Motorcycles & Bicycles: All the news that fits
09-Feb-26
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 9-Feb-26 5:57am ]
Toprak Razgatlioglu suffered a frightening front-end moment during the Sepang MotoGP test, at the same corner where Fabio Quartararo was injured.
Maverick Vinales is sure his injured shoulder is fully healed after an unintentional 'impact test' at Sepang.
Alex Rins was the fastest Yamaha rider at the Sepang MotoGP test as the V4 returned to action after engine issues.
08-Feb-26
Bike EXIF [ 8-Feb-26 8:14pm ]
Motorcycles, adventure, nostalgia, and impeccable taste—these are the hallmarks of Malle London. Run by Robert Nightingale and Jonny Cazzola, the British company not only produces stylish moto gear, but also runs myriad events and rallies to put that gear through its paces. So every piece they make ...
Roadracingworld.com [ 8-Feb-26 2:42pm ]

GLENDALE, Ariz. (February 7, 2026) - The fifth round of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship was headlined by the largest audience ever for a Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship race inside State Farm Stadium, which also included unprecedented attendance at FanFest. The record crowd was treated to a memorable night of racing that provided a shakeup of the early 450SMX Class title fight as Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki's Ken Roczen became the fourth different winner in the first five races, while Honda HRC Progressive's Hunter Lawrence took over the points lead. It all unfolded after misfortune hindered entering points leader and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Eli Tomac to a finish outside the top 10.

 

 

Ken Roczen Wins in Glendale to Become Fourth Different Winner in Five Races to Open 2026 Monster Energy Supercross Season. 

 

The 450SMX Class Main Event began with ISRT MX4Christ Kawasaki's Vince Friese briefly out front for the holeshot before Lawrence grabbed the early lead ahead of Roczen and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Cooper Webb, the defending series champion and winner of last weekend's race in Houston. Behind them, Tomac was taken to the ground entering the first turn by Quad Lock Honda's Christian Craig, who lost traction and collided with his KTM-mounted counterpart. Tomac took his time to re-enter the race and resumed well back of the field in 22nd place. Back up front, Lawrence paced the field for the opening stint of the 20 Minutes + 1 Lap Main Event until Roczen went on the attack and seized control of the lead with about 16 minutes left on the race clock. The German's impressive pace allowed him to establish a lead of about 3.5 seconds, which he managed for the majority of the race. Lawrence asserted a firm hold of second, as Webb slowly lost touch with the lead duo and soon settled in all by himself in third. As the lead trio strengthened their respective positions, the attention shifted to Tomac and his recovery from the early misfortune. Once he caught the rear of the field, Tomac methodically worked his way up the running order, picking off riders one-by-one until he found himself on the cusp of the top 10 in the closing stages of the race.
 

Roczen went unchallenged en route to his fifth victory inside State Farm Stadium, where he took the checkered flag 3.3 seconds ahead of Lawrence, who captured a fourth straight runner-up finish. Webb followed up his win with a third-place effort, while Tomac climbed up to 12th and salvaged what could have been a devastating night in the championship.
 

Roczen's triumph was the 24th of his decorated career and he has now emerged victorious across seven consecutive seasons. It served as an emotional win for the veteran, following a Friday announcement from Pipes Motorsports Group that revealed esteemed team manager Larry Brooks has been diagnosed with cancer and has taken a leave from the races as he undergoes treatment.
 

Lawrence, whose fifth career runner-up is tied for the second-most without a win in series history, moved atop the 450SMX Class standings and took possession of the red plate for the first time in the premier division. He currently holds a five-point lead over Roczen, while Tomac dropped to third, eight points behind Lawrence.

 

Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki's Ken Roczen became the fourth different winner in five races with an impressive performance in Glendale. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Ken Roczen - 1st Place - 450SMX Class:   "This feels unreal. I got a good start and then Friese cut me off going into the first turn, which I expected, which slowed my momentum a little bit. [Eventually] I was able to pass Hunter [Lawrence] and I knew it was going to be a long Main Event because trying to put a gap [on the field] was really hard and the track was tricky. It was just so fast, and everything was built super tall. I'm just really happy.

  "I want to dedicate this win specifically to Larry [Brooks]. He hasn't been able to be with us here the last few races. It really hurts all of our hearts. He loves this more than anybody. This one goes out to him."     With his fourth straight runner-up finish Honda HRC Progressive's Hunter Lawrence has moved atop the 450SMX Class standings for the first time. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Hunter Lawrence - 2nd Place - 450SMX Class:

"It's bittersweet. I got a great start and was in a great position. Kenny [Roczen] was riding unreal tonight. He was riding a lot better than me in the first 10 minutes and opened that gap. I just didn't quite have it. I didn't feel amazing, just flat, but not bad. We'll take it. [Getting] the red plate is cool, but we've got a long season ahead."

 

One week after his first win of the season defending champion Cooper Webb finished third aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Cooper Webb - 3rd Place - 450SMX Class:   "It was a good night overall. I think we know this hasn't always been my best place [results wise], so I was really happy with that result. Kenny [Roczen] was riding awesome and I was right there with Hunter [Lawrence] for a bit and then he started inching away. I fell into a bit of a no-man's land and took it for a third. I'm happy with that. Happy to leave here with good points. A podium here is a win for me."     450SMX Class Podium (left to right) Hunter Lawrence, Ken Rcozen, and Cooper Webb. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Eli Tomac endured through his toughest night of the young season and lost his hold of the points lead after a 12th-place finish. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Eli Tomac - 12th Place - 450SMX Class:   "I put myself in a position where bad things can happen. I started off a little bit pinched [by other riders] and then got taken out by Craig. I don't know what happened before that or why he crashed. All I know is Craig hit me and I was done. It took me a little while to get warmed up again, to get my body loosened up and going. That's what I had to get back to 12th. The good thing is we're not too far down [in the championship]. We'll just have to do some digging now."    

 

 

 

Haiden Deegan Goes Wire-to-Wire for Fourth Straight 250SMX Class Victory.

 

The fifth race of the Western Divisional 250SMX Class was arguably the most dominant yet for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan, the reigning West champion. He stormed out the gate to open the 15 Minutes + 1 Lap Main Event with a convincing holeshot that he turned into a multi-second lead just a couple laps into the race. From there, Deegan never looked back and continued to add to his advantage. Fellow Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Michael Mosiman gave chase from second, while Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Cameron McAdoo and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Ryder DiFrancesco battled for third. McAdoo held the position initially but gave way to DiFrancesco for several laps before the Kawasaki rider reclaimed the position and inched away from his rival. As the race wore on, all eyes centered on Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Levi Kitchen, who was on an incredible charge through the field after he rounded the first turn in 19th place. The Washington native made an improbable climb into the top five and then passed his teammate McAdoo to move into podium position with less than three minutes remaining. Kitchen's journey forward didn't end there as he caught and passed Mosiman for second with 90 seconds to go and even had Deegan in his sights on the final lap.
 

Deegan's command of the Main Event was never threatened, and he easily amassed a wire-to-wire performance for his fourth straight victory. He took the 11th win of his career by 4.1 seconds over Kitchen, who passed 17 riders to secure back-to-back runner-up finishes. McAdoo made a late charge to catch and pass Mosiman and finish third for the second consecutive race, which resulted in an identical podium from the previous race.
 

Deegan further solidified his command of the Western Divisional standings and has a lead of more than a single race, at 27 points over Mosiman, who finished fourth. DiFrancesco, who finished fifth, sits third, 29 points out of the lead. McAdoo and Kitchen sit fifth and sixth, respectively.

 

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing's Haiden Deegan went wire-to-wire for his fourth straight Western Divisional 250SMX Class victory. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Haiden Deegan - 1st Place - Western Divisional 250SMX Class:   "These races have been solid. Lots of hard work with the family and the team. Thank you to Yamaha and the whole Star Racing team, my bike is amazing. This feels good. The hard work I put in this offseason, it's paid off. It shows who works hard and who doesn't."     Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Levi Kitchen impressed in a runner-up effort that saw him pass 17 riders in a climb from 19th to second. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Levi Kitchen - 2nd Place - Western Divisional 250SMX Class:   "It's a good night with a lot of positives, but there's always a negative in my nights [as well]. I can't be doing that when [Deegan] is doing everything right. Track position is really important, and I didn't help myself there, but I feel good. I've just got to keep working and keep fighting."     Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Cameron McAdoo earned his third podium finish in the past four races. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

Cameron McAdoo - 3rd Place - Western Divisional 250SMX Class:   "I fought hard for that one. I got myself into third on the first lap and then in the option lane I chose the inside, which let Ryder [DiFrancesco] slingshot around me. Then I got him [back for third], then Levi [Kitchen] came and got me [for third]. With three to go I was fourth and I was pretty far from Michael [Mosiman], but I had been digging the whole time. I saw him and saw where I had some more in the tank and just made it happen."     Western Divisional 250SMX Class Podium (left to right) Levi Kitchen, Haiden Deegan, and Cameron McAdoo. Photo courtesy Feld Motor Sports, Inc.

