Reading this on December 11th? Just opened the daily window on the advent calendar and pulled out a hazelnut triangle? Put that back in its pocket, seal the window back up and wait for another week, because there's been a schedule change at the last minute.

Imagine that feeling, but on a larger, more stressful scale. That's life as of late for the organisers of the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring. The 2013 race looks set for a second change of date, reverting to the originally planned July 14th weekend via a brief rescheduling for the 7th of the same month. And it's all to do with the whim

Paul Bird MotoGP rider James Ellison in action at the British MotoGP

When the 2013 provisional MotoGP entry list was announced last week, some hint was given about plans for the British-based Paul Bird Motorsport CRT team.

As much as James Ellison was being optimistic about his chances of staying with the team, he had been wished well in his future endeavours before the last race of 2012 and was disappointed to be ditched so soon into the project. Bird appears to have recruited riders Michael Laverty and Yonny Hernandez to his MotoGP squad, pending an official announcement from the team.

You have to feel sorry for any rider ditched by a CRT team in the

Valentino Rossi may be shot of Ducati, but the repercussions of his nightmare two seasons on the big red bike continue to be felt inside the factory. Last week, what had been rumoured in the run-up to Valencia was confirmed in a matter-of-fact way by a Ducati press release: There's going to be a big shake-up at Borgo Panigale.

Normally when there's a Bolognese shake-up, things get messy — ask anyone who has tried to take an Italian packed lunch to work - and this is no exception. Whilst the vacated positions have been filled and the hierarchy reshuffled, one can't help but feel that the same

It's not often that the words 'Marc Marquez' and 'slow down' are used in close proximity to one another, but perhaps this week one would do well to place them in the same sentence.

Not that the rider himself should be hitting the brakes, of course, but rather the reaction to his testing performance has seen people get ever-so-slightly ahead of themselves.

It was to be expected, bearing in mind the dominance that the Spaniard has displayed in the Moto2 class over the past two years.

Marquez may have had an advantage in terms of being able to test this season's engine before anyone else, but he

In a year in which rain has been a constant feature of Grand Prix weekends, it was almost fitting that the opening day of MotoGP testing for 2013 should be such a washout.

Tired after three days of riding plus a party, there weren't many riders cursing their luck for not being able to put in 60+ laps, and the attitude of resignation was the most prevalent.

The track opens at 10am, it's invariably too cold to get any meaningful data, and there is more of a chance of seeing November rain than at a Guns n' Roses concert in 1992.

"Weather is s**t, imagine that" said Colin Edwards, who has seen

By the time you read this, the countdown will be almost over. The 2012 season, a nightmare and a career all come to an end this week at Valencia. If nothing else, it will be a day to go down in history as the end of an era; the grand finale.

On July 6th, 2001, Casey Stoner began his first Grand Prix event. 4146 days, 115 races and later, he will end his last. Needless to say, a lot has changed since the 2001 125cc British Grand Prix that he entered as a wild card and, love him or hate him, it is an undeniable shame to see the man who became perhaps the fastest racer on two wheels head off into

There is no arguing with Jorge Lorenzo's record in 2012. Barring that one crash at Assen, for which he can be absolved of any blame, his results would have been title form in any season.

Ok, he had won more races by the midway point of 2010 than he has all year this time around, but there have been no drastic drops in results from the newly crowned MotoGP World Champion and this has been a much smoother ride.

You'll be aware of the stats by now. Lorenzo has not finished lower than second place all year, even when others have taken the spotlight.

The Honda RC213V was talked up as the superior

We've become used to runaway victories in Grand Prix racing, but this past weekend we had a challenger running away when still in with a chance of the title. Maverick Viñales' decision to ditch his team and return to Spain was one of the most curious incidents of the entire season, and seems even more bizarre the more you think about it.

You know the story by now: On the eve of the opening practice session of the weekend, the 17 year-old decides that his team is 'second division,' that continuing with them for next year is not the right move and that he must leave with immediate effect. As