The renewal means that bike fans in the UK and Ireland can continue to enjoy the digital broadcaster’s live coverage of the practice and qualifying sessions from every Grand Prix weekend and the Moto2 & Moto3 races live. The main MotoGP race will be broadcast on a same-day delayed basis with popular commentary duo Toby Moody and Julian Ryder on hand to guide viewers through all the thrills and spills.

The agreement reinforces British Eurosport’s position as the Home of Motorbikes, providing exclusive live coverage from every round of the Superbike World Championship and MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in addition to extensive MotoGP action.

Cyril Despres Wins Dakar Rally 2012

The Dakar Rally is an infamously wild and exciting race and this year the Dakar Rally 2012 has been as exasperating and exciting as ever before. It is an unprecedented fixture and renowned spectacle in the motor sport calendar. This year the event is 33 years old and for the fourth year running was held in South America.

The Dakar Rally is as much about endurance as it is skill as the riders race from coast to coast over the South American continent through deserts and across mountains as they head from Argentina across the Andes to Chile and Peru.

As the race comes to a climax it has been great to follow some of the leading riders in through their personal blogs.  The likes of the Giniel De Villiers, Marc Coma and Cyril Despres have all been a great read along the way. The Frenchman Cyril Despres first began riding Enduro in 1998 and in 2000 entered his first Dakar Rally.

This year’s Dakar Rally come to a close as the race completed its 14th and final stage from Pisco to Lima, and with it Cyril Despres won his fourth Dakar crown by winning the Dakar Rally 2012.  He finished ahead of fellow Red Bull riders Marc Coma and Helder Rodrigues in second and third, respectively.

Previously Depres has won the Dakar Rally on in 2005, 2007 and 2010; and came second in 2003 and 2009.

The race got off to a bad start when Alvaro Bautista clipped Andrea Dovizioso’s back wheel on the first corner.  The collision also took out Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden and Randy De Puniet.  Fortunately, no one was injured.

The Valencia Grand Prix was Casey Stoner’s 10th victory of the season.

All riders paid tribute to the Italian Marco Simoncelli who was killed in the previous meeting, the Malaysian MotoGP.

Valencia MotoGP – The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana – Round 18

1 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 48mins 18.645secs
2 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 48:18.660
3 Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Honda 48:24.581

MotoGP 2011 Driver Championship Standings

1 Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda 350 points
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 260
3 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 228
4 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 219
5 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 176
6 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati 139
6 Marco Simoncelli (Italy) Honda 139
8 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 132
9 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 109
10 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Honda 98

“To wrap it all up at my home race and on my birthday is perfect.” Stoner told reporters after the race. Italian riders Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso were second and third, respectively.

Stoner only had to finish in the top six to win the championship after the 2010 MotoGP champion rider Jorge Lorenzo missed the race after crashing out in the morning warm-up session that left him being rushed to hospital with a hand.

24 year-old Jorge Lorenzo, was concerned that the crash may have left him with a permanent disability.  He underwent plastic surgery on his left hand and will miss next weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP.

“After the crash I was very worried that I would not have full feeling in my finger again,” Lorenzo told reporters.

Casey Stoner wins his first MotoGP championship for Honda Repsol.  His previous victory was in 2007 riding for Ducati.

MotoGP Round 16, Phillip Island Australia Grand Prix

1 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 42mins 02.425secs
2 Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 42:04.635
3 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 42:04.879
4 Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 42:15.585
5 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 42:33.311
6 Randy De Puniet (Fra) Ducati 42:51.225
7 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 43:18.739
8 Toni Elias (Spa) Honda 42:05.177
9 Loris Capirossi (Ita) Ducati 42:09.187
10 Karel Abraham (Cze) Ducati 42:45.142

In a post-race interview Stoner said he hit a bump in the track which had 70% of its surface relayed after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster back in April, following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The current world champion, Jorge Lorenzo claimed second place.  Lorenzo is now 40 points behind Casey Stoner with just three races to go.

Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Japanese MotoGP race results

1) Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Repsol Honda 42′47.481
2) Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 42′54.780
3) Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda 43′05.861
4) Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Gresini Honda 43′11.031
5) Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Repsol Honda 43′11.172
6) Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 43′25.085
7) Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 43′26.648
Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 43′32.504
9) Hiroshi Aoyama (Jpn) Gresini Honda 43′36.555
10) Randy De Puniet (Fra) Pramac Ducati 43′46.503

MotoGP World Championship 2011

1) Casey Stoner (300 points)
2) Jorge Lorenzo (260 points)
3) Andrea Dovizioso (196 points)
4) Dani Pedrosa  (195 points)
5) Ben Spies (156 points)
6) Valentino Rossi (139 points)

Casey Stoner had a great race passing Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo to win in California at the weekend. He took the lead on lap 26 as he passed Lorenzo. The 2007 world champion held on his fifth win of the season with Lorenzo second and Pedrosa claiming third.

The 25-year-old currently leads the MotoGP Championship by 20 points from the current champion Jorge Lorenzo with eight races still to come.

The American Ben Spies could only manage fourth place in front of his home crowd with fellow Americans  Nicky Hayden & Colin Edwards finishing 7th & 8th respectively.  Valentino Rossi had a very close call as he almost lost control coming out of the last corner on the second lap, while Brtish rider Cal Crutchlow was unhurt after he crashed out of the race on lap four.

Other riders to retire included Alvaro Bautista who crashed before half way, and Gresini Honda rider Marco Simoncelli who slid off his bike, making it 4 retirements from 10 races this season

Casey Stoner told reporters after the race:

“I was making time up on the brakes but slowly the bike got better and better and when everyone was struggling with grip I made a move.

Stoner continued to say:

“With a few laps to go I put the hammer down and it is a great weekend to come through and win.”

United States MotoGP results:

1. Casey Stoner (Australia) Repsol Honda 43′52.145
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 43′57.779
3. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Repsol Honda 44′01.612
4. Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 44′12.707
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Repsol Honda 44′13.030
6. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati 44′22.496
7. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 44′23.176
8. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha 44′37.647
9. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aspar Ducati 44′43.694
10. Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Gresini Honda 45′00.995

MotoGP 2011 Championship:

1. Casey Stoner (Aus) Repsol Honda 193 points
2. Jorge Lorenzo (Spn) Yamaha 173
3. Andrea Dovizioso (It) Repsol Honda 143
4. Dani Pedrosa (Spn) Repsol Honda 110
5. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 108

The current championship leader, Repsol Honda rider Casey Stoner finished in second place and extends his lead to 28 points at the top of the MotoGP 2011 Championship.

Repsol Honda Team’s Andrea Dovizioso took third place, while Yamaha Factory rider Jorge Lorenzo managed to claw his way back through the field to finish in fourth place, ahead of Ducati’s seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi.

British rider Cal Crutchlow was passed fit to race after fracturing his left collarbone in five places no less than two weeks ago in the qualifying for the British MotoGP at Silverstone.

With his Assen Dutch MotoGP victory, Ben Spies’ becomes the first former World Superbike rider to win a MotoGP race since Troy Bayliss in 2006.

Round 7: Dutch MotoGP
1 Ben Spies (US) Yamaha 41min 44.659 secs
2 Casey Stoner (Aus) Honda 41:52.356
3 Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Honda 42:12.165
4. Valentino Rossi (Ita) Ducati 42:15.343
5. Nicky Hayden (US) Ducati 42:27.831
6. Jorge Lorenzo (Sp) Yamaha 42:29.195
7. Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha 42:52.771
8. Hiroshi Aoyama (Jpn) Honda 42:55.412
9. Marco Simoncelli (Ita) Honda 43:09.584
10. Toni Elias (Sp) Honda 43:10.875

After seven rounds, Ben Spies victory lifts him to joint sixth position with Ducati’s Nicky Hayden in the MotoGP 2011 Championship.