 

 

 

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship and Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday for the sixth race of the season from Seattle's Lumen Field. Live broadcast coverage on Peacock will begin at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, followed by the Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, a domestic Spanish language broadcast is available on Pea cock while international viewers can choose from dedicated English, French, and Spanish broadcasts via SMX Video Pass (www.SMXVideoPass.com).
 

All 17 rounds of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and 11 rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship are on sale. Tickets for the SMX World Championship Playoff Rounds and Final will go on pre-sale Tuesday, Jan. 27, with general tickets on-sale to the public on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at Supermotocross.com. Saturday FanFest will take place at all postseason races, Friday FanFest and camping will be available in Columbus and Ridgedale, additional details to follow.

 

 

For information about the Monster Energy SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:

The post Supercross: Results From Glendale, Arizona appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 8-Feb-26 12:18pm ]
Raul Fernandez felt "destroyed" but was injury-free at the Sepang MotoGP test.
Roadracingworld.com [ 8-Feb-26 11:41am ]

The Malaysian capital hosted an incredible 2026 Season Launch, full of fans, noise and headline acts - from the riders to the performers.

MotoGP descended on downtown Kuala Lumpur this weekend for an unforgettable Season Launch. Not just one, but TWO days of MotoGP's takeover in Malaysia's capital city culminated in an estimated 20,000 fans coming out to welcome their heroes to the show run and stunning stage finale.

First, the official opening party added some glitz and glamour, held in the Permata Sapura Tower on Friday evening - with a stunning view across the city.  Fans greeted the riders on the red carpet as the paddock turned out in black tie before it was time to get suited and booted for the main event.

After the bikes headed around the city on display throughout Friday, on Saturday night it was time to fire up the engines and take them for a spin for the Show Run. Rain ahead of go time only added to the intensity before the weather calmed and the engines starting warming up. Team by team, the riders did two show laps - and added some flair - on their way to the stage to greet the crowd.

 

 

The show kicked off at 19:30 and the first bikes headed out through the fan-lined streets from 20:00. After each of the heroes of the 2026 grid had made their appearances, award-winning band The Script took to the stage - adding to performances from DJ PAWSA and Malaysian band DOLLA. The close of the show saw the riders join The Script on stage for their final photo op, signing off in style.

After a stunner to launch the 2026 season, fans don't have to wait long for more action from the most exciting sport on Earth. The Buriram Test is another two days of track action as the sporting storylines of the season continue to unfold, before it's finally time for the lights to go out on racing. Buriram, Thailand, March 1 - save the date and join us for the start of a season already guaranteed to make history as 22 Grands Prix await.

 

PHOTOS - SEASON LAUNCH: 

Jack Miller on the left and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu on the right. Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Francesco Bagnaia (63) and Marc Marquez (93). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Joan Mir (36) and Luca Marini (10). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Alex Rins (42). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Raul Fernandez (25). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Marco Bezzecchi (on the left) and Jorge Martin (on the right). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Fabio Di Giannantonio (49) and Franco Morbidelli (21). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Maverick Viñales (12) and Enea Bastianini (23). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Alex Marquez (73). Photo courtesy Dorna

 

Johann Zarco (5) and Diogo Moreira (11). Photo courtesy Dorna

The post MotoGP Season Launch: Lights Up Kuala Lumpur appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

MotoMatters [ 8-Feb-26 9:48am ]
Dorna Press Release: MotoGP Lights Up Kuala Lumpur

After holding a spectacular launch of the 2026 MotoGP season in the center of downtown Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Dorna issued the following press release:


Season Launch: MotoGP lights up Kuala Lumpur

Press Release Sun, 08/Feb/2026 - 09:48
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 8-Feb-26 10:15am ]
"No slow laps" and "full package" still to come, as Fabio di Giannantonio praises improved Ducati front-end at Sepang.
Joan Mir praised Honda's progress at Sepang but admitted Ducati's Sprint pace, led by Alex Marquez, remains out of reach.
Marco Bezzecchi believes the 2026 Aprilia has improved, but only by a small margin
Pedro Acosta said KTM has improved but remains slower than Ducati, after a revealing Sprint simulation during MotoGP testing.
Planet Japan Blog [ 8-Feb-26 6:00am ]






Foto: Flickr (Tony Blazier)

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 8-Feb-26 7:15am ]
Jack Miller described Yamaha's V4 technical issue at Sepang as "par for the course" with a brand new MotoGP bike.
07-Feb-26
Bike EXIF [ 7-Feb-26 6:00pm ]
January marked the start of another new year, and as we turn the page to February, it's time to take a look back at our most-viewed custom motorcycles of the last month. Once again, the donors are completely different than last month, except for another strong showing by Royal Enfield—a brand that c...
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 7-Feb-26 1:18pm ]
Jorge Martin made his 2026 Aprilia MotoGP debut on Saturday at the official season launch
The Go Eleven Ducati team has revealed its 2026 WorldSBK livery.
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 7-Feb-26 12:40pm ]
Guenther Steiner made his first public appearance on Saturday as Tech3's new owner
WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS [ 7-Feb-26 11:00am ]

The Ducati Independent outfit have completed the signing of the #34 and excitedly await the start of racing action in 2026

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 7-Feb-26 10:04am ]
Watch the 2026 MotoGP season launch live from Malaysia. Stream begins at 11:25am GMT.
MotoMatters [ 7-Feb-26 9:41am ]
Sepang MotoGP Test Analysis, Part 2: A Photo Essay Deep Dive Into Aprilia - Aero, And Interpreting Riders

As journalists, we are reliant on various sources of information. What riders tell us, what we can spot with our own eyes, and what we can find out through various sources who are not supposed to be speaking to us. Our primary source, however, is the riders. After all, they are contractually obliged to speak to us at the end of every day, with only injury or looming PR disaster to prevent it.

That means they find themselves between a rock and a hard place. The team's PR staff tell the riders that they have to speak to journalists (under pressure from Dorna). And the team's PR staff simultaneously tell them not to tell us anything. Which leaves them learning circuitous patterns of speech which are either blatantly or deceptively vacuous. Alex Márquez has learned to be as vague as possible. Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi would also tell us nothing, but do so with so much wit that we didn't notice until we listened back to the audio to transcribe it.

David Emmett Sat, 07/Feb/2026 - 09:41
Ducati WorldSBK technical boss Marco Zambenedetti explains the changes to the Panigale V4 R for 2026.
06-Feb-26
Bike EXIF [ 6-Feb-26 7:44pm ]
A low-slung and compact 1978 Harley-Davidson FLH with hot rod underpinnings, masterfully built by Fatech.Countless parallels can be drawn between hot rods and custom motorcycles, but no one celebrates them quite like Minoru Watanabe. Watanabe-san runs Fatech in Tokyo, Japan, where he builds nostalgi...
MotoMatters [ 6-Feb-26 4:32pm ]
Sepang MotoGP Test Analysis, Part 1: A Photo Essay Deep Dive Into Ducati's Aero And Ride-Height

It is tempting to leap to conclusions about the 2026 MotoGP season after the first preseason test at Sepang. Five Ducatis in the top seven? Marco Bezzecchi in second? A Honda in fifth? That must mean we are in for a repeat of 2025, right?

As tempting as it is, that would be a mistake. The Sepang MotoGP test has traditionally been not so much a poor guide to the season to come as a deceptive one. It always overstates the strengths of some factories and the weaknesses of others. There might be one rider who emerges from the test as favorite, but that rider rarely wins the title. In the past 15 years, since 2011, the rider who topped the timesheets at Sepang has ended the season as champion only twice: Casey Stoner in 2011, and Marc Márquez in 2014.

David Emmett Fri, 06/Feb/2026 - 16:32
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 6-Feb-26 4:39pm ]
The Crash MotoGP Podcast team dive deep into all of the big talking points from the Sepang test
Maverick Vinales was pleased with the feeling of the 2026 KTM after the first MotoGP test
electricmotorcycles.news [ 6-Feb-26 1:27pm ]

Source: press release: RAI Association | © Images: MOTORbeurs Utrecht | For MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026, RAI Association and Royal Jaarbeurs are once again bringing nearly every major motorcycle brand together under one roof. Operating under the banner "All Brands United," the initiative marks the third time manufacturers have chosen collaboration over competition, and it coincides with a major milestone: the 40th edition of MOTORbeurs Utrecht.

