2011 MotoGP Season Photo Gallery

American socialite Paris Hilton sponsors 125cc MotoGP team and SuperMartXe VIP Paris Hilton Racing Team was born.

Indian motorcycle manufacurer Mahindra enters grand prix racing.

English rider Danny Webb will campaign his fifth 125GP season competing 2011 with Mahindra Racing, the first Indian manufacturer to enter Grand Prix racing.

Jorge Lorenzo: “Today has been a great day, we tried a new chassis for 2011 and while it doesn’t seem better it’s not worse. The most improved thing has been the Ohlins suspension, which gave me more confidence especially mid-corner. The new engine seems to make the bike wheelie less too."

Dani Pedrosa: “Today I rode the 2010 bike we used in Sunday’s race and also next year’s evolution machine. The chassis is slightly different and I have to do more laps tomorrow to understand it further - but my first thought is that it is a bit stiffer with the target of getting more stability, more grip and better braking."

Moto2 World Champion Toni Elias had his first MotoGP test aboard the LCR Honda machine on Tuesday and is slowly becoming accustomed to the new bike.

Ben Spies set an almost identical time to Stoner and claimed the third-best time with his new factory Yamaha.

Dani Pedrosa's 2011 machine is an evolution of the RC212V that won four races and 16 podiums for the Spaniard in 2010.

JiR's Alex de Angelis - Moto2

Jorge Lorenzo: "Tomorrow [Wednesday] we will concentrate on confirming everything and understanding whether every new part is an improvement or not, and go over everything.”

Andrea Dovizioso: "We tried a new chassis and new swing-arm in 2011 configuration and we could feel small differences - although there was a lot of wind compared to race day which made for tricky conditions. The new chassis gave a little bit more stability at the rear and the new swing-arm gives less pumping, but there was a little less grip also, so we aim to find a compromise."

Although Dani Pedrosa did not get into any comparisons between the 2010 and 2011 bike setups, he did report that both felt remarkably similar.

Toni Elias: “This morning I was very excited to be back on a MotoGP machine. I missed the power and the sound of this bike but I have decided to take my time to adapt to the new machine and the team. This RC212V is different and I need more track time to find the right feeling."

Ben Spies: "It was good! There were a lot of changes today with some crew guys, engineers, and the bike. It’s pretty similar to what I raced this season but there are a lot of subtle changes. With everything today – the wind too – to go as fast as we did was very smooth, but it is very different. I’m happy with it, we ended in the top-three and I hope we can go even better tomorrow. I didn’t want to stack it up on the first day. I look forward to tomorrow."

Paris Hilton brings the Paris Hilton brand to Grand Prix.

The 125 GP paddock will get a heavy dose of pink in 2011 with the Super-Martxe VIP by Paris Hilton 125 Grand Prix racebikes.

With a clevage-bursting bodysuit and oversized sunglasses Paris made the official debut of the Super-Martxe VIP team.

Jonathan Rea tests the Honda RC212V motogp bike in Sepang.

American Nicky Hayden was the fastest Ducati rider on the first test day at Valencia and made several passes with both the big bang and screamer engines.

Team owners Ricardo Montero and Xavi Garriga as well as pilots Maverick Vinyales and Sergio Gadea took part in the press conference.

Valentino Rossi sits on the new '11 Ducati Diavel power cruiser at the 2011 Wrooom ski/press meeting.

Valentino Rossi in Ducati livery at the 2011 Wrooom MotoGP ski/press meeting in Italy.

Cardion AB Ducati reveal - Prague

A closer look at the Cardion AB... Bike. Closer look at the bike.

Karel Abraham will compete in 2011 aboard the Cardion AB Desmosedici.

Valentino Rossi takes to the track in Misan to test the Ducati 1198 Superbike.

Karel Abraham gets a promotion from Moto2, where he will campaign for his father's new Grand Prix squad, Cardion AB Ducati.

"Today I did a total of 25 laps on the 1198 Superbike, which is sort of a ‘historic’ motorcycle for Ducati: beautiful and fast. I liked it!” - Valentino Rossi

Rossi turned the first laps aboard the 1198 to test the status of his shoulder which, though recovering nicely, is still quite painful, just a few days ahead of the first test in Malaysia with the Desmosedici GP11.

Jorge Lorenzo will race the 2011 MotoGP Championship with a clever number plate design making use of his initials.

Andrea Dovizioso - Repsol Honda 2011

Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda 2011

Dani Pedrosa: "I was looking forward to be again together with my team to plan the new season. The winter break has been long, as always, but in my case also good because I had time to rest and do a proper rehabilitation for my shoulder."

