless it beats current inline-four.
https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1068023/1/yamaha-have-started-test-v4-engine
Yamaha has confirmed that they are planning to run their new V4 with a wildcard rider in a race this season after the summer break.
Source: BikeSportingNews.com (https://bikesportnews.com/motogp/yamaha-will-wildcard-with-its-v4-engine-as-soon-as-possible/)
Yamaha is running their V4 in the Monday test tomorrow after the Catalonia round.
They also announced that they will be running the new V4 bike in the race weekend next week at Misano with test rider Fernandez.