MOTORbeurs Utrecht - RAI Vereniging - THE PACK - Electric Motorcycle News

From 19-22 February 2026, Jaarbeurs Utrecht will host what is expected to be the biggest edition yet, with organisers predicting record visitor numbers and the most comprehensive brand line-up in the show's history.

United brands, growing momentum

According to Tom Crooijmans, Chairman of the Motorcycle Section at RAI Association, the decision to reunite was an easy one.

"We're delighted that the motorcycle brands affiliated with RAI Association have once again committed to participating collectively in MOTORbeurs Utrecht. Visitor numbers have been rising steadily, and by working together we're continuing the positive momentum of recent years."

That momentum reflects a wider shift in the Netherlands, where motorcycling is gaining popularity at pace. More people are earning their motorcycle licences, and two-wheel mobility is increasingly recognised not just as a lifestyle choice, but as a practical and affordable transport solution.

MOTORbeurs Utrecht - RAI Vereniging - THE PACK - Electric Motorcycle News A jubilee edition with purpose

Royal Jaarbeurs is equally enthusiastic about the collaboration. Rachel Jankowsky, Exhibition Manager of MOTORbeurs Utrecht, sees the collective approach as central to the event's success.

"This year marks the 40th edition of MOTORbeurs Utrecht, and it remains one of the highlights of our annual calendar. Previous editions have shown that cooperation between brands creates a complete and transparent overview for visitors, and that's exactly what they're looking for."

The collaboration is coordinated through RAI Association, with importers joining forces to present a unified view of the 2026 model year. Martijn van Eikenhorst, Section Manager Motorcycles at RAI Association, believes the timing couldn't be better.

"Motorcycling is growing rapidly. More Dutch riders are discovering that riding is about more than just experience, it plays a vital role in accessible and affordable mobility. Employers are increasingly recognising this as well. That makes it essential to showcase two-wheel mobility to a broad audience."

MOTORbeurs Utrecht - RAI Vereniging - THE PACK - Electric Motorcycle News Every major name, one hall

For visitors, "All Brands United" means exactly that: a single destination to see all major 2026 model launches side by side. Brands confirmed for MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026 include:

Aprilia, Benelli, Bimota, BMW Motorrad, CFMoto, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian Motorcycle, Kawasaki, KTM, Kymco, Mash, Morbidelli, Moto Guzzi, NIU, Piaggio, QJMotor, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph, Ultraviolette, Vespa, Voge, Yamaha, Zeeho, and Zero Motorcycles.

Editor's note - THE PACK:

Guy Salens - Leader of THE PACK: "I hope that the majority of participating brands will also bring their electric models to Utrecht. With nearly the entire industry represented in one place, MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026 offers a unique opportunity to introduce electric two-wheel mobility to a truly broad audience. Seeing these machines up close, next to their combustion counterparts, is exactly what helps riders understand where electric fits today, and where it's headed tomorrow".

MOTORbeurs Utrecht - RAI Vereniging - THE PACK - Electric Motorcycle News Practical info

MOTORbeurs Utrecht 2026

Roadracingworld.com [ 6-Feb-26 1:26pm ]

Photos from Friday as the most exciting sport on Earth touches down in KLCC.

The Opening Party takes place tonight in KL for the 2026 MotoGP Season Launch, and the riders headed out for a photo op first, with the iconic PETRONAS towers serving as a backdrop.

On Saturday night, the show run and incredible stage event will take place just underneath the towers. Find out more HERE and come back for more tomorrow as MotoGP stages a night to remember.

 

MotoGP Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo courtesy Dorna

 

MotoGP Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo courtesy Dorna

The post MotoGP Season Launch: Postcards from Kuala Lumpur appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 6-Feb-26 11:45am ]
Ducati's step with its 2026 MotoGP bike looks to be significant, claims Jorge Lorenzo
Alex Lowes says his "experience" will be a useful attribute after a disrupted WorldSBK preseason.

By email and blogpost

Ross Moorlock, Chief Executive OfficerBrake Charity 
PO Box 18896
Sutton Coldfield B73 9BL
cc: Transport Commissioner; Deputy Mayor for Transport; Deputy Mayor for Social Justice and Communities, London Victims' Commissioner; TfL Walking and Cycling Commissioner; TfL Board Secretariat; TfL SSHR Panel Secretariat; TfL Chief Safety Officer; TfL Director of Bus; TfL Head of Insights and Direction; TfL Chief Operations Officer; London Assembly Transport Committee Members; CEO, London TravelWatch
6 February 2026Dear Ross Moorlock,
RE: Will Brake Charity speak up for London's and the UK's Vanished Bus Victims"? 
Since it appears that London Assembly Members Keith Prince (Reform) and Neil Garratt (Conservative) have recently uncovered a scandal that proves TfL has been misleading the public and press about the actual number of victims "killed in or by a bus" in London each year,  Brake Charity's recent Press Release—"Brake partners with TfL to continue support for people impacted by serious road traffic collisions in London"—is very timely.   
As the survivor of critical injuries I received from a TfL Bus on Oxford Street in 2009, upon learning that Brake Charity had been awarded a £905,000.00 TfL contract to support London road crash victims or their surviving families, I thought you might consider it worthwhile to use some of this public money to convince the Mayor and TfL to be honest about the number of victims they claim are "killed in or by a bus" in London in TfL's benchmark road safety reporting publications.  
Since Brake Charity is already being paid by TfL under its new contract, I prepared this Briefing Note for your information, review and—if you're inspired to respond—comment, which, like this Briefing Note, I will make public. 
Background 
1. For over a decade, TfL's Contracted Bus Operation has accounted for a disproportionate number of London's Pedestrian Road Crash Victims. 

Any transparency shown by TfL about the frequent deaths and serious injuries generated by its contracted bus fleet is the direct result of a policy forced upon London's Local Transport Authority (LTA) by Mayor Boris Johnson in 2014. TfL's reluctant transparency came about only after it been regularly receiving (a) bad press generated by my 'relentless' volunteer research and campaigning and (b) public scrutiny from London Assembly members, namely Victoria Borwick, and Richard Tracey (Conservative), Caroline Pidgeon (Liberal Democrat), Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson (Green).  

Analysis of the Bus Safety Performance Data (called—interchangeably—"IRIS" or "SHE" Data) that TfL has published every quarter since 2014 evidences—

  • there have been, on average, over 26,000 recorded TfL bus crashes per year—that's an average of at least 72 potentially-lethal bus crashes per day—with 2024 witnessing the highest number of recorded crashes (nearly 29,000 or 79 per day) since 2014 (nearly 25,000 or 68 per day).
  • at least 10,818 people have been injured in a collision involving a TfL Bus, of which 3557 victims have been 'taken to hospital'.  In his responses to many Mayor's Questions, the Mayor has repeatedly confirmed that TfL has no idea if these victims who have been compelled to be taken to hospital from injuries sustained "in or by a bus" have recovered fully or suffer from life-changing injuries or have passed away.  Accordingly, the veracity of any serious injury figure published by TfL involving its contracted bus fleet is, quite frankly, dubious; 
  • at least 137 people have been killed in preventable Bus Safety Incidents in London—113 from collisions, 16 from onboard falls and 9 from other safety-related incidents (e.g, deaths from ill-defined but safety-related 'activity', 'near misses', personal injuries').
  • about 10 percent of all vehicle-related pedestrian fatalities in London have resulted from a collision involving a TfL Bus — in 2024, that horrifically large percentage increased to 15%.
Since the public record shows that TfL's contracted bus fleet— 
(a) now only accounts for about 1 percent of all vehicles on London's roads at any time (down from about 3 percent in 2014), and;
(b) these vehicles' presence on London's roads and ridership have steadily declined since 2014;  
 
—it is obvious that an increasingly disproportionate amount of Brake Charity's services to 'people impacted by serious road traffic collisions in London' will be rendered to victims of TfL's contracted public bus operation. In fact, the public record also shows that, over the past decade, preventable bus collisions resulted in an average of over one person per day being taken to hospital. and—based on TfL's 29 May Press Release about 2024's bus collision fatalities—more than one person per month taken to the morgue.  
TfL's 'Vanished Bus Victims' Scandal 
2. TfL has been misleading the public about the number of people "killed in or on a London Bus" since, at least, 2018.
Since Brake has long been a member of TfL's—non-transparent, in my view— Vision Zero Reference Group, you'll already know that in his July 2018 Transport Strategy, the Mayor pledged to measure London's progress on Bus Safety Performance according to this unique-to-London—Vision Zero metric, i.e—
"for no one to be killed in or by a London bus by 2030"
To chart 'progress towards the Mayor's Transport Strategy', since 2018, TfL's benchmark "Casualties in Greater London" reports have purported to show the number of people "killed in or by a bus", clearly evidenced by the two images below that I have extracted from TfL's latest (2024) "Casualties in Greater London" report. 