Casey Stoner: "I'm really excited and It's a great emotion to wear the Repsol Honda colors for the first time. When I was a child, I used to watch Mick Doohan winning Championships one after the other with these colors and for me it's an honor to be part of this team."

Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda 2011

(from left to right): Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner at the unveling of the 2011 Repsol Honda MotoGP team.

2011 Repsol Honda MotoGP team

Honda's Casey Stoner snagged the top time on Day 1 ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. - Sepang

Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo, seen here showcasing his Number 1 plate, took the second-fastest lap. - Sepang

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa managed third in the books despite lingering pain from his collarbone injury last season. - Sepang

Despite running 12th after Day 1 Ducati's Valentino Rossi is encouraged about his results and his improved fitness. - Sepang

Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista claimed sixth on the timesheets in Malaysia.

American Nicky Hayden was nearly two seconds adrift of Casey Stoner during Day 1 of the Sepang test.

Andrea Dovizioso: "I’m happy because this year we are starting from a very good base. All Honda riders are very competitive so I’m confident and this is an extra boost for me." - Sepang

San Carlo Honda's Marco Simoncelli opened 2011 tests at Sepang strongly by posting the fourth-best time of 2’02.295

Toni Elias

Ben Spies: “It's my first day with the new team and they were fantastic, everybody worked together really well. We ended up going faster than we did here last year in the race which shows my confidence in the bike and the team."

The bum shoulder isn't keeping Rossi down - Sepang Test

Ben Spies on the Factory Yamaha - Sepang Test

Jorge Lorenzo sporting the JL Number 1 plate - Sepang Test

Marco Simoncelli led the way in preseason testing at Sepang.

Valentino Rossi - Sepang 2011

Rookie WSB rider Cal Crutchlow took 15th on the final day of testing at the Sepang circuit.

Casey Stoner: "We did some work later on with the engine braking to decrease some chattering and looks like we found a good solution. In the next two days we will start testing something new but for me, it was a very good way to come back on track after the winter break.” - Sepang

WSB veteran Colin Edwards had the ninth-fastest time overall behind Ducati's Nicky Hayden.

On Day 3 Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso was only 0.188s off the day's fast time.

Casey Stoner was one of three Honda riders to crash during Day 3. He was uninjured and rebounded quickly, however.

San Carlo Honda's Hiroshi Aoyama earned the seventh-fastest lap on Day 3 with the Japanese rider only 0.596 seconds slower than his teammate, Marco Simoncelli.

Honda's Marco Simoncelli conducted a simulated race run on Day 3 that resulted in the fastest lap of the day.

Marco Simoncelli - Day 3 Sepang

2010 MotoGP champ Jorge Lorenzo put down some solid times in during testing in Sepang.

Spies works to dial in the Factory Yamaha M1.

Yamaha's Ben Spies once again was in the top-five during testing at Sepang while working on electronic settings aboard his M1.

Casey Stoner - Sepang testing

Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista is in positive spirits despite becoming ill and missing the last day of testing at Sepang.

LCR Honda's Toni Elias has also been suffering the effects of the flu in Sepang but still managed to complete testing.

Jorge Lorenzo: "I'm very happy to be here again preparing to start another season riding with Yamaha. Winning the World Championship last season was an incredible feeling, but now we start again.

Ben Spies - 2011

Yamaha celebrates their 50 years participating in World Motorcycle Grand Prix racing with a special livery to be used during the Assen and Laguna Seca MotoGP rounds.

Lorenzo Yamaha MotoGP 50th anniversary.

Jorge Lorenzo - 2011

World superbike transplant Cal Crutchlow adapts quickly to MotoGP.

Ducati's Valentino Rossi came away from the first official test of 2011 pleased with both his bike and physical performance.

Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda MotoGP

Ben Spies: "It's obviously a special year for Yamaha with the 50th Anniversary of GP racing celebrations so I'm really stoked to be part of it. The bike's feeling really good, we've got a few days more of testing now to really shake it down and fine tune the set up and we'll be ready to go."

Honda's Andrea Dovizioso posted fifth on the timesheets during Day 1 and was 0.061 seconds ahead of American Ben Spies.

Casey Stoner had the fastest lap and was the only rider able to lap below the 2’01 mark.

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa claimed second on the charts behind his teammate with a lap of 2:01.360.

Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo earned the third-fastest lap on Day 1 and was 0.48 seconds adrift of Stoner.

Rizla Suzuki unveils new Alvaro Bautista livery for the 2011 MotoGP season.

