I spent two hours lapping Welkom in our VW diesel rental car and another hour putting around the track on a pit scooter for a closer look at the pavement, curbs, run-off, camber…everything that would get me more comfortable with the track. By 9 a.m. both M1s were warm and ready and so was I. [...]

There’s no other way to say it: The tests went fantastically well…until about 2 o’clock on the second day. Valentino was testing race tires and rushed into a fourth-gear sweeper with a bit too much speed. The front let go, then caught, breaking the rear loose and tossing Valentino pretty hard. Apart from the usual [...]

In August of 2003, Yamaha had decided to pull the plug on its troubled MotoGP effort. Two factors prompted this shocking decision: money and getting their butts beat. This is the company that won nine world championships with Kenny, me, Wayne…and then couldn’t find an apex with both hands. Some very reliable sources told me [...]