Since TfL's official annual bus fatality totals and the 2010-14 baseline are frequently cited by the Mayor and TfL in official reports and press releases—and, as a direct consequence—in Government and media reports—you might appreciate my firmly held conviction that each time the Mayor or TfL quote numbers and baselines that purport to reflect everyone "killed in or by a bus" in London, those numbers should be based on fact.  

3. Keith Prince AM's scrutiny of TfL's 2010-2024 Bus Fatality Data 

In October 2025 (and confirmed by the Mayor in his response to Question 2025/3723), Keith Prince requested TfL to provide him with the raw 2010-14 bus fatal incident data that it used to populate the information published in, inter alia, TfL's "Fatalities in Greater London 2024" Report. Despite the fact that Keith Prince later requested the Mayor to compel TfL to publish this raw data on the London Assembly website for public scrutiny, the Mayor failed to honour Keith Prince's request.  However, I am grateful Keith Prince shared both TfL's 21 November 2024 cover email and its attached data directly with me. 

Based on my analysis of the information TfL provided to Keith Prince directly for scrutiny, below please find my findings that I hope will encourage further actions by Brake Charity.

4. TfL's 2010-14 Baseline cannot be accurate

Below please find the 21 November 2025 correspondence from TfL to Keith Prince AM. 

From: Members Correspondence <MembersCorrespondence@tfl.gov.uk> 

Sent: Friday, November 21, 2025 4:21:11 PM

To: Keith Prince <Keith.Prince@london.gov.uk>

Subject: Follow up from bus safety discussion

Dear Keith,

Thank you for meeting with us last month to discuss our bus safety data. We hope that you found this helpful and productive.

As requested, we have compiled a spreadsheet showing the bus fatalities that are included in table 3 of the data annex (Bus-involved fatalities), we have included the date, borough, collision location and causality mode of travel. Please note, this only includes police-reported (STATS19 fatalities) and doesn't include non-STATS19 fatalities such as medical incidents and fatalities resulting from collisions on private land.

Unfortunately, the raw data which we have used in the spreadsheet is only available from 2017 onwards.  This is because bus casualty data is part of a 'Bus or Coach' category as per the Department for Transport STATS19 modal categories. In 2017 TfL agreed with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to split out bus and coaches to enable better monitoring of incidents relating to our buses, this means that from 2017 a flag was included for London buses in the police form which could be used to identify bus-involved fatalities. Prior to 2017, bus involved figures are estimates based on modelled data, so raw data records are not available to share.

Some of the other requested information, such as the bus route and operator, is not recorded in STATS19 and as such could not be included in the attached. 

Please let us know if you have any further questions. 

Kind regards,

[NAME WITHHELD]

Government Relations

11th Floor, Palestra, SE1 8NJ

Despite the Mayor repeatedly stating (cf. Question 2025/4415 from December 2025) that TfL uses a 2010-14 Baseline to, inter alia

—this email confirms that TfL has no reliable raw bus fatality data that underwrites this key Vision Zero and Bus Safety Performance baseline. Furthermore, the fact that TfL admits that it's using STATS19 Data to represent the number of people "killed in or by a bus" each year proves that TfL knows it is citing a mere subset of a larger group of fatalities.  If you review the Bus Safety Data Guidance that TfL issued hastily and without explanation in early November 2024, STATS19 criteria allows TfL to exclude victims—

 "killed in or by a bus" from "collisions on private land, noncollisions (e.g. death due to medical episodes or slips, trips and falls on a bus), incidents outside the Greater London boundary and death occurring after 30 days."  

While those exclusions might produce inaccurate bus fatality datasets acceptable to the DfT (cf. RAS0601, which shows 521 fatal road collision incidents involving a "Bus or Coach" from 2015-2024), TfL's use of knowingly smaller STATS19 datasets to reflect the total number of people "killed in or by bus" for each year to "measure progress towards the Mayor's Transport Strategy bus involved fatality target for 2030", is frankly, simply intentionally misleading. As you know, both the Mayor's Transport Strategy and the 2030 target are unique-to-London and there is no statutory, legal or moral requirement for TfL to publish less-robust STATS19-defined figures for these reports that relate exclusively to TfL's 'progress towards the Mayor's Transport Strategy bus involved fatality target for 2030.'

5. TfL is intentionally excluding documented incidents of people "killed in or by a bus" in its official reports that claim to show the total number of people "killed in or by a bus".

My reconciliation of the raw 2017-2024 data TfL emailed to Keith Prince on 21 November 2025 with the IRIS Data TfL has published on its website quarterly since 2014 reveals that, since 2017, TfL has failed to report 21 documented incidents of "people killed in or by a bus". This means that, for the past 7 years (at least), TfL has failed to acknowledge the deaths of at least 1 in 4 of the total number of people that have actually been "killed in or by a bus". 


Allow me to walk you through the incidents of "people killed in or by a bus" each year from 2017 to 2024 that TfL has chosen to ignore in its "Casualties in Greater London" reports which, as you surely know, serve as the primary reference for anyone who scrutinises or reports about Road Safety in London. 

In 2017, TfL states that 8 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 4 fatal incidents:

  • the 11 March 2017 death of an elderly male pedestrian who was killed in a collision involving a Route E6 Bus operated by Metroline (Greenford Depot) under contract to TfL in Hillingdon Borough;
  • the 28 April 2017 death of an adult male passenger who was killed after an assault on a Route 189 bus operated by Metroline (Cricklewood Depot) under contract to TfL in Westminster Borough;
  • the 29 June 2017 death of an elderly male pedestrian who was killed in a collision involving a Route 216 bus operated by RATP (Fulwell Dept) under contract to TfL in Surrey County;
  • the 16 December 2017 death of an adult male passenger who was killed after falling on a Route R11 bus operated by Go Ahead (Orpington Depot) under contract to TfL in Bromley Borough.
In 2018, TfL states that 12 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded following 4 fatal incidents:

  • the 1 April 2018 death of a third party driver of unknown sex and age who was killed in a collision involving a Route 61 bus operated by Stagecoach (Bromley Depot) under contract to TfL in Bromley Borough;
  • the 23 July 2018 death of an elderly female passenger who was killed in an "activity incident" on a Route W8 bus operated by Metroline (Potters Bar) under contract to TfL in Enfield Borough;
  • the 17 September 2018 death of a passenger of unknown sex and age in an "activity incident" on a Route 318 bus operated by Arriva (Enfield Depot) under contract to TfL in Haringey Borough;
  • the 6 November 2018 death of an adult male passenger after falling on a Route 32 bus operated by Metroline (Edgware Depot) in Brent Borough. 
In 2020, TfL states that 7 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 5 fatal incidents:

  • the 12 February 2020 death of an adult male pedestrian in a collision involving a speeding Route 191 bus operated by Go Ahead (Northumberland Park Depot) under contract to TfL 'near' Edmonton Bus Station in Enfield Borough;
  • the 14 March 2020 death of an adult male pedestrian in a collision involving a Route 96 bus operated by Stagecoach (Plumstead Depot) in Dartford; 
  • the 16 March 2020 death of an elderly male passenger after falling on a Route 106 bus operated by Arriva (Ash Grove Depot) in Haringey;
  • the 4 June 2020 death of a third party driver/occupant in a collision with a Route 209 bus operated by Transport UK (Twickenham Depot) in Richmond Upon Thames Borough. 
  • the 22 October 2020 death of an elderly female passenger who was killed after falling on a Route 35 bus operated by Go Ahead (Camberwell Depot) in Southwark.
in 2021, TfL states that 5 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following fatal incident:
  • the 10 August 2021 death of an adult female pedestrian named Melissa Burr who was killed in a collision with a Route 507 bus operated by Go Ahead (Waterloo Depot) at Victoria Bus Station in Westminster Borough. The Evening Standard reported that the Mayor had issued a 'sincere apology' to Melissa Burr's family because TfL "wrongly suggested [she] may have been at fault for her death", an apology the Mayor confirmed in his response to Question 2024/3450. In my view, with all the information about the systemic causes of Victoria Station deaths now in the public domain, TfL's decision to exclude Melissa's Burr's death from the 2021 dataset demands further scrutiny.
In 2022, TfL states that 9 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following fatal incident:
  • the 18 December 2022 death of an adult male pedestrian named Stephen Mitchell who died after he was critically injured in a collision with a Route 363 bus operated by Go Ahead (Peckham Depot) in Southwark on 26 November 2022.  Similar to Melissa Burr's death, the fact that there is so much in the public domain about the ghastly circumstances surrounding Mr. Mitchell's death, and the fact that the Bus Driver was found guilty  calls into question TfL's decision to exclude his death from the 2022 datasets and demands further scrutiny. 