Ducati's Valentino Rossi earned the eighth-best time during Qatar's night test.

Nicky Hayden - Qatar 2011

Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo earned fifth in the charts behind teammate, Ben Spies, during Day 1 of the Qatar test.

2009 World Superbike Champion Ben Spies was 0.292 seconds off the pace of Pedrosa in Day 1 of the Qatar test.

With lone Rizla Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista injured before the Qatar round backup rider John Hopkins will step up to replace the rider and make his first return to the MotoGP racing since 2008.

John Hopkins turned some laps at Qatar after the test for promotional reasons, but Bautista's injury has opened the door for legitimate GP rides for the American.

Hopper flashing a grin under the lights of Qatar during pre-season testing.

John Hopkins back on Rizla Suzuki - a familiar sight in the Grand Prix paddock.

Hopkins' unexpected ride on the Suzuki at Jerez could be backed up by possible wild card entries later in 2011.

Yamaha's Cal Cructhlow finished his first race of the 2011 MotoGP season just outside the top-10 in 11th. - Qatar 2011

Nicky Hayden had to recover from a horrible start to salvage a disappointing ninth - Qatar 2011

Considering the dominance of the HRC Hondas in qualifying and practice, Lorenzo was happy with a second-place result at the 2011 opener - Qatar 2011

Lorenzo up front before Stoner drops the hammer - Qatar 2011

The defending champ Lorenzo heads toward Jerez with only five points to make up on his rival Stoner - Qatar 2011

Once the Repsol Honda's snagged the lead, Pedrosa set the pace until Stoner made his pass and checked out mid-race - Qatar 2011

Rossi in adoration - Qatar 2011

Rossi dueled with Spies in the opening half, the American and Italian exchanging sixth - Qatar 2011

Ben Spies rode to sixth, disappointed with his start but beating Rossi for the position - Qatar 2011

Stoner has four MotoGP wins at Losail, the Australian a constant favorite at the now-traditional GP opener under the Qatar lights - Qatar 2011

The new HRC gearbox was praised by Honda riders, including Stoner, who have sourced the slick-shifting transmission to dominance in pre-season testing and the 2011 opener - Qatar 2011

Casey Stoner has set the tone in 2011 with his Round 1 dominance - Qatar 2011

Nicky Hayden: “Eleventh isn’t exactly the ideal starting spot, by any means. This morning we made a pretty good step forward to start with and improved the lap time pretty well there in mid-session, but this afternoon, with the wind, I didn’t go much faster than I went this morning—under two tenths, which is certainly not good enough if you want to qualify well. I’m not happy about the performance." - Jerez Qualifying

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Valentino Rossi suffered a low-side fall during qualifying and will have to start the race from 12th on the grid. - Jerez

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Honda's Dani Pedrosa stayed on the bike and out of trouble at Jerez to finish runner-up to Lorenzo.

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Nicky Hayden scored his second podium finish for Ducati after earning third. - Jerez

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Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo picked up his first win as defending champion after overcoming difficult racing conditions in Spain. - Jerez

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Ben Spies: "I put it all out there and caught Dani. As soon as I passed him I knew that we had second place under control, he wouldn’t be able to get back by but I needed to not make any mistakes. Every corner after I passed him I slowed down, taking it easy then all of a sudden I was on the floor. Obviously it was my mistake, but looking at the data I was going slower than I had all race. It was one of those things; I think the tires were the limiting factor today." - Jerez

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Andrea Dovizioso: "I am very disappointed with what happened today. We have to understand exactly the reason why, but I felt the rear tire was not working properly, moreover the set-up of the traction control was not perfect for today’s situation and this made things worse. The traction control was too ‘low’, the bike was spinning a lot and the tires overheated. With ten laps to go I felt it was dangerous to go ahead so I entered the pit lane to change tires and finish the race to get some points." - Jerez

Casey Stoner - 2011 Repsol Honda MotoGP

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Valentino Rossi's crash took out Casey Stoner in the process. - Jerez

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Casey Stoner: "With the accident, I heard Valentino arriving and I wasn't worried about anyone passing me at that point in the race so I gave him plenty of room. It was a racing incident and there's not much we can do, what is more frustrating is the reaction of the stewards and their assistance for Valentino and not for me, it was unbelievable." - Jerez

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John Hopkins (#21) fulfilled his goal of finishing inside the top-10 at Jerez.

Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow was a victim of Jerez's slippery surface but recovered to finish eighth.

Alvaro Bautista couldn't resist hopping back on his GSV-R at the Jerez Grand Prix, the Spaniard still out indefinitely after breaking his femur at the Qatar opener.

Under sunny and warm conditions Valentino Rossi completed a total of 50 laps with Ducati's new GP12 on Friday morning at the Jerez circuit.

Valentino Rossi discussing his first ride aboard the Ducati GP12.

Valentino Rossi: "I like the GP12. In my opinion, it’s more enjoyable, more fun to ride. It was the first time we had it on the track, so we had some work to do, but the engine is nicer. It’s a lot of fun, and you can do some nice slides. It’s the bike we’ll ride next year, so it was very important—and also very nice—to be among the first to take it on the track.”

Valentino Rossi - 2011 Jerez testing

Rossi's first time out with the GP12 consisted of six laps around the Jerez circuit.

Filippo Preziosi: "The positive thing is that the technical choices made for the GP12 in the initial planning phase, in 2010—and I’m referring primarily to the engine, which is still a big-bang, and to the rear end—were endorsed by Valentino."

Valentino Rossi with the Ducati GP12 - Jerez 2011

Valentino Rossi - Jerez 2011

Cal Crutchlow underwent surgery on April 7 to resolve arm pump issues during the opening two rounds at Qatar and Jerez.

Loris Capirossi

Randy de Puniet

American Nicky Hayden complete 61 laps on the new 1000cc Ducati and left the Jerez circuit with positive results.

Filippo Preziosi chats with Rossi testing the GP12 at a mid-season test at Mugello.

Scott Redding - 2011

Scott Redding is Britain's best hope in the 2011 Moto2 Championship after finishing eighth last season.

Scott Redding is riding with the Marc VDS Racing Team for the 2011 season alongside new teammate, Mika Kallio.

Scott Redding - 2011

Bridgestone will introduce its first-ever asymmetrical rear soft slick tire at the French Grand Prix in Le Mans.

Casey Stoner takes to Jerez to test Honda's new 1000cc MotoGP bike.

Casey Stoner on the Honda 1000cc prototype at Jerez.

Valentino Rossi on the 1000cc GP12 at Mugello test.

Rossi and company looks to solve the Ducati GP12 riddle.

Casey Stoner finishes his second day of testing on the Honda 1000cc GP prototype.

NGM Forward Racing Moto2 rider Alex Baldolini at Jerez.

Esteve Rabat on the BQR Moto2 entry. BQR will contest the upcoming 2012 MotoGP series as a CRT entry.

Dani Pedrosa: “I'm very happy for the win. But more than the win I'm very happy for my condition because it looks like the surgery was successful." - Estoril - 2011

Valentino Rossi was denied his best finish for Ducati in 2011 after a late pass by Andrea Dovizioso. - Estoril 2011

Valentino Rossi: "The two bikes [Yamaha and Ducati] are as opposite as we are in opposite parts of the world. We can improve the Ducati and adapt it to me, but it will remain always a different bike compared to the M1." - Estoril 2011

Dani Pedrosa takes his first win of the 2011 season at Estoril.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso extended Honda's presence in the top-five by finishing fourth in Portugal. - 2011

Texan Colin Edwards finished sixth in Round 3 as he continues to post top-10 results this season. - 2011

Jorge Lorenzo got off to an early lead via his pole position start - Estoril 2011

Nicky Hayden secured ninth at Estoril while Ducati continues to sort things out with its machinery. - 2011

Despite leading for 25 out of 28 laps, Jorge Lorenzo lost his perfect form at Estoril after being passed by Dani Pedrosa. - 2011

Jorge Lorenzo - Estoril 2011

Marco Simoncelli fast in practice and qualifying - Estoril 2011

Dani Pedrosa: “I'm very happy for the win. But more than the win I'm very happy for my condition because it looks like the surgery was successful." - Estoril 2011

A mistake by Ben Spies' Yamaha crew left the American trailing the field during the early laps before his crash on Lap 13. - Estoril 2011

Elbowz talks M1 with his crew - Estoril 2011

Casey Stoner secured a podium following his crash in Jerez despite a trapped nerve which caused pain in his lower back. - Estoril 2011

Andrea Dovizioso nabbed his best result of the year in second, as did Valentino Rossi. - Le Mans 2011

Casey Stoner: "The track has quite good grip and we have a better feeling than in the past few years in this track and we are very happy, we went out this morning and didn't change so much from Portugal as the tracks are pretty similar for us, we felt good immediately and then changed a few things and tried something we haven't tested before on the Honda which seemed to give us more traction in the rear without affecting anything else." - Le Mans 2011

