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Despite finishing the 2020 season as a runner-up, Franco Morbidelli will once again jump on his older ‘A-spec’ YZR-M1 for 2021.

The Italian race the entire 2020 season with a slightly modified 2019 M1 but came out as the top Yamaha rider with 158 points, just 13 points behind champion Joan Mir.

The former VR46 Academy rider was ahead of Maverick Vinales (132pts), followed by Fabio Quartararo (127pts) and Valentino Rossi (66pts).

Nonetheless, the 26-year-old rider admitted it came as a surprise when Yamaha brought upgrades to the bike for Qatar pre-season testing.

The upgrades is expected to solve some of the issues that surfaced last year.

“Well, yes, because they were pretty simple, pretty substantial and in pretty easy directions.

“So, I think the updates that Yamaha brought will also work in the other tracks.

“This is what I think and what I hope at the same time,” he said to Autosport.

Morbidelli ended the pre-season testing in Qatar fourth overall with just 0.140 seconds behind Vinales and Quartararo.

The 2021 MotoGP will kickstart on March 28 in Qatar.

This is not the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Instead, it is another Chinese copy cat called the Hanway G30.

While the Himalayan is devoid of modern-day features, the Hanway G30 is loaded with fancy technology such as a big TFT display.

Nonetheless, the G30 is powered by a 249.2cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces 26hp instead of the 411cc found on the Himalayan.

Braking is done by a dual-channel ABS paired to a 280mm and 240mm disc at the front and rear.

It is unfortunate that the Hanway G30 is a direct copy of the Himalayan but considering the features and the price tag of CNY17,280, equivalent to RM10,908. It makes the G30 an excellent beginner motorcycle for the budget-conscious rider.

Saudi Arabia is planning to host the MotoGP in years to come after unveiling plans to develop a state-of-the-art ‘city of motors’.

While other nations focus on building one circuit in the hope to join any motorsport calendar year, Saudi Arabia is making a bolder move by creating ten world-class circuits.

The ambitious plan is the brainchild of HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Abdullah Al Faisal, who is also the President of Saudi Automobile & Moto Federation.

The plan consists of building an entire city dedicated to motorsport racing consist of the rally, rallycross, cross country racing, motocross, and MotoGP.

“In Qiddiya, we will build an actual city of motors, with more than 10 circuits to host rally, cross-country, rallycross, motocross, because we want to host all the most prestigious competitions in the world.

“Including MotoGP, which is considered one of the sports here. Most important in the world,” he said.

According to reports, former Formula 1 driver, Alex Wurz, will help design the track.

Marc Marquez is getting closer to full fitness after conducting his second outing on the RC213V-S at Portimao on Friday.

Apart from assessing his injuries, Marquez took the opportunity to learn the circuit, which was recently added to the calendar last year.

Portimao will host round 3 of this season MotoGP, after Jerez.

This is the Spaniard second outing on the RC213V-S after getting the green light from doctors to intensify his training since his horrific accident last July.

The Repsol Honda rider initially tested his right arm on a minibike before jumping straight on the RC213V-S at Barcelona after a brief trip to Qatar for his first Covid-19 vaccination.

According to reports, Marquez pushed the RC213V-S to its limits during the two tests, indicating a signal that we might be seeing him earlier than expected.

One of Benelli key models, the TNT600 is making a comeback with a newly updated model, years after it was forced off-sale due to the strict emission ruling.

However, the Italian-Taiwan brand plans to introduce the revamp motorcycle this year based on China’s approval documents.

The front-end features the same headlight introduced in 2019, but it now packs with a full-LED light and a TFT colour screen.

Other notable features are redesigned side panels, an-all new seat unit with scooped-out mouldings, dual-channel ABS and 4-pot Brembo callipers.

Nonetheless, the 2021 model still maintain the “iconic” twin exhaust but with a more oval shape which suspiciously looks like it came straight from the Aprilia Shiver.

The motorcycle is powered by the same unit found on the QJMotor SRK 600, capable of producing 80hp.

Although the documents did not specify the launch date, we can assume it will be introduced sometime this year.

Despite the seven-week production halt in 2020 and other unforeseen circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ducati managed to deliver 48,042 motorcycle to its customers globally.

Although the number is lower than in 2019 with 53,182 unit delivered but the brand recorded sales growth in China (+26%), Germany (+6.7%) and Switzerland (+11.1%).

“2020 was indeed a challenging year, but we are satisfied with our financial performance throughout. Thanks to rigorous discipline, we were able to reduce fixed costs, thus limiting operating margin drop. At the same time, vastly reducing inventories had positive effects on cash flow, which is the best ever recorded to date.

“A heartfelt thank you goes out to the women and men of Ducati who, every day, with passion and dedication, contribute to the company’s strength and success even in this very complex and tough year,” said Claudio Domenicali, CEO Ducati Motor Holding.

However, Ducati is expected to achieve a more significant sales year for 2021 with the help of the all-new Multistrada V4, SuperSport 950 and the Ducati Scrambler Nightshift.

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