In 2023, TfL states that 6 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 2 fatal incidents: 

  • the 12 March 2023 death of an adult male passenger after a collision involving a Route 79 bus operated by RATP (Edgware) in Harrow;
  • the 15 December 2023 death of an elderly female pedestrian named Grace Mecaley who was killed in a collision involving a Route 212 bus operated by Go Ahead (Northumberland Depot) under contract to TfL at Walthamstow Bus Station in Waltham Forest Borough. Since TfL had a Notice of Contravention served to it by the Health and Safety Executive as a direct result of this incident—a document, by the way, that both the Mayor and TfL have both yet to provide for public scrutiny—similar to the exclusion of Melissa Burr and Stephen Mitchell from TfL's official fatality data for 2020 and 2022, TfL's justification for excluding Grace Mecaley's death from 2023's official fatality data demands a cogent explanation. 

In 2024, TfL states that 13 "people were killed in or by a bus", but TfL excluded the following 4 incidents:

  • the 27 January 2024 death of an elderly female passenger after an "activity incident event" while on a Route 55 bus operated by Stagecoach (Leyton Depot) in Westminster;
  • the 11 February 2024 death an adult male pedestrian after a collision involving a Route 158 bus operated by Arriva (Edmonton Depot) in Enfield;
  • the 20 June 2024 death of a Bus Occupant of unknown sex and unknown age—an incident that is published in TfL's "Road Fatalities in Greater London since 2019" spreadsheet, but does not appear anywhere else on the TfL site;
  • the 30 December 2024 death of an elderly male passenger who died after falling on a Route 5 bus operated by Go Ahead (River Road Depot) in Newham on 15 March 2024. 

Since we already know that (a) at least 1 in 4 bus victims have been ignored in TfL's 2017-2024 official dataset and (b) TfL refuses to provide the raw data to support the data it cites for "people killed in or by a bus" for the period 2010-2016, I reckon that 21 unacknowledged bus deaths is already a serious underestimate of the total number of victims that TfL has chosen to ignore over the period 2010-2024.  In fact, if you've had the opportunity to read my unacknowledged 2 December 2025 Letter to Mayor Sadiq Kahn (#VisionZero: Why is TfL allowed to ghost people who've been killed or seriously injured "on or by a bus" in its annual official Road Casualty reporting?), you'll immediately recognise the names of 2 vanished bus victims from 2010-16. 

  • Saba Mirza (31), who was critically injured on a Zebra Crossing in a collision involving a Route 46 bus operated by Metroline under contract to TfL on 25 November 2016, but, I understand from her family, died while still in hospital in early January 2021. How many more vanished victims like Saba Mirza are there? 
  • Ezarhul Islam (73), who fell and suffered critical injuries after, judging from the Coroner's 16 June 2016 Regulation 28 Report, a Go Ahead 191 Bus moved suddenly without warning on 23 October 2015, but died while still in hospital in December 2015. In its IRIS Data, TfL recorded the cause of his death as "Medical" and didn't include the incident in its "killed in or by a bus" total for 2015.  Since 1 January 2014, TfL has recorded 69 Bus-related Fatalities with "Medical" identified as the causal factor for death. How many of these "Medical" deaths actually represent vanished bus victims like Mr. Islam?  Based on last month's response to Question 2026/0028, the public will never know because the Mayor has refused to instruct TfL to investigate. 

6. How Brake Charity can Help TfL's and the UK's Vanished Bus Victims

From my quick reconciliation of the raw 2017-2024 Bus Fatality data Keith Prince received from TfL on 21 November 2025 with (a) the documented incidents of people "killed in or by a bus" found in TfL's published  Bus Safety ("SHE/IRIS") Data and Road Safety (STATS19 ) Data  and (b) some AI-assisted Web searching, it would appear that, since 2010, there are at least 23 people whose deaths "in or by a bus" were in vain because—

  • Key Vision Zero Safety Target Baselines were created;
  • Executive Bonuses were determined and paid;
  • Official narratives about "Progress" on Vision Zero appeared in Press Releases that were dutifully reported by the local and national press;
  • Evidence was submitted by TfL to at least three London Assembly Bus Safety Investigations and also, to the Department for Transport;

—and these specific documented preventable deaths "in or by a bus" were not acknowledged by TfL to have taken place at all. 

While TfL press spokespeople callously dismiss these ignored vanquished lives as "a small number of other fatalities" and TfL Board Documents negligently classify all bus deaths as "small numbers of low probability events", as the CEO of the leading national charity providing support to Road Victims, can I assume that you will not dismiss TfL having ignored at least 23 victims "killed in or by a bus" since 2010 in its benchmark road safety publications as merely the data geek pedantry of a highly-motivated Bus Crash Survivor but rather treat it as the breach of public trust by the Mayor and TfL that I think it clearly represents?  I might add, for governance of the Mayor's Vision Zero Programme and also for these victims' families, I think the Mayor's and TfL's acknowledgement of these 23 victims "killed in or by a bus" is precisely the point of Vision Zero. 

Accordingly, for a public bus fleet that is entirely within TfL's control, but—

—I think the Mayor's Vision Zero metric "for no one to be killed in or by a London bus" makes obvious sense.  But—as you are no doubt aware—since the Lord Peter Hendy rejected Lord Hampton's 'Vision Zero for Buses' Amendment to the Bus Services [No. 2] Bill on 13 October 2025, Transport for London stands out as the only Local Transport Authority in the country with a Vision Zero Policy that claims to use this "killed in or by a bus" metric to measure its public Bus Safety Performance.  
But the stark difference between the official annual bus fatality totals TfL is reporting to the public and the press versus the actual number of "people killed in or by a bus" demands that the Mayor act now to compel TfL to report the truth about the annual number of these incidents. 

Thanks to my years of volunteer campaigning and relentless scrutiny by London Assembly Members like Keith Prince and Neil Garratt, there is now so much TfL Bus Safety Performance data available in the public domain that there's no longer any excuse for the truth to be just another victim of TfL's contracted bus operation. I know that was not the case sixteen years ago today when I was searching for TfL Bus Safety Performance Data on my laptop from my hospital bed while I was still being fed through a stomach tube: I could find no TfL Bus Safety Performance Data in the public domain.  
In closing, I've got a few final questions for you and the Charity you lead. 
Will Brake Charity?—
  • Campaign for the Mayor and TfL to understand that the first step toward supporting those 'impacted' by the frequent deaths and injuries generated by London's contracted public bus operation will be for both to acknowledge that these fatal incidents have occurred at all and have them appear in TfL's Annual Road Casualty publications, Monthly Board papers and the baselines TfL uses to measure 'progress' against for Vision Zero 'bus-involved fatalities and determine annual bonus payments for its executives.  It is not acceptable that the Mayor and TfL have been allowed to claim credit for 'progress'—and TfL's executives have been receiving larger bonus payments—for meeting Vision Zero targets that are not based on the actual number—or published Vision Zero Target—of people "killed in or a by a bus".
  • Meet with the Bus Drivers who are leading the Bus Driver Bill of Rights Campaign. I ask, because I know that TfL's secretive Vision Zero Reference Group of which Brake Charity is a member, has representatives from political lobbying groups from the Bus, Taxi and Car industries, but lacks any members who can speak with authority about the well-evidenced "institutionally unsafe" conditions that TfL Bus Contracts inflict on London's Bus Drivers.  And given your recent public comments about the Government's new Road Safety Strategy, I urge to you also to 'be brave' and instruct your charity to begin to understand and campaign to change the systemic safety problems that have plagued TfL's contracted surface transport operation for decades that undermine the ability of a Bus Driver to operate with duty of care for passengers and other road users.
  • Read the Evidence Submissions from London and UK Bus Drivers to the Bus Services [No. 2] Bill.  If you are not familiar with Bus Drivers' key systemic safety concerns, these well-evidenced submissions are a good place to start.  I'll make it easy for you—
  • Watch the videos produced by Bus Drivers posted on the new @BetterBuses YouTube Channel. For more information about his new grassroots driver-led initiative, please read my unacknowledged 16 January 2026 Open Letter to Elly Baker (Labour), Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee. 
  • Campaign for the DfT to revise its STATS19 bus fatality data definitions to conform to London's Vision Zero "killed in or by a bus" metric, a more robust metric that actually reflects the "Safe Systems" approach upon which the Government claims its recently-published Road Safety Strategy is based.  Based on what we've recently discovered in London, we know that DfT's data showing 521 fatalities from a "Bus or a Coach" for the period 2015-2024 has to be a smaller number than the actual number of road safety-related fatalities that have been generated from the country's bus and coach operations over that period.  Because Lord Hampton raised the issue of the defects of STATS19 reporting for Bus Fatalities in the House of Lords on 13 February 2025, Lord Hendy's response on that date—"in respect of accidents away from public roads, which I will go away and have a close look at. I am not familiar with that nuance, but it is clearly important" —confirms that the Minister knows about STATS19's definitional defects and suggests that the Government's primary road safety dataset for Bus and Coach Fatalities is neither robust nor accurate. I hope Brake Charity can convince Lord Peter Hendy to do more than just "look at" the manifestly obvious and easily solvable problems surrounding STATS19 definitions that have resulted in many of the UK's bus victims to be excluded from the statistics upon which laws and policies are determined.
TfL's contracted bus fleet constitutes about 25% of the public buses in the United Kingdom and delivers over half the country's bus journeys.  If Brake Charity succeeds in using the public funds it receives under its contract from TfL to compel more scrutiny of Bus Safety Performance Reporting by the UK's largest Local Transport Authority, I am confident TfL's longest-serving Commissioner-now-Minister will get up to speed on the 'nuances' to make Bus Safety Reporting more transparent and truthful at a national level. And, since the Lord Hendy is now actively opposing Lord Hampton's Vision Zero (120D) and LTA Bus Safety Reporting (120E) Amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, there's no time like the present for Brake Charity to act to help TfL's and the country's past and future Vanished Bus Victims. 
Yours sincerely,
Tom Kearney#LondonBusWatch E: comadad1812@gmail.comTwitter: @comadadBluesky: @comadad.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BetterBuses and https://www.youtube.com/@tomkearney955 2018 Winner, Community Hero Award — The Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association2016 Winner, Transport - Sheila McKechnie Foundation SMK Campaigners Award


WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS [ 6-Feb-26 11:00am ]

WorldSBK will continue to be broadcast on Sky Italia in Italy as the long-running partnership continues

MotoMatters [ 6-Feb-26 8:47am ]
Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 536: Winners And Losers From The Sepang MotoGP Test

2026 is underway for real now, and MotoGP bikes have spent six days circulating at Sepang. David, Neil, Adam, and Steve discuss what they saw at the Sepang test, who their big winners and big losers from Sepang were. Will this be another Ducati whitewash? Have KTM done enough to catch Aprilia and Ducati? What happened on Yamaha's disastrous Wednesday? Are Honda treading water or catching up? And after Aprilia staged the wedding Marco Bezzecchi and his Aprilia RS-GP at Sepang, who will get custody of the kids?

Thanks to Renthal Street for their support for the show.

David Emmett Fri, 06/Feb/2026 - 08:47
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 6-Feb-26 9:04am ]
Honda remains a focal point in the 2027 rider market amid strong Fabio Quartararo links
WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS [ 6-Feb-26 9:29am ]

Four podium-winning riders have traded in their old leathers for new colours this offseason for a new opportunity

Yamaha, Triumph, Ducati, ZXMOTO, Kawasaki, QJMOTOR, Honda and MV Agusta batten down the hatches as they prepare for a free-for-all of a season

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 6-Feb-26 8:15am ]
Marc Marquez acknowledged a clear Sprint gap to younger brother Alex at the Sepang MotoGP test.
Franco Morbidelli describes his VR46 Ducati as "a mix of things" and "I wouldn't call my bike a GP25."
Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola praised Francesco Bagnaia's Sepang MotoGP test pace as speculation grows over the Italian's 2027 future.
Alex Marquez not only set the fastest outright lap but also delivered the best Sprint simulation at the Sepang MotoGP test - and said it could have been even better.
05-Feb-26
Bike EXIF [ 5-Feb-26 7:00pm ]
Thickly veiled in mystique, the Harley-Davidson Knucklehead engine is arguably one of the most iconic powerplants ever built. Nearly nine decades after its debut, the silhouette of those fist-shaped rockers still carries a kind of mechanical authority—part engineering milestone, part cultural shorth...
In the pantheon of Japanese motorcycles, Suzuki has always been the brand that speaks to the "black sheep" of the motorcycle world. While Honda focused on approachability and Yamaha on artistic flair, Suzuki built a reputation on raw mechanical grit.From the legendary "thumper" singles of the DR ser...
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 5-Feb-26 3:29pm ]
Five key talking points from the 2026 Sepang MotoGP test
Aprilia is yet to finalise who its second factory MotoGP rider will be in 2027
Roadracingworld.com [ 5-Feb-26 1:35pm ]

Alex Marquez fends off Bezzecchi as sun sets on Sepang Test. The 2025 GP winner is top but 'Bez' is hot on the chase as testing concludes in Malaysia. 

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) remains top of the pile as action concludes at Sepang, with the #73 - who won the Grand Prix in Malaysia last year - having just enough in hand to edge out Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) in second after a late push. Completing the top three is Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) after three days of interesting testing, with plenty to talk about beyond one-lap pace.

 

Marc Marquez (93) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (49) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Dorna.

 

BK8 GRESINI RACING MOTOGP, DUCATI LENOVO TEAM, PERTAMINA ENDURO VR46 RACING TEAM:


The fastest Sprint simulation of the day went to 2025 silver medallist Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) who, upon completion of his 10-lap Sprint trial, had an average lap time of a 1'58.027. He ended the day fastest too with a 1'56.402; the #73 is very much in the groove at the track where he was victorious at last year.

Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) ran the 2025 front aero on both bikes during the morning and sampled elements of the 2026 aero package. However, the #93 suffered his first crash of the year at Turn 1 but was perfectly OK. For teammate Francesco Bagnaia, he stated he felt more comfortable than at any point throughout the Grand Prix weekend in October whilst also declaring which aero package he preferred. Interestingly, over a 10-lap Sprint simulation, the #63 had the upper-hand over his teammate, leaving food for thought within the factory Ducati squad. It's fourth for Marquez and sixth for Bagnaia across the three days, attention turns to Buriram's test.

Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was another Ducati rider who fell, crashing at Turn 14. The Italian's work focused mainly on adapting to the GP25 which he inherits for the new season and he ended the test in seventh across all days - with Diggia on the GP26 in that top three.

 

Marco Bezzecchi (72) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Dorna

 

APRILIA RACING & TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM:


Bezzecchi ends the test second and as top Aprilia after a busy few days, topping the final session of Thursday. We've seen new aero options for the seat unit - call it what you want but it is certainly innovative - and despite being a full-time rider down with Jorge Martin's (Aprilia Racing) absence, the Noale factory can leave buoyed by their breakthroughs. The final day saw the #72's Sprint simulation end in the high 1'58s but at a circuit they've historically struggled at, they can say they're back in BEZness.

In the Trackhouse camp, Raul Fernandez was their shining light as he finished seventh on the final day and P10 overall in what was a complete contrast to his 2025 testing struggles and subsequent day one crash. On the other side, Ai Ogura's incremental improvements saw him finish P12 overall with a focus shifting to the place where the Japanese rider got his best result of 2025: Buriram.

 

Joan Mir (36) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Dorna

 

HONDA HRC CASTROL & HONDA LCR:


After Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) topped Day 2's timesheets, the final day of testing in Sepang was a little trickier for HRC in general, with both the 2020 World Champion and teammate Luca Marini saying the lower grip conditions after Wednesday's rain caused them to run into a few more issues. Still, the vibes are positive and a stride forward has been made in all areas with the 2026 RC213V. And, importantly, they've found gains with the engine that needs to be homologated for the season now HRC are in Rank C of the concessions. At the end of the three days, Mir finished P5 overall after his 1:56.8 and Marini P13.

For Castrol Honda LCR's Johann Zarco and Pro Honda LCR's Diogo Moreira there was plenty to talk about too. Speaking at the end of six days of testing in Malaysia, including the three-day Shakedown, it's safe to say the Brazilian rookie was tired. However, the #11 was very happy with his progress. The braking area is somewhere Moreira is particularly pleased with, and the reigning Moto2 World Champion also mentioned that he and the team are happy with the base set up they've found.

On the other side of the box, Zarco - like the factory duo - has been feeding us positivity about the new package for the entire test. He was P16 overall on the standings.

 

Enea Bastianini (23) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Tech3 Racing

 

RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING & RED BULL KTM TECH3:

It's just 0.010 between Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on the combined timesheets from the whole test as they slot into P8 and P9. It's been a busy test and seemingly a positive one, with Viñales still saying that after trying out lots of different directions on Day 3, it's the first setup he tried that he'd want to stay with - and he'd be happy to roll out for the GP in Buriram with it. He crashed near the end of play but rider ok.

Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) ends the test in P11, less than half a second off Raul Fernandez ahead of him, who split him from Acosta and Viñales. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory) also said it was coming together and was P15 on the combined times, saying he didn't put a lap together at full push.

 

Alex Rins (42) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Dorna

 

MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP & PRIMA PRAMAC YAMAHA MOTOGP:


There was great news from the off on Day 3: yes, the Iwata marque were going to run. They sat out Day 2 until they could diagnose the cause - knowing, according to Technical Director Max Bartolini, what the issue was at least. Having got Japan on the task from Asian time on Day 2 joined by their base in Italy as Europe woke up later in the day by the time action began on Thursday.

Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was top Yamaha in P14 over all, Fabio Quartararo actually 17th on the timesheets from Day 1. Prima Pramac Racing's Jack Miller and rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu were a little further back in P18 and P19 overall.

For full results, click HERE - as that's a wrap on the Sepang Test. Swingarms, chassis, new aero front and rear… there's been a little of everything up and down pitlane and, lest we overlook, an entirely new bike at Yamaha in the YZR-M1. Now we're off into the city for the Season Launch in Kuala Lumpur and switch racing suits for a little black tie… but we'll be back on track soon as Buriram awaits in two weeks.

Then, it's time to get suited and booted for a record-breaking 22-GP calendar.

 

 

CombinedPracticeTimes

 

 


More from a press release issued by BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP:

Alex Marquez fastest over the three days in Sepang.

  • DAY1:

FP1 - 1'57.487 - 31 laps

FP2 - 1'58.169 - 18 laps

 

  • DAY2:

FP3 - 1'57.664 - 22 laps

FP4 - 1'58.094 -  5 laps 

 

  • DAY3:

FP5 - 1'56.404 - 31 Laps

FP6 - 1'57.295 - 14 Laps

 

Alex Marquez tops day 3 at Sepang. Photo courtesy BK8 Gresini Team

 

Alex Marquez (1'56.404s - 121 laps): "It's always good to finish the tests with the fastest time. The feeling is positive, and we also did some good things in the sprint simulation. We tried a lot and worked well, but it's still just a test. The important thing was to finish these three days in good physical shape, and we managed to do that. Now we'll have the Buriram tests to try other solutions and fine-tune everything ahead of the start of the Championship."

 

 


More from a press release issued bu Honda HRC Castrol:

Honda HRC Castrol content with first outing of 2026.

Ninth and 16th for Joan Mir and Luca Marini on the final day of the Sepang Test, both pleased with the progress made and keen to return to the track at the pending Buriram Test.

Three days and some 265 laps later, the first test of the 2026 season has come and gone with Honda HRC Castrol collecting a wealth of data to analyse over the coming weeks. Hard work was rewarded with several moments of bright potential across the Sepang Test, Joan Mir and Luca Marini ultimately leaving satisfied with what they accomplished and motivated for what is to come.

Ending the ultimate day in ninth, Joan Mir concluded Thursday as the top Honda as all his competitors chased one off fast laps. Mir's 1'56.874 from Wednesday morning remains as his quickest lap of the weekend and places him in the top five overall. A confidence building test for the 2020 World Champion who is aiming to start 2026 as he ended the previous season and once again battle for the podium.

Luca Marini leaves Malaysia having progressed with all areas of the Honda RC213V and despite ending the final day in 16th, he remains confident in the changes made by engineers over the winter. Less the two seconds split the top 18 riders on the final day, just a few tenths making a big difference in the standings. The unique layout of the Buriram Circuit will give the #10 another opportunity to assess the 2026 package in different conditions and further improve his feeling.

Now both Mir and Marini will head to Kuala Lumpur city centre for the MotoGP Season Launch. After that, just the Buriram Test awaits before the year truly begins with the Thai GP.

 

Joan Mir (36) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Honda HRC

 

Joan Mir: "Today we were able to do a longer run, a bit more than a Sprint Race distance. Our pace was quite good, but today we saw the other riders make a step as well, so we need to remain focused and keep working. We've made a step over last year, but everyone else has been working hard as well. The position is not super important today, we had to adapt our plan and cut out our time attack, so it was not as impressive as yesterday. If tomorrow was a race, we can be there in the top five." 

 

Luca Marini (10) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Honda HRC

 

Luca Marini:  "We improved the bike with another step today, a satisfying end to the three days but like always - everyone else has made a step. The situation is similar to the GP last year in terms of the gap, so we have to work well in Thailand in a few weeks. We will have a couple of new things in Thailand as well, so there's still plenty to do before the first race. It's just the first test and people are always playing a bit, so we will wait to see what happens at the first race. Looking forward to it. Thanks to the team for their hard work of the winter and this test."

 

 


More from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha: 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Wrap Up Sepang Test Day 3 in P12 & P21st.

After sitting out Day 2 of the Malaysia MotoGP Official Test, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team were back in action on Day 3. Álex Rins and Augusto Fernández (replacing the injured Fabio Quartararo) wrapped up testing in 12th and 21st place respectively in the overall Day 3 rankings.

 

Following overnight investigations in Japan and Italy into the technical issue encountered on Day 1 of the Malaysia MotoGP Official Test, Yamaha returned to action on Day 3. Álex Rins and Augusto Fernández (replacing the injured Fabio Quartararo) completed a productive day on track, finishing 12th and 21st respectively in today's timesheets.

Rins posted a 1'57.580s best time in Session 1 on lap 11/26. As the majority of the rider field didn't improve their times in the afternoon, that lap was fast enough to earn him 12th position in today's classification, 1.178s from first. Completing 10 laps in Session 2 brought his Day-3 lap tally up to 36.

Fernández took on bike development duties for the injured Quartararo, making the test rider part of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team for the day. Fernández only took part in the morning session. His best time, a 1'59.278s set on lap 19/20, had him place 21st in the Day 3 rankings and in the combined results, 2.876s from the top.

The team will now travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the MotoGP Launch event, held from 6-7 February. The team will be back in action on track on 21-22 February for the Thailand MotoGP Official Test in Buriram.

 

Alex Rins (42) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Monster Energy Yamaha

 

Alex Rins: "We have been able to test all the items that we had to try here in Sepang during the Shakedown Test and the IRTA Test and made a selection of items we like for Buriram. Unfortunately, because of a technical issue and safety precaution, we couldn't ride yesterday, losing some time on track. Luckily, today we were able to ride again, and we completed our plans. We will work more on settings in Buriram."

 

Massimo Meregalli: "It has been a productive test. We have been able to evaluate most of the items that we had scheduled to try here. We chose the main topics for this test, like chassis, rear arm, and aerodynamics, with which we will start the Buriram Test - and this was the priority. Even though we were forced to temporarily halt the test due to a technical issue that occurred on Day 1, we were able to understand the cause and could finish today's test thanks to the big effort of the engineers here in Malaysia as well as in Japan and Italy. What we didn't have time for was fine-tuning the set-ups, which we will, of course, move to the Buriram Test."

 

 


More from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha: 

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team finishes intense days of winter testing in Sepang.

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP concluded the three days of Official MotoGP Winter Testing at Sepang, completing an intense programme of evaluation and development. Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu faced a demanding learning curve with the new bike — and, for Razgatlıoğlu, a completely new environment — but collected positive feedback across a wide range of set-ups tested during the Sepang test.