Cal Crutchlow - Le Mans 2011

Andrea Dovizioso - Le Mans 2011

Nicky Hayden - Le Mans 2011

Jorge Lorenzo - Le Mans 2011

Valentino Rossi - Le Mans 2011

Marco Simoncelli - Le Mans 2011

Casey Stoner - Le Mans 2011

The win for Marquez is the first points scoring result for the Spaniard. - Le Mans 2011

Dani Pedrosa held the lead in the opening lap, though soon falling to second and out of the race entirely thanks to Marco Simoncelli. - Le Mans 2011

Ben Spies: “I was pretty happy with today, building some confidence back up after the last race in Estoril. The sessions went pretty well for us we just didn’t put in one fast lap. We’ve been quite consistent with race distance on the tires and I’m reasonably happy with the bike so if we can make it better for tomorrow I think we’ll be up with the front guys.” - Le Mans 2011

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Valentino Rossi - Catalunya qualifying 2011

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Andrea Dovizioso (#4): "Even if we improved compared to Le Mans in terms of lap times, I'm not happy finishing 4th position, five seconds behind the winner. Today we were fast and I think that with a good start we could have at least fought for the podium." - Catalunya 2011

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Casey Stoner (#27) and Jorge Lorenzo finished 1-2 respectively at Catalunya, with Lorenzo maintaining a seven-point cushion in the standings. - 2011

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Jorge Lorenzo never posed a threat against Stoner at Catalunya but grabbed another podium result in second. - 2011

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Yamaha's Ben Spies achieved his first podium of the season since August 2010. - Catalunya 2011

Nicky Hayden: "It was quite a strange day, with the weather. You just have to deal with it, but it makes it hard to test things when conditions are changing so much. This morning we had a really fine mist through most of the session. This afternoon we tried rain tires for a bit and then went to slicks, but I wasn’t able to improve my time from this morning." - Catalunya 2011

Jorge Lorenzo - Catalunya free practice 2011

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Hiroshi Aoyama has yet to finish outside the top-10 this year and claimed eighth during free practice at Catalunya. - 2011

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Toni Elias - Catalunya free practice 2011

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Stefan Bradl has a perfect record so far in 2011 for taking pole position, his record continuing now at Catalunya.

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San Carlo Honda's Marco Simoncelli finished sixth despite starting from first on the grid. - Catalunya 2011

Ben Spies (#11) saw the podium for the first time this season in third. - Catalunya 2011

Casey Stoner has now won three races this year and is surfacing as the man to beat in 2011. - Catalunya

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Ben Spies: "I’m so disappointed to finish like this after we worked so hard to be ready for the race. It’s been a challenging weekend for all the guys with the different weather changes but we were ready to race with a really good package." - DNF Silverstone 2011

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Five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan (left): "For Casey just hopping on the Honda has been a relief after being on that Ducati, which is hit or miss." - Silverstone 2011

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Nicky Hayden has been consistently faster than Rossi this season, leading the nine-time champion to question what's happening on the other side of the Ducati garage. - Silverstone 2011

Suzuki's Alvaro Buatista had his first top-five finish of the season after breaking his leg during the season opener. - Silverstone 2011

In his first return since breaking his collarbone American Colin Edwards achieved his first podium of the season. - Silverstone 2011

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While trying to catch Dovizioso (#4) Jorge Lorenzo (#1) highsided during Lap 8 at the Silverstone circuit.

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San Carlo Honda's Marco Simoncelli was 0.188 seconds off the pace of Stoner during Saturday's qualifying. - Silverstone 2011

Valentino Rossi: "The shoulder is not quite at 100%, but I am so happy. It was the first time without any painkillers and this was an important test." - Silverstone 2011

Casey Stoner overcame difficult conditions at the start of the race in Great Britain to earn another victory on the RC212V. - Silverstone 2011

Casey Stoner (#27) and teammate Andrea Dovizioso (#4) took the top-two spots in Round 6 of the 2011 MotoGP Championship. - Silverstone 2011

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Honda's Casey Stoner extended his championship lead at Assen after taking second behind Yamaha's Ben Spies. - 2011

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Repsol Honda's Andrea Dovizioso claimed his third top-three finish of the season at Assen behind teammate, Casey Stoner. - Assen 2011

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Nicky Hayden: "The first lap or two, the tyres heated up and I felt really good. Then I made a couple of early mistakes. I touched a white line and also pushed the front once and had to go straight at the chicane. Colin passed me, and then I managed to drag him back. I can’t celebrate fifth place too much, but it’s my best dry result of the year and puts us fifth in the points." - Assen 2011

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An early crash by Marco Simoncelli also took out Jorge Lorenzo, giving Spies the advantage. - Assen 2011

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Ben Spies - Assen 2011

Ducati's Valentino Rossi earned fourth during his debut race aboard the GP11.1. - Assen 2011

The latest rumor to emerge from Suzuki is that it will campaign the 2012 season with its 800cc GSV-R and wait until 2013 to run its 1000cc machine.

