The legal system in Spain sure moves quickly, doesn’t it? Not long after news broke that Avintia Blusens MotoGP racer Hector Barbera was arrested after a domestic violence complaint involving his girlfriend, the couple have already appeared in court and both parties were found at fault and handed suspended sentences.

Spain has a special process for domestic abuse cases with hundreds of courtrooms reserved for dealing with domestic violence. These specialized tribunals, established in 2004, are designed to bring immediate action in cases involving couples.

The courts acted swiftly, finding both Barbera and his partner, identified only as “DP” were equally responsible for what transpired. Barbera was handed a sentence of six months in prison, commuted to 14 months of community service. DP was sentenced to five months in prison, but her sentence was commuted  as she has a clean record. It should be noted that Barbera’s previous arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol in January 2012 factored into the difference in their sentences. Continue Reading »

MotoGP racer Hector Barbera has been arrested by Spanish police following allegations of domestic abuse. UPDATE: Spanish courts found both Barbera and his girlfriend equally responsible for what transpired. Both parties received suspended sentences and were placed under a restraining order.

According to the Irish Independent, the Avintia Blusens racer was taken into custody in Jerez on May 9 after a woman identified as his girlfriend required hospital treatment following an alleged incident in their hotel room.

A statement released on Barbera’s Facebook page says the allegations are untrue and that Barbera is cooperating with authorities. Avintia Blusens has not released any comments on the allegations at this time. Continue Reading »

Saturday, May 4 marked the 5th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, California. With such a diverse collection of historical, rare and outrageous motorcycles, the Quail is an event we thoroughly enjoyed attending last year. To commemorate the occasion, this year’s guest of honor was none other than three-time 500cc Grand Prix world champion, and local area resident, Wayne Rainey. Continue Reading »

Last week, we wrote about MotoGP star Valentino Rossi taking a spin around the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval in NASCAR driver Kyle Busch‘s Toyota Camry. The meeting of motorsports greats was organized by their joint sponsor Monster Energy Drink following the inaugural Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Monster Energy has now released a video of Rossi’s NASCAR test drive and the meeting of the two racing stars. No lap times were released but Monster Energy says Rossi’s lap times would have put him in the top 15 from the first practice session at the 2012 History 300 race at the same track. Continue Reading »

Anyone who questions the future of electric motorcycles may want to take a look at Zero. The California-based company is moving its corporate and manufacturing headquarters to a new 47,000 square-foot location in Scotts Valley, California to meet demand. Continue Reading »

Pramac Racing announced Ben Spies will sit out the Jerez round of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship after suffering from chest pains at last weekend’s Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Spies cut short his 2012 season, missing the final two rounds to go under the knife last October to repair  ligaments in his right shoulder. During the off-season Spies signed with the Pramac Ducati satellite team and worked towards coming back for the 2013 season opener at Qatar. Spies finished 10th at Qatar though he felt some shoulder strain after crashing during a qualifying session. Continue Reading »

The morning after riding his Yamaha M1 to a sixth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, nine-time Grand Prix World Champion Valentino Rossi landed in Charlotte, N.C., to race around another track; only this time there were no right turns. (UPDATED with additional photos.)

Rossi met up with NASCAR racer and fellow Monster Energy-sponsored athlete Kyle Busch to ride Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch, winner of the last three Nationwide Series races, gave Rossi a walkaround of his car before taking the Yamaha factory rider around a few laps of the Charlotte  Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval.

After a brief visit to the pit area, it was Rossi’s turn to climb into the driver’s seat and took his turn around the oval’s 24-degree banked corners, reaching speeds of about 185 mph. Continue Reading »

The Tech3 MotoGP team put the Circuit of the Americas‘ emergency systems to the test after a small fire broke out in the team’s garage. Tech3 says the fire should not affect its participation in this weekend’s Grand Prix of the Americas race.

The fire, which ignited some time overnight, was quickly doused by COTA‘s sprinkler system. The fire itself did not cause any serious damage, though fire retardant and water from the sprinkler system damaged some of the team’s computer equipment. Tech3 says the fire was caused by an electric starter that was plugged in and recharging over the night.

“We have suffered quite a lot of damage and of course it is not ideal preparations but thankfully the fire prevention measures undertaken by the Circuit of the Americas and the assistance of the local Fire Department were invaluable in limiting the damage,” says Herve Poncharal, Tech3 team manager. “The sprinkler system was immediately activated and fire crews on scene promptly and I am grateful for that” Continue Reading »

This weekend, the MotoGP circus makes its way to the United States for round two of the world championship, held at the stunning new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, the first time the track will host a world championship level motorcycle event. Expect to see the world’s fastest racebikes reach speeds over 200 mph on the 1 km (0.62-mile) back straight, and bring ear plugs — these bikes are loud!

Fresh off a 1-2 finish in the season opener in Qatar, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi are looking to carry the momentum to CotA. Meanwhile, Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez, who recently spent three days testing at the circuit, should be strong opposition for the factory Yamaha crew. And don’t forget Cal Crutchlow on the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha M1, as he’s sure to be a threat.

Continue Reading »

In the wake of the deadly bombing attacks at the Boston Marathon earlier this week, the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, announced security measures being taken for this weekend’s MotoGP round. Circuit organizers point out these measures are standard protocol for the track and are the same as those used in last November’s Formula 1 round, but in light of recent events, decided it was a good idea to assure visitors of the security measures in place.

“Circuit of The Americas hosts large-scale sports and entertainment events throughout the year, and as a matter of practice, we restrict the types of items that can be brought into the venue by patrons and others working at the track,” says Julie Loignon, vice president of public & media relations. “We work closely with public safety and emergency services personnel at the City, County, State and Federal level to monitor activities in and around the facility. We have been in touch with local law enforcement following [Monday]‘s unfortunate events in Boston, Mass., and will work with them throughout the upcoming weekend to ensure we conduct a safe and secure event.” Continue Reading »