MotoGP Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Octane Photography

Sep 30

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Guidotti, KTM, MotoGP

KTM confirm departure of team boss Francesco Guidotti

Red Bull KTM has confirmed that Team Manager Francesco Guidotti will be leaving the team at the end of the 2024 MotoGP season. Guidotti was appointed team manager in 2022 to replace Mike Leitner, and has overseen two wins for the manufacturer in the hands of Miguel Oliveira, as well as sprint success for Brad Binder at last season’s Argentinian Grand Prix. The Italian was believed to have had a contract scheduled to run until the end of 2025, but after two years without victory, he has been released by the Austrian manufacturer early. “After three years with Francesco and a lot of positive progress and working methods, we are moving the team with a different leadership approach,” said KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer. “Making these changes is never an easy process and we can only thank Francesco warmly for what he has done in our MotoGP story. “2025 will bring some big movements to the whole program in this close and exciting sport and we are laying the foundations now to keep making steps ahead.” The news of Guidotti’s departure means a big shift is scheduled for KTM for 2025, as they welcome new management into their stable alongside […]

Sep 20

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Miller, MotoGP, Yamaha

Jack Miller joins Prima Pramac Yamaha in 2025

The Australian rider’s move completes the rider line-up Jack Miller is set to embark on a new chapter in his MotoGP™ career, joining Prima Pramac Yamaha Factory Team for the 2025 season. The Australian rider’s move completes the rider line-up for the upcoming campaign. After a two-year stint with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Miller’s switch to Yamaha’s new-look Independent Team will see him partnering with Miguel Oliveira. This move represents Miller’s fourth different manufacturer in his MotoGP™ journey, showcasing his versatility and adaptability in the premier class. Miller is no stranger to Prima Pramac Racing, having spent three successful years with the team from 2018 to 2020. During this period, the duo celebrated nine podium finishes, including three impressive second-place results in 2020. This prior experience is likely to ease Miller’s transition into the team for the 2025 season. Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, expressed enthusiasm about Miller’s arrival, stating, “With 10 years of experience in the MotoGP class with three different manufacturers, Jack will be a valuable asset for Yamaha. His speed, knowledge, work ethic, and team spirit will be invaluable to our project as we plan to improve the performance of the M1 in […]

Sep 20

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Yamaha

Yamaha confirms V4 engine plans for MotoGP

Yamaha, which has raced Inline four-cylinder engines since the start of the MotoGP era, is ‘busy developing a V4 powerplant’. Yamaha Racing managing director Lin Jarvis confirmed the news in an interview with MotoGP.com. Jarvis stopped short of giving a timeframe for the V4’s debut, which will be “when it is quicker than the Inline”. But the engine is already being bench-tested and could be on track “in the middle of next year”. “I can confirm that we are busy developing a V4 powerplant,” Jarvis said. “It’s something that goes back a while, because when Suzuki was still here, there were two manufacturers running with the Inline4. And obviously the other competitors running with the V4. “In the last years, however, we’ve seen many, many technical developments in this sport and of course Suzuki stepped out. So we’ve been the only manufacturer remaining with the Inline4. “The Inline4, in our opinion, still has plenty of capacity to be developed and to be improved. “But when you have all of your competitors using V4s and now as we look towards the 2027 regulations, it’s important for us to fully understand the potential of a V4 versus the Inline4. “So based on […]

Sep 19

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Honda, Mir, MotoGP

Repsol ends Honda deal

MotoGP’s iconic Repsol Honda partnership will cease at the end of the 2024 season. Spanish petroleum company Repsol has served as the title sponsor of the works Honda premier-class team since 1995, with the likes of Mick Doohan (pictured below), Alex Criville, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez all winning titles in its colours. There had been persistent rumours in recent years, however, that Honda – whose MotoGP competitiveness has declined badly since it last won the title with Marquez in 2019 – and Repsol may be headed for a split. It hadn’t materialised until now, but Marquez’s departure for 2024 seemingly left the partnership on particularly shaky ground – as evidenced by Repsol branding being relegated to just part of the motif on Honda’s works livery for 2024, rather than providing the dominant colours. “Repsol is grateful for HRC’s [Honda Racing Corporation] commitment and dedication during all these years in which we have worked together,” a Repsol statement read. “The multi-energy company will continue to be linked to motor racing to continue developing products and services of the highest quality.” The news arrived – surely coincidentally – on a day in which Repsol-branded Hondas were already […]

