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Aprilia: Racing 2020 bikes next year "not madness"Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola says the idea of MotoGP following in Formula 1’s footsteps and racing with current machinery next year to save costs is “not madness”. The 2020 MotoGP campaign is on indefinite hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the opening eight races either cancelled or postponed, with the Mugello and Barcelona rounds the latest to be delayed until later in the year. This lack of racing has left teams facing financial problems, with promoter Dorna Sports last week announcing a €9m financial aid package for all independent MotoGP teams – as well as KTM – and the 31 Moto2 and Moto3 squads to be rolled out over the next three months. Ex-Ferrari F1 sporting director Rivola praised F1’s decision to delay its 2021 rules package by a year in a bid to cut down on costs amid the current uncertain climate, and thinks MotoGP should look at similar measures. He also mooted the idea of the MotoGP class scaling back ..

What's behind Aston Martin's share price wobbles, Wolff linksThe confirmation of Lawrence Stroll's massive £536 million fundraising effort into Aston Martin last week was supposed to be a momentous occasion in helping the British sportscar manufacturer look towards a brighter and better future. With Stroll's Yew Tree consortium bringing with it some financial muscle, including an injection of £260m of new capital, and shareholders approving a plan for Aston Martin's F1 works team, this should have been a win-win for everybody involved. But in these unprecedented times of a global pandemic putting untold pressure on businesses, even those eye-watering cash figures were not enough to lift the gloom. Against the backdrop of the company warning that, even with Stroll's input as its future executive chairman, it did not have the capital to survive the next 12 months unless it changed path and found even more cash, the stock market gave its verdict on what it ..

Coronavirus: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar donates 900 pairs of safety goggles to alma mater UCLAKareem is giving his famous equipment to those who need it most Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made facial protection famous during his long playing career. After scratching his left cornea during a collegiate game, be began wearing protective goggles on the court as a precautionary measure. But now, as the coronavirus has made facial protection a necessity worldwide, Abdul-Jabbar is working to help get it to those who need it most. The NBA legend is donating 900 pairs of safety goggles to UCLA health, as first reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin. Abdul-Jabbar, then named Lew Alcindor, played for UCLA from 1966-69 and is widely considered to be among the greatest basketball players in NCAA history, winning three national championships for the Bruins in his three seasons on the varsity squad. He has since become a renowned writer and philanthropist, pledging to use his platform to help provide the medical ..

UFC 249 odds, predictions: MMA insider reveals picks for Gaethje vs. Ferguson, Andrade vs Namajunas 2 Tony Ferguson has gone over six years since tasting defeat. The veteran ground expert hopes that trend continues as he seeks his 13th consecutive victory when he takes on Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title on April 18. The fight is the main event of UFC 249. The UFC 249 fight card from a location yet to be disclosed is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET. Ferguson (26-3), ranked No. 1 in the lightweight division, held the interim title less than three years ago and will be fighting for the first time since June. Ferguson originally was scheduled to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov for the crown, but the current lightweight champion was replaced due to travel issues created by the coronavirus pandemic. Gaethje (21-2) will have less than two weeks to prepare for his seventh career title fight and first in the UFC. Ferguson is a -175 favorite (risk $175 to win $100), while Gaeth..

UFC 249 fight card, location rumors, date: Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje set for interim lightweight titleWith Khabib Nurmagomedov forced to pull out, Ferguson will now be taking on the surging Gaethje As fate would have it, the fifth time was not the charm. Once again, the UFC's attempt to book a fight featuring lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and top contender Tony Ferguson fell apart, this time as the result of the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. Even still, UFC president Dana White insisted the event would proceed, however, and the full card was quickly revealed on Monday, April 6 In the main event, Ferguson will still get a shot at lightweight gold, taking on another highly-ranked contender in Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. While Ferguson was already in the process of training for his fight with Nurmagomedov, Gaethje is taking the short-notice fight after the champion Nurmagomedov returned to his home country of Russia as the UFC had not ..

MLB players react to reports of all teams potentially starting regular season play in Arizona Major League Baseball made headlines Tuesday after reports circulated that professional baseball could potentially continue in Arizona quite soon. The catch? Teams would be sequestered, there'd be no fans and games would get played multiple times a day on minor league fields outside in the brutal Arizona heat throughout the dog days of summer. Understandably, some of the game's biggest names were asked about, and commented on, this potentially huge move that would bring live sports back by the middle of May. Here is what some of them had to say. Chris Sale, for example, seemed not too fond of the plan given the distance it would put between himself and his family. It's also worth noting that the implication of such a plan is that there'd probably be limited contact with people outside of this quarantined sports league. Chris Sale on AZ plan: "I don't know if I cou..

Coronavirus: NBPA tells agents it doesn't expect big drop from $115M salary cap projection, per reportBRI is going to drop, but it seems as though the NBA and its players will work to preserve the salary cap The NBA is losing more and more money each day that passes without basketball games being played. Considering how closely tied the league's salary structure is to the revenue that it brings in, that should, in theory, be catastrophic to the mechanisms that facilitate roster construction. Specifically, the salary cap, which typically amounts to a little more than 43 percent of the league's basketball-related income, should plummet if that income plummets. But in a call with agents on Tuesday, the NBPA revealed that it does not expect a drastic reduction in the 2020-21 cap, according to SNY's Ian Begley. That does not mean that BRI will not drop, but according to Begley, next year's cap "is expected to be calculated fairly" rather than being based specific..

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert proposes three more rounds for 2020 NFL Draft, per reportColbert's proposal is in response to the challenges NFL teams are facing due to the coronavirus pandemic The NFL's general manager subcommittee unanimