The MotoGP paddock in Le Mans on Thursday was a complete contrast to Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix round at Jerez, with a quiet and relaxed atmosphere and a grey colour scheme provided by the cloud hanging over the historic French circuit.

A big reason behind the subdued atmosphere was a organised Paris press conference for  the reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, in whichi Valentino Rossi rode a Yamaha R1 motorcycle through the country’s capital, the italian did a burnout underneath the Eiffel Tower, he then nearly missed an engagement at the Official MotoGP Pre-event Press Conference. The event, which stopped traffic at the Arc de Triomphe as the superb Fiat Yamaha made his way down to the Champs-Élysées, was put on by the Italian's personal sponsor Monster.

Courtesy of a speedy helicopter trip to the Le Mans circuit, Valentino Rossi joined up with Colin Edwards, Aussie Casey Stoner, Marco Melandri and home town favorite Randy de Puniet in the media centre where the riders had been holding court.

Casey Stoner was confident and had this to say “You can change things around anytime,” said the 2007 MotoGP World Champion. “This is quite a difficult track for me, and maybe that’s something to do with me not being able to get my head around the circuit. We’ve had lot of podium opportunities at this track, but never managed the result that we want. I seem to flow well here, but come race day we haven’t got it together. This year we’re confident of being competitive –the result in Jerez proved that.”

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MotoGP fans will be treated to a enhanced opportunity to look back in time, with thanks to the launch of a new Hi-Res MotoGP Classics VideoPass this pass will allow access to an exclusive collection of the most exciting battles in the premier class since 1992, that's plenty of thrills and spills.

This MotoGP Video pass features a selection of 17 full-length races, the races have been specially remastered for a unparalled viewing experience of MotoGP’s finest hours, races features greats like Mick Doohan, Wayne Rainey, Valentino Rossi, Kevin Schwantz and more.

The first race available in Hi-Resolution is the 1992 Catalunyan duel between Rainey and Doohan, which the former won by just 0.057s.

There is also Norick Abe’s remarkable debut at Suzuka in 1994, when Abe ran away in front of Schwantz and Doohan before crashing out, not to forget the 1996 Brno race which saw Alex Criville beat Doohan in the closest finish ever in GP history at the stunning Czech circuit.

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Honda has just added to the long time running VFR800 with two new colour schemes, Sword Silver Metallic and a Candy Glory Red, both of which now feature gold wheels mounted on to one of the most refined sport touring packages available for commuters on the market today.

The Honda VFR800 motorcycle boasts a lightweight, rigid twin-spar aluminium frame, single-sided Pro-Arm swingarm and HMAS cartridge type front fork, coupled with the standard sporty and responsive handling, this make the Honda VFR800 motorcycle a pure joy for long distance riding.

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For all superbike enthusiasts the wait has come to an end, Suzuki’s new 2009 GSX-R1000 is now available in Australia.

Suzuki’s has taken the flagship model to yet another level, the 2009 GSX-R1000 motorcycle has been completely redesigned from scratch, this is the first full redesign of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle since its inception in 2001.

The 2009 GSX-R1000 motorcycle features susbstantial upgrades which include a completely redesigned engine and chassis, not to mention the major suspension, bodywork  and brake development, coupled with a new 999cc, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC engine, that features the Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve (SDTV) fuel-injection system, which  is lighter and shorter thus delivering improved performance and throttle response throughout the entire rev range, while also reducing emissions.

Thie motorcycle was developed on the racetrack, thus it is fitted with two large-volume, MotoGP-inspired titanium mufflers and a large and efficient trapezoidal-shaped radiator to reduce drag.

Wtih the new 2009 layout, ratios in the six-speed transmission have been carefully selected for optimum racetrack performance, while the Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle is also fitted with a revised back-torque-limiting clutch offering improved feedback and lever feel.

Suzuki's compact engine enabled the engineers to create an all-new, more compact chassis, with a new twin-spar cradle frame, 10mm-shorter wheelbase and 33mm-longer swingarm, improving acceleration and handling on the racetrack.

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Motorcyclists and enthusiasts from around Australia and the globe have dug deep to help out the victims of the Victorian Bushfire tragedy, raising $25,000 in the Suzuki Victorian Bushfire Charity Auction.

The net proceeds from the Victorian Bushfire Auction that featured a extensive range of motorcycle memorabilia and exclusive experiences, will be donated to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

With in excess of over 230 bids, the auction concluded on Sunday night, with successful bidders coming from across the globe Australia, Japan, United States of America, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

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