MotoGP 2011 Championship
1   Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda Team) 136
2   Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) 108
3   Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda Team) 99
4   Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team) 81
5   Nicky Hayden (Ducati Marlboro Team) 71
6   Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) 61
=   Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing) 61
8   Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 51
9   Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) 46
10 Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini) 39

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Stoner started in pole position on the grid after being the fastest rider in all qualifying sessions, setting a new Silverstone lap record in the process.  Apart from an intentional slow pull away and first couple of laps while he accustomed himself to the treacherous spray and judged the track for potential hazards, he lead the race, finishing with an amazing 15 second lead over Repsol Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso.

Race contenders Marco Simocelli, Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies lost control of their bikes, while Valentino Rossi, who started in 13th position could only finish 6th as he continues his struggle to tame his Ducati.

Casey Stoner is the first Honda rider to win three consecutive MotoGP races since Valentino Rossi in 2003.  That victory was Stoner’s fourth of the season in his 150th GP start.  He now leads the 2011 MotoGP as the teams and their riders head to the Dutch TT on Saturday 25th June at the Amsterdam Assein Circuit for Round 7 of this season’s championship.

The only British rider, Cal Crutchlow missed the chance the impress in front of a packed crowd of over 78,000 when he crashed out in qualifying on Saturday and broke his collarbone.

British MotoGP Result:

1 Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda 47:53.459
2 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 48:08.618
3 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 48:14.939
4 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 48:20.443
5 Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Suzuki 48:29.028
6 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati 48:57.985

MotoGP 2011 Championship:

1 Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda 116.0 points
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Yamaha 98.0
3 Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 83.0
4 Valentino Rossi (Italy) Ducati 68.0
5 Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 61.0
6 Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati 60.0
7 Hiroshi Aoyama (Japan) Honda 43.0
8 Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 37.0
9 Ben Spies (USA) Yamaha 36.0
10 Karel Abraham (Czech) Ducati 33.0

Honda is involved at the very highest level of all motor sports with sponsorship deals and advertising that has made the Japanese company one of the most recognised brands in the world; and the leading motor company has recently announced it will be continuing its television sponsorship of Channel 4 documentaries during 2011.

This year Honda are using a series of new mini-documentaries each using a true-life Honda owner who put their Honda vehicles to more obscure uses.  The first of four films sees an Oxfordshire alpaca farmer named Philippa using her trusted Honda ATV to tend to her farm animals.

Each of the short films is like a mini-documentary and were created by Hollie Newton at Wieden + Kennedy and includes a unique website link relating to its story allowing viewers to see extra content online.

Honda will also be using social media with Facebook and Twitter campaigns to accompany the TV sponsorship deal linking to an online hub at www.honda.co.uk/stories  – www.honda.co.uk/stories – where the videos will be available in full along with articles and other interesting stories.

Martin Moll, Head of Marketing at Honda (UK) said, ‘”I am very excited that our continued relationship sponsoring Channel 4 documentaries allows us to focus on our customers, highlighting their warm – sometimes quirky – personal experiences of Honda products either for fun or as a necessary part of their daily livelihood.  We hope that this campaign will unveil further examples from our customers, one of which will be nominated to be brought to life on TV for a final set of idents later on in the year”.

There’s also a competition in the ‘Take Part’ section of the website, where Honda owners can upload their own stories and photographs, explaining the unusual ways in which they use their own Honda products.  This doesn’t have to be a car!

Wieden + Kennedy, the company behind the films, will select their favourite story and make it into the final mini-documentary to be shown later in the year as part of the Channel 4 campaign.

Honda will continue to use the strapline ‘Documentaries on 4, sponsored by Honda’ throughout 2011 for these new films, which were first aired last week during the Cutting Edge documentary, ‘Bums, Boobs and Botox’.

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Dani Pedrosa crashed after his bike came into contact with Marco Simoncelli’s back wheel while the two riders were vying for second place at Le Mans.  The race was won by Australian Casey Stoner.

A spokesperson from Honda Repsol told reporters, that Pedrosa will decide whether to undergo surgery or let the bone heal naturally.

Dani Pedrosa is currently third behind Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo and Honda’s Casey Stoner after four races of the Moto GP 2011 season.