Valentino Rossi: 'John Surtees was great...!'

The Doctor had a blast on the 1198, putting in 30 laps at Silverstone...

Valentino Rossi recently joined a host of motorsport champions from the past and the present (including names like Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Nigel Mansell, Jenson Button and many others...), in an inauguration ceremony to open the Silverstone circuit’s new, state-of-the-art pit, paddock and conference complex – The Silverstone Wing. With 41 garages, a race control building, a podium, media centre, hospitality and VIP spectator zones, The Silverstone Wing provides a world-class facility for teams, race officials and spectators.

Yamaha celebrate 50 years in motorcycle Grand Prix racing with special edition YZR-M1

The 50th Anniversary Yamaha YZR-M1 will first be raced at the Assen TT this year...

Yamaha are celebrating their 50th year in motorcycle Grand Prix racing. As part of a series of ongoing activities to celebrate this landmark, Yamaha Factory Racing will run a special red-and-white livery at the Assen TT and Laguna Seca races this year. The YZR-M1 WGP50th Anniversary Edition, with its special livery, will be ridden by both Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo. According to Yamaha, ‘The red and white livery design pays homage to the iconic Yamaha Factory Racing liveries of the past with a modern twist.’

Husqvarna 900 Streetbike to be launched by end-2011

We hope Husqvarna will put that new 900cc streetbike engine to good use!

Husqvarna, the BMW-owned company of Swedish origin that now makes off-road and supermoto bikes in Varese, Italy, recently unveiled an all-new 900cc parallel-twin engine that will power a range of streetbikes that the company will launch in the near future. We must say we’re a bit intrigued. We loved the Mille3 concept that Husqvarna unveiled at the EICMA last year. And while we admit the Mille3 is probably a bit too outlandish to make it to production, who knows what kind of a streetbike a company like Husqvarna will produce?!

BMW celebrate production of two-millionth motorcycle

BMW's two-millionth motorcycle, a one-off special edition R1200GS

BMW Motorrad, on the 6th of May, celebrated the production of its two-millionth motorcycle, which rolled off the assembly line at the company’s plant in Berlin Spandau in Germany. BMW have been making motorcycles at this plant since 1969 and bikes produced here have been exported to as many as 130 countries around the world.

Twizzy: Renault build a four-wheeled electric scooter!

The Renault Twizzy electric scooter will go on sale in Europe by the end of this year

So what’s a Renault doing here on Faster and Faster? Well, despite the fact that it has four wheels, the Twizzy isn’t really a car – it’s actually a scooter. Yes indeed, the Twizzy is, officially, an electric quadricycle - a battery-powered scooter that rides on four wheels. Available in two versions – the Urban and the Technik – the Twizzy is fitted with an electric motor that produces 17 horsepower and 57Nm of torque. And, when it goes on sale in Europe at the end of this year, this little runabout will be priced at £6,690 (7,600 euros) for the Urban version and £7,400 (8,400 euros) for the Technic. Owners will also have to pay a £40 monthly fee for leasing the Twizzy’s lithium-ion battery.