 

 

Gino Borsoi - Team Director: "During the Shakedown, to be honest, things went quite well and we completed all the work we had planned. The three days here were not easy — especially for Toprak — with the conditions and the high temperatures in Malaysia, but they both managed the workload well and we brought home important information. Going into the Official Test, we honestly expected to do a little better. In the two days we were out on the track, we were able to run and continue evaluating the material Yamaha provided. Our goal was not to chase lap time, but to build stability in performance. On the final day we found some improvements and, from a chassis point of view, the bike is quite competitive and works very well. It's clear that we are still missing some top speed, but Yamaha is already working on this, so we're not concerned."

 

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (7) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Prima Pramac Yamaha

 

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu: "It's still difficult for me and the learning curve is steep, but the feedback we're getting is positive and we're making progress. I'm trying to understand where I need to improve and also how much I need to adapt my riding style to this bike. Jack helped me a lot today — I followed him for a few laps to understand how to approach some corners that are still tricky for me. I was hoping to get into the 1'57s and even though I felt fast, the lap time didn't come yet. But I'm pushing every day to learn and improve, and I'm already looking forward to continuing this work at the next test in Buriram."

 

Jack Miller (43) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Prima Pramac Yamaha

 

Jack Miller: "It wasn't an easy day, but these things are part of the process. If you expect everything to run smoothly, you're being naïve — we're pushing the most high-performance machines in the world to their limits. Sometimes you need to pause, reassess what's needed and then get back to work. Of course I would have liked a bit more from this test, but I really believe the bike still has plenty of potential. The last few days were busy, with a lot of parts going on and off the bike, and the key is not just trying things, but properly analysing what works, what doesn't and where you can find a compromise for the future.

 

 


More from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:

Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira finished 19th on Thursday at the Sepang Test.

  • Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira completed his first official test, which allowed him to continue getting to know the bike and learning.
  • Today, Diogo completed a total of 46 laps, which, added to the 34 on Wednesday and the 39 on Tuesday, brings the total to 119 laps of hard work over three days.
  • The rider admits that, after the Shakedown and the Sepang Test, he is pleased with the work done and motivated ahead of the next test in Buriram, as he has already felt improvements and gained important learnings at the beginning of his MotoGP journey.

 

Diogo Moreira (11) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Pro Honda LCR.     Diogo Moreira 19th - (1'58.476): "I'm happy but exhausted, these days have been intense! I've understood many things, we've done many laps, and the progress has been positive. My feeling on the bike improved day by day, and especially today, I felt good riding it. I believe we've found our base setup, and this is great. I still need to do more hours on the bike and improve, but everything will come. We are happy and motivated!"

 

 


More from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:

Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco finished 15th on Thursday at the Sepang Test.

  • French rider Johann Zarco and his crew ended the Sepang Test with consistent and positive feelings after some initial struggles.
  • Today, Johann completed a total of 58 laps, which, added to the 33 on Wednesday and the 60 on Tuesday, brings the total to 151 laps of hard work over three days.
  • The rider admits that the bike has improved and that, with a few adjustments, he is confident he will have a lot of fun, a positive sign heading into the Buriram Test.
  Johann Zarco (5) at Sepang, day 3. Photo courtesy Castrol Honda LCR   Johann Zarco 15th - (1'57.601): "I finished this Sepang test on a positive note. We had an intense afternoon today; we rode non-stop, and the feeling was good. Overall, I struggled at the beginning of the test, but we managed to solve the issues and finish in a good way. Since yesterday, we've been more consistent, and that's important. We struggled a bit with tyre drop, but it was the same for everyone. The bike has improved, and now we're just trying to find the right balance. Let's keep working like this."

The post MotoGP: A.Marquez Puts Ducati on Top on Day 3 at Sepang appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 5-Feb-26 1:17pm ]
Pedro Acosta was happy with his Sepang test, but scored it surprisingly low
Roadracingworld.com [ 5-Feb-26 1:18pm ]

Sepang tests Day 2 update for our esteemed Oxley Bom #MotoGP podcast Patreon followers is a sound clash with the Paddock Pass podcast. It's all here, from the Yamaha disaster down…

Listen the podcast HERE

The post Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast: Wednesday From Sepang appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed [ 5-Feb-26 12:40pm ]
Toprak Razgatlioglu sounded deflated after the first 2026 MotoGP test
MotoMatters [ 5-Feb-26 12:10pm ]
2026 Sepang MotoGP Test Combined Times : Bezzecchi Interloper In Ducati Field

Alex Marquez leaves the Sepang MotoGP test as the fastest rider over all three days. The Gresini Ducati rider put in a very fast time to beat the best time ever set at a Sepang test, though he was a few hundredths off Pecco Bagnaia's pole record from 2024.

David Emmett Thu, 05/Feb/2026 - 12:10
2026 Sepang MotoGP Test Day 3 Combined Times: Alex Marquez Beats Bezzecchi

Combined times from Day 3 of the Sepang Test:

David Emmett Thu, 05/Feb/2026 - 12:07
 
News Feeds

Environment
Blog | Carbon Commentary
Carbon Brief
Cassandra's legacy
CleanTechnica
Climate and Economy
Climate Change - Medium
Climate Denial Crock of the Week
Collapse 2050
Collapse of Civilization
Collapse of Industrial Civilization
connEVted
DeSmogBlog
Do the Math
Environment + Energy – The Conversation
Environment news, comment and analysis from the Guardian | theguardian.com
George Monbiot | The Guardian
HotWhopper
how to save the world
kevinanderson.info
Latest Items from TreeHugger
Nature Bats Last
Our Finite World
Peak Energy & Resources, Climate Change, and the Preservation of Knowledge
Ration The Future
resilience
The Archdruid Report
The Breakthrough Institute Full Site RSS
THE CLUB OF ROME (www.clubofrome.org)
Watching the World Go Bye

Health
Coronavirus (COVID-19) – UK Health Security Agency
Health & wellbeing | The Guardian
Seeing The Forest for the Trees: Covid Weekly Update

Motorcycles & Bicycles
Bicycle Design
Bike EXIF
Crash.Net British Superbikes Newsfeed
Crash.Net MotoGP Newsfeed
Crash.Net World Superbikes Newsfeed
Cycle EXIF Update
Electric Race News
electricmotorcycles.news
MotoMatters
Planet Japan Blog
Race19
Roadracingworld.com
rohorn
The Bus Stops Here: A Safer Oxford Street for Everyone
WORLDSBK.COM | NEWS

Music
A Strangely Isolated Place
An Idiot's Guide to Dreaming
Blackdown
blissblog
Caught by the River
Drowned In Sound // Feed
Dummy Magazine
Energy Flash
Features and Columns - Pitchfork
GORILLA VS. BEAR
hawgblawg
Headphone Commute
History is made at night
Include Me Out
INVERTED AUDIO
leaving earth
Music For Beings
Musings of a socialist Japanologist
OOUKFunkyOO
PANTHEON
RETROMANIA
ReynoldsRetro
Rouge's Foam
self-titled
Soundspace
THE FANTASTIC HOPE
The Quietus | All Articles
The Wire: News
Uploads by OOUKFunkyOO

News
Engadget RSS Feed
Slashdot
Techdirt.
The Canary
The Intercept
The Next Web
The Register

Weblogs
...and what will be left of them?
32767
A List Apart: The Full Feed
ART WHORE
As Easy As Riding A Bike
Bike Shed Motorcycle Club - Features
Bikini State
BlackPlayer
Boing Boing
booktwo.org
BruceS
Bylines Network Gazette
Charlie's Diary
Chocablog
Cocktails | The Guardian
Cool Tools
Craig Murray
CTC - the national cycling charity
diamond geezer
Doc Searls Weblog
East Anglia Bylines
faces on posters too many choices
Freedom to Tinker
How to Survive the Broligarchy
i b i k e l o n d o n
inessential.com
Innovation Cloud
Interconnected
Island of Terror
IT
Joi Ito's Web
Lauren Weinstein's Blog
Lighthouse
London Cycling Campaign
MAKE
Mondo 2000
mystic bourgeoisie
New Humanist Articles and Posts
No Moods, Ads or Cutesy Fucking Icons (Re-reloaded)
Overweening Generalist
Paleofuture
PUNCH
Putting the life back in science fiction
Radar
RAWIllumination.net
renstravelmusings
Rudy's Blog
Scarfolk Council
Scripting News
Smart Mobs
Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives
Spitalfields Life
Stories by Bruce Sterling on Medium
TechCrunch
Terence Eden's Blog
The Early Days of a Better Nation
the hauntological society
The Long Now Blog
The New Aesthetic
The Public Domain Review
The Spirits
Two-Bit History
up close and personal
wilsonbrothers.co.uk
Wolf in Living Room
xkcd.com