Stefan Bradl lost points on Marc Marquez in the Moto2 Championship when he crashed on Lap 20 at Assen.

After crashing because of Simoncelli, Jorge Lorenzo wasn't able to get closer in the standings to Casey Stoner. - Assen 2011

Marco Simoncelli - Assen 2011

Yamaha's Ben Spies took his maiden MotoGP victory at the Assen circuit. - 2011

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Honda's Andrea Dovizioso made the pass on Casey Stoner for second on the final lap. - Mugello 2011

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Casey Stoner (#27) remains 19 points ahead of the competition after being outpaced by his rivals in Round 8. - Mugello 2011

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Dani Pedrosa - Mugello 2011

A poor start forced Rossi to work past several riders en route to his sixth-place result at Mugello. - 2011

Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo earned his second victory of the season at Mugello after passing Stoner late in the race. - 2011

Marc Marquez (#93) had a well-deserved victory at Mugello after outpacing two of his closest rivals in the series on the final lap. - 2011

The two front-running Repsols were Andrea Dovizioso and Casey Stoner, with the Italian able to sneak by his teammate for second. - Mugello 2011

Rossifumi gather to root The Doctor on his home soil. - Mugello 2011

Spies stalked Simoncelli in the closing laps, the American's racecraft paying off with a final lap overtake for fourth. - Mugello 2011

Fausto Gresini and Marco Simoncelli nab another top-five finish at Mugello. - 2011

Super Sic - Mugello 2011

Yamaha's Ben Spies won a fight with San Carlo Honda's Marco Simoncelli for fourth at Mugello. - 2011

Jorge Lorenzo celebrates his second win of the season and closing the gap in the points to Stoner. - Mugello 2011

Lorenzo jumping for joy at Mugello. The Yamaha ace gets his title defense back on track after running down his rival Stoner for the win.

Yamaha celebrates 50 years of grand prix motorcycle road racing at Laguna Seca.

Casey Stoner achieves some impressive lean angle at Laguna.

Valentino Rossi aboard his Ducati Desmosedici GP11.1. - Laguna Seca 2011

Valentino Rossi struggled at Lagunam finishing sixth.

Jorge Lorenzo out in front at the start of the MotoGP race at Laguna.

Jorge Lorenzo got the holeshot at Laguna.

Dani Pedrosa - Laguna Seca 2011

A view of Turn 1 from Laguna Seca.

Casey Stoner - Laguna Seca 2011

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Ben Bostrom raced with LCR Honda at Laguna Seca this year.

Jorge Lorenzo - Laguna Seca 2011

Ben Spies - Laguna Seca 2011

Valentino Rossi tries to sort out the Ducati GP11.1 at Brno post-race test.

Marc VDS rider Mika Kallio tested the Suter chassis and BMW-powered 1000cc project at the Brno post-race test.

Jorge Lorenzo got his first taste of the 1000cc 2012 Yamaha during a one-day test following the Czech Grand Prix.

Casey Stoner was fastest in the post race test at Brno, the Australian utilizing the 2012 Honda.

The one-day test on the Honda RC213V following the Czech Grand Prix was Dani Pedrosa's debut on the 2012 prototype.

Nicky Hayden: "I held on and got seventh, which isn’t fantastic. Still, the gap to the front is the closest it’s been this season, which is positive. The bike was really good in a few places, but I was slow in change of direction and couldn’t get the bike to finish the corner and was spinning the tire a lot." - Brno 2011

Casey Stoner earned his sixth victory of the season so far at Brno and now leads the championship by 32 points.

Honda's Andrea Dovizioso (#4) had a solid performance at Brno after passing Jorge Lorenzo (#1) for second.

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Casey Stoner - Brno 2011

John Hopkins crashed and injured his hand during practice at Brno, forcing him out of Round 11 of the 2011 MotoGP Championship.

Yamaha teammates Jorge Lorenzo (#1)) and Ben Spies (#11) earned fourth and fifth respectively in the Czech Republic.

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Marco Simoncelli - Brno 2011

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Super Sic grabbed his first podium result of the season in third. - Brno 2011

Dani Pedrosa - Brno 2011

Ducati's Valentino Rossi earned sixth at Brno ahead of teammate Nicky Hayden.

Loris Capirossi - 2011 MotoGP Pramac Ducati

Elena Myers - Indy 2011

Elena Myers - 2011 Indy MotoGP test

Elena Myers pilots the Suzuki GSV-R MotoGP bike at Indy as Alvaro Bautista looks on.

Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista is auctioning off the 'Hope for Japan' helmet he wore at Laguna Seca.

Elena Myers posted a top speed of 190 mph at the Indy circuit during her debut on a MotoGP bike.

Hiroshi Aoyama - Misano MotoGP 2011

John Hopkins

Despite recently winning both races at Donington John Hopkins is having surgery again to fix lingering issues with his hand.

Colin Edwards aboard his Tech 3 Monster Yamaha M1. - 2011 Indianapolis GP

Nick Hayden No. 69 looking good at Indy.

Ben Spies aboard his factory Yamaha M1. - 2011 Indy GP

Jorge Lorenzo aboard his factory Yamaha M1 at Indy. - 2011

Valentino Rossi prepares to go out on track at Indy. - 2011

Casey Stoner has his Honda dialed-in well at Indy. - 2011

Rizla Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista made an aggressive pass on Nicky Hayden in the MotoGP race. - Indy GP 2011

Dani Pedrosa put in a solid ride for second place in the MotoGP race from Indy.

The beautiful Red Bull girls pose for a picture on the grid at Indy.

Andrea Dovizioso prepares for the start of the 28-lap MotoGP race at Indy.

Will the Red Bull Indianapolis GP return for '12? We sure hope so.

Casey Stoner passed Dani Pedrosa early in the MotoGP race and then immediately opened up a gap. - Indy GP 2011

Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez led a stunning upset of the Moto2 field at Indianapolis on Sunday.

Ducati's Valentino Rossi finished practice in 11th and was more than 1.4 seconds off the pace of Lorenzo. - Misano MotoGP Practice 2011

Jorge Lorenzo - 2011 Misano MotoGP

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Dani Pedrosa: "Wayne Rainey and I had a great time together and it was a long time since I'd seen him." - 2011 Misano GP

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Jorge Lorenzo (#1) grabbed the lead in the first corner and led the rest of the race for his third win of the season. - Misano GP 2011

Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista had a good day despite having to switch bikes for the afternoon session. - Misano GP

Andrea Dovizioso (#4) and Nicky Hayden (#69) rounding the San Marino circuit in Misano, Italy.

Andrea Dovizioso (#4) and Marco Simoncelli (#58) were caught in an exciting fight during the race for fourth. - Misano GP 2011

Jorge Lorenzo crossing the line more than seven seconds ahead of Dani Pedrosa - 2011 Misano MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa (#26) and Casey Stoner (#27) had a fight for second at Misano with the Spaniard edging past his teammate on Lap 22.

Casey Stoner (#27) claimed fatigue is what prevented him from mounting a threat in Sunday's 28-lap MotoGP contest at Misano.

Dani Pedrosa (left) and Casey Stoner congratulate each other - Misano MotoGP 2011

For the first time in his career Jorge Lorenzo was on the podium at the Aragon circuit after finishing third.

Valentino Rossi: "“I don’t think it’s ever happened before that we couldn’t do a session because the electricity was out! Joking aside, it’s really a shame. For us it was important to test normally instead of just having a long session tomorrow, because you still lose a quarter of an hour in total, and the type of work that you can do is different, more limited." - Aragon GP 2011

Nicky Hayden: "I think I was the only guy who used the same rear tyre the whole session, and I was able to click off three 51s there at the end. I was looking forward to riding this afternoon, but unfortunately it was cancelled. I hope they get it sorted out overnight, as it wasn’t good for anybody, but there’s no need to dwell on it." - Aragon GP 2011

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Yamaha's Ben Spies will make an appearance on the front row after securing third place in qualifying ahead of Jorge Lorenzo. - Aragon GP 2011

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After crashing during qualifying Valentino Rossi will have to use his seventh engine on Sunday and start from pit lane. - Aragon GP 2011

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Nicky Hayden: "I had a good start and was decent at the very beginning. We knew tyre wear was going to be an issue, and we had a drop in performance after the first couple of laps. It lost grip, and I also wasn’t able to load the bike well for turning. I was okay in parts of the track, but compared to the fast guys, I was losing time in the last corner." - Aragon GP 2011