Sep 18

by darren in Media 0 comments tags: Marquez, MotoGP, Rossi

Rossi risks tarnishing legacy with Marc Marquez conspiracy theory

Nine years after the fact, only one person can truly take the blame for Valentino Rossi not winning the 2015 MotoGP world title. And it’s him. The nine-time world champion has never wavered from his stance that Marc Marquez conspired against him to ensure Jorge Lorenzo won the 2015 crown. It’s a view that has radicalised a portion of the MotoGP fanbase and is the main reason a chorus of boos tends to follow Marquez around whenever he races in front of former Rossi strongholds. It is a cloud that has forever hung over MotoGP since that Malaysian Grand Prix weekend almost a decade ago and one, sadly, that shows no signs of ever disappearing after Rossi stoked the fires again earlier this week. Taking to the ‘Mig Babol’ podcast – a show hosted by former VR46 Academy rider and current VR46 Racing team rider coach and video analyst Andrea Migno – Rossi doubled down on his rhetoric about 2015. He reiterated why he called out Marquez in the pre-event Sepang press conference after ‘irrefutable’ proof of conspiracy was discovered at Phillip Island the week before. He doubled down on the fact that, in the Malaysian GP, Marquez tried to […]

Sep 14

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: KTM, Miller, MotoGP

Verdict on Pramac choosing Jack Miller

Pramac Yamaha have been credited for smartly acquiring riders who bring experience of rival motorcycles. Miguel Oliveira, currently of Trackhouse Aprilia, has been confirmed as the first rider of the new Pramac era, when they swap Ducati for Yamaha in 2025. Jack Miller, currently of KTM, is set to follow Oliveira in to Yamaha’s new satellite project. “Speaking to people inside the paddock, the general feeling is that it’s a good signing,” TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson said about Miller. “Yamaha are in a hole, they are behind the European manufacturers. They need to improve their motorcycle. “When it comes to development, why wouldn’t you choose someone like Miller who has ridden for three different manufacturers already? “Oliveira has got a lot of experience as well. They’ve both won grands prix. “You can’t argue that they are in the pinnacle of their careers, but they are probably at the pinnacle of their development and experience. “That’s what Yamaha have bought. It’s a great signing for Pramac.” Michael Laverty added: “Oliveira has rode KTM and Aprilia but has never quite delivered what everyone expected. He is a smart, intelligent development rider. “Likewise Miller, when he moved from Ducati to KTM, he almost […]

Sep 14

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Oliveira, Yamaha

Yamaha sign Oliveira as factory MotoGP rider

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is delighted to announce the signing of Miguel Oliveira. The Portuguese MotoGP™ star will be joining the Prima Pramac Yamaha Factory Team for the 2025-26 MotoGP seasons. Oliveira is in his sixth year in the MotoGP™ class and his fourteenth year in the paddock. The vastly experienced 29-year-old has many premier-class and lower-class achievements to his name, including 17 race wins (5x MotoGP™, 6x Moto™2, 6x Moto3™) and 41 podiums (7x MotoGP™, 21x Moto2™, 13x Moto3™) and a MotoGP™ Sprint podium at the Sachsenring this year. For 2025-26, MotoGP™ fans can look forward to Oliveira’s run on a, to him, new bike: the Factory Yamaha YZR-M1. Moreover, the number-88 rider will enjoy the full support of Yamaha. Lin Jarvis (Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing): “We are pleased to announce that a professional and experienced rider like Miguel Oliveira is joining the Yamaha line-up for 2025-26, and we bid him a warm welcome to the Yamaha MotoGP Project. “Miguel is a rider who has the technical know-how, experience, speed, and precision needed to improve the performance of the YZR-M1. We are really looking forward to working with him as a key member of the Yamaha MotoGP project, […]

Sep 14

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Yamaha

Lin Jarvis to step down as Yamaha MotoGP team boss

Long-time Yamaha MotoGP team boss Lin Jarvis will leave his role at the end of the 2024 season. Jarvis is 66 years old and has been at the helm of Yamaha’s racing division for 26 years. As Yamaha team boss, the Briton played a very important role in the resurrection of the company in the mid-2000s. Together with Davide Brivio, he was able to convince Valentino Rossi to join the project in 2004 when the Italian was already a three-time champion with Honda. With Rossi, Yamaha took the title in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009, before entering the era of Jorge Lorenzo, who was crowned champion in 2010, 2012 and 2015. After a period of dominance for Marc Marquez and Honda – six titles out of a possible seven between 2013 and 2019 – Fabio Quartararo regained the crown for Yamaha in 2021. There have been a total of eight world titles won by Yamaha under Jarvis. One of the Briton’s latest contributions was to seal the renewal of Quartararo, to a new two-year deal. Next on his agenda is to strike a deal with one of the independent teams, to regain the satellite structure that Yamaha gave up after […]