"Last year I was sorry that after so many successful years, some people thought Valentino was finished and Casey was the new Valentino," says Valentino Rossi, "until I stop riding a bike, my objective will always be to win, I like this life"

Valentino Rossi rode a perfect race to win Yamaha’s home Grand Prix in Japan earlier today, claiming the 2008 MotoGP World Championship title in the process; and in doing so the 29-year-old Italian collecting his eighth world title

Jorge Lorenzo was on superb form at Motegi today and took an impressive pole position while Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi, who will be bidding to seal his eighth World Championship crown, will start from fourth

Valentino Rossi made a solid start to his Japanese Grand Prix weekend by riding his Fiat Yamaha M1 to third place on the opening day of action at Motegi; however team mate Lorenzo suffered during the afternoon session

The farings of Jorge Lorenzo's Yamaha bike in Motegi this weekend will sport effigies of Lupin III, the famous 'gentleman thief' from the Japanese cartoon series and comes ahead of a themed limited-edition version of the Fiat 500

Valentino Rossi gets his first opportunity to wrap up the 2008 MotoGP World Championship this weekend at Motegi; the record-breaking 29-year-old arrives at the Grand Prix of Japan with an 87-point lead over Casey Stoner

Aprilia has officially present the RSV4, the stunning new bike with which Aprilia will return to the Superbike World Championship in 2009, alongside the realisation of a road-going version that is packed with GP derived technology

Ducati has announced that Nicky Hayden will join its MotoGP team for 2009; he 27-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky, will line up alongside Casey Stoner and will make his debut on the Desmosedici GP9 in a test next month

Valentino Rossi wrote another chapter in his ever-expanding history book at Indianapolis yesterday, the Italian claiming his 69th premier-class win and becoming the most successful rider in premier-class history in the process

Valentino Rossi took a historic pole position yesterday for the Fiat Yamaha Team at the inaugural MotoGP race at Indianapolis; today will see him become the first rider in 99 years to head a motorcycle race at the famous ‘Brickyard’

The historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway had its first taste of MotoGP action as the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix got underway, but it was a rain-hit debut for the sport and the Fiat Yamaha Team at this most famous of racetracks

Donington Park reverberated to the scream of Ferrari engines this week the brand new breed of Prancing Horse-powered A1GP single-seater machines took part in their first test in the hands of the teams that will campaign them

Presented in bare aluminium and showing all the dents and repairs of a long and tough competitive life on the circuits, the Maserati 200Si prototype sports car racer stood out from the crowd at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Photo Gallery: 58th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - 1955 Maserati 200Si

The MotoGP World Championship heads to Indianapolis for the first time in its history, fittingly with the equal most successful rider of all-time leading the groundbreaking pilgrimage to one of motorsport’s most iconic venues

Owner and skipper Neville Crichton's Supermaxi Alfa Romeo won four Line Honours bringing her total tally to 139, but this still wasn't enough for her to top the rankings in the Racing Division of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

One of the crowd-pullers at the recent Concours d'Elegance Pebble Beach was also one of the biggest exhibits: the Fiat Series #306/2 Bartoletti Grand Prix Transporter which boasts a history just as fabulous as its exciting styling

Photo Gallery: 58th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - 1956 Fiat Series #306/2 Bartoletti Grand Prix Transporter

The Fiat Group was among those participating in The Human Race, a 10 km race involving over one million people in 25 cities around the world on August 31st, united in the spirit of sport and solidarity which was organized by Nike

Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team is entering a double challenge at the 40-yacht-strong Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo from 2 to 6 September: Super maxi Alfa Romeo 2 will be joined by brand-new mini maxi Alfa Romeo 3

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi reached another career milestone today by matching the all-time premier-class win record; his 68th premier-class victory brings him level with his great countryman Giacomo Agostini

Valentino Rossi put his Fiat Yamaha M1 on the front row of the MotoGP grid for the eighth time this season today, qualifying second behind Casey Stoner for his home Grand Prix at Misano with team mate Jorge Lorenzo alongside

Valentino Rossi made a strong start to his second home race of the season today, finishing second on the opening day of action at the Misano circuit which is just 15km north of the Fiat Yamaha rider’s home town of Tavullia

The the MotoGP championship-leading Fiat Yamaha Team contest their second ‘home’ race of the season this weekend, with the San Marino Grand Prix taking place on Italian soil at the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast

The new A1GP Powered by Ferrari cars were in testing action again over three days last week, this time at Silverstone with testing including trying out the 600 bhp 8-cyl engine's additional horsepower generating PowerBoost system

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi moved two races clear at the top of the championship with his fifth win of the season today, enjoying an easy ride home after his closest rival Casey Stoner crashed out on lap seven

Fiat Yamaha team rider Valentino Rossi qualified second in Brno today, despite a soaking wet day at the Czech track as the MotoGP rain curse struck once again, handing the Italian his seventh front-row start of the season

The MotoGP paddock returned to action at Brno in the Czech Republic today, the first in a final run of seven races across four continents and straight from winning at Laguna Seca, Rossi finished the day a close second to Stoner

Video: Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team - Giraglia Rolex Cup 2008 (IV)

Video: Alfa Romeo Yacht Racing Team - Giraglia Rolex Cup 2008 (III)

The Fiat Yamaha Team resume their pursuit of the MotoGP World Championship title this weekend after a four-week summer holiday, with Valentino Rossi leading the series into what promises to be a thrilling seven-race climax