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Jorge Lorenzo: "We struggled a lot from the beginning of the race, losing positions and having to recover step by step. We couldn’t get more than a podium; that is the best result we could get today!" - Aragon GP 2011

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Dani Pedrosa - 2011 Aragon MotoGP

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Casey Stoner: "I think everyone was struggling with tires to some degree but the bike was fantastic and I don't mind the bike when it slides around a little! A big, big thank you to the whole team and to take this hundredth win for Repsol Honda is something special." - Aragon GP 2011

Alvaro Bautista: "It [6th place] was a good result, but I think if the conditions had been the same as qualifying we had the potential to be with the group fighting for podium positions. I am happy with all we have done this weekend and looking forward to the next race and to continue with this work.” - Aragon GP 2011

Casey Stoner - 2011 MotoGP Aragon

Cal Crutchlow: "I'm really pleased with how the race went today because I was back inside the top and having a really good and enjoyable fight with two of the best riders on the grid, who have had a lot of success in Grand Prix racing." - Aragon GP 2011

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Marco Simoncelli - 2011 Aragon MotoGP

Valentino Rossi - 2011 Aragon MotoGP

Casey Stoner - Aragon MotoGP Practice 2011

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Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo managed to get his M1 perfected during qualifying to secure a front row start. - Motegi GP 2011

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Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner set a new record after earning his tenth pole victory of the season at Motegi.

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Dani Pedrosa (#26) earned his third win of the season after capitalizing on the errors of his teammates. - Motegi GP 2011

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Jorge Lorenzo delivered a flawless performance to take second on the podium at the Grand Prix of Japan.

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Honda's Casey Stoner recovered from a brake problem to finish on the podium in third. - Motegi GP 2011

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Casey Stoner left Japan disappointed after being unable to challenge for the win.

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Jorge Lorenzo - 2011 Motegi MotoGP

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Ben Spies: "If we had a clean race we could have battled for the podium. But that’s racing and we got the short end of the stick." - Motegi GP 2011

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Valentino Rossi: “We tried to work on the weight distribution and especially move my position on the bike [at Jerez].

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Alvaro Bautista is still awaiting news from Suzuki on whether it will participate in the 2012 MotoGP Championship. - Motegi GP 2011

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Casey Stoner: "I’m disappointed because in some ways we’re lucky we still ended up on the podium, but I feel we should have been fighting for that win and it’s disappointing.” - Motegi GP 2011

In addition to Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso is the second Honda rider starting on the front row at the team's home race. - Motegi GP 2011

Starting from 14th, Colin Edwards kept his composure as the chaotic action unfolded in front of him to move into eighth position on Lap 18. - Motegi GP 2011

Nicky Hayden: "We were all racing, and it was normal for the first lap. I got into a pretty good rhythm, and when Casey came past me, I wanted to try to follow him past Bautista, but I came in way too hot and went off the track. It’s a shame, because with everybody making mistakes, I had a chance to get us a good result." - Motegi GP 2011

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After jumping the start Marco Simoncelli made a pass on Andrea Dovizioso during the penultimate lap for fourth. - Motegi GP 2011

Jorge Lorenzo was one of the few top-seven riders who performed flawlessly at Motegi and finished second.

Hector Barbera - 2011 Aragon MotoGP

Nicky Hayden - 2011 Phillip Island MotoGP

Andrea Dovizioso is one step closer to securing third place in the championship this year after grabbing his sixth podium. - Phillip Island 2011

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Casey Stoner: "I built up an early lead as I saw the rain coming in, but I wasn't sure if it would hit us. I basically ran into a wall of rain, there wasn't any warning at the back part of the circuit and I came into the last turn and the rain started hard." - Phillip Island 2011

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Nicky Hayden: "Ducati hasn't got enough credit for how hard they have worked to give me and Valentino [Rossi] the best opportunity." - Phillip Island 2011

Valentino Rossi crashed out for the second round in a row as the Italian was running inside the top-five. - Phillip Island 2011

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Stoner has restored HRC as a powerhouse in MotoGP with six podiums and nine wins so far in 2011. - Phillip Island 2011

Casey Stoner: "To win this one here on my birthday, my home Grand Prix, and my second world championship, is something just unbelievable. There’s not a lot of people who’ll have that sort of chance to do that, so I’m very thankful and very grateful for that." - Phillip Island 2011

Valentino Rossi - 2011 Phillip Island MotoGP

Dani Pedrosa (#26) and Andrea Dovizioso (#4) traded places throughout the race with Dovi getting the best of his teammate for third. - Phillip Island 2011