Dani Pedrosa tops first day of Valencia post-season MotoGP test

Dani Pedrosa topped the first day of MotoGP testing at Valencia as a mixture of 800 and 1000cc machines took to the track.

Honda riders Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, who had last ridden their 2012-spec machines at Misano in September, headed the timesheets for most of the day, with Stoner in front for the majority of the time.

It was Pedrosa though, who wound up fastest, clocking 1m32.186s on the

Casey Stoner threatens to walk away over future MotoGP rules

MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner has warned he will have little interest in staying in the championship if the regulations are steered more towards production-based machinery.

Series promoter Dorna is heavily pushing the new Claiming Rule Teams system, which allows elements of modified production machinery.

In addition to several new teams stepping up to MotoGP next year under the CRT

Alvaro Bautista says he could not avoid Valencia MotoGP start crash

Alvaro Bautista said there was nothing he could do to avoid the startline crash that took his Suzuki, both factory Ducatis and Pramac Ducati's Randy de Puniet out of the Valencia Grand Prix on the opening lap.

A brush between Andrea Dovizioso's Honda and Bautista sent the Suzuki into Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and de Puniet. While Dovizioso continued to finish third, the other four riders

Tributes paid to Marco Simoncelli

Leading figures from the worlds of both motorcycle and car racing have been paying tribute to Marco Simoncelli, who was killed today in MotoGP's Malaysian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old Italian, who had been the sensation of the 2011 season, fell on lap two of the Sepang race and was struck by following riders. He was pronounced dead at the circuit's medical centre shortly afterwards.

Nicky

Davide Brivio plays down talk Valentino Rossi could retire over Marco Simoncelli's death

Davide Brivio has dismissed rumours that Valentino Rossi could retire from MotoGP in the wake of the accident that killed his close friend Marco Simoncelli at Sepang on Sunday.

Former Yamaha team manager Brivio followed Rossi to Ducati this year to continue working with the seven-time MotoGP champion. Writing on his Twitter feed today, Brivio said there was no truth in suggestions that Rossi was

Simoncelli dies from injuries suffered in Malaysian GP crash

Marco Simoncelli has died from the injuries he sustained in a crash on the second lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix. He was 24.

Simoncelli was fighting for fourth with Alvaro Bautista when he lost the front of his bike and slid across the circuit, into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi, both of whom then hit the Honda.

Simoncelli lay stricken on the track after the crash, his helmet

Malaysian GP cancelled after crash

The Malaysian Grand Prix has been cancelled after an accident involving Gresini Honda's Marco Simoncelli.

There has been no official news on Simoncelli's condition, but organisers took the decision to cancel the race following a crash on lap two.

A bulletin from the organisers said: "Race cancelled as the medical centre staff is focusing on treating Marco Simoncelli and track action cannot be

Hayden and Rossi say qualifying did not represent full potential

Nicky Hayden said his qualifying result was not necessarily the maximum he could have achieved, a view echoed by Ducati team-mate Valentino Rossi.

Hayden matches his best qualifying performance of the year by sealing sixth on the grid for the Malaysian Grand Prix, ending within two tenths of Tech 3 Yamaha's Colin Edwards in fourth.

Hayden said late night set-up changes had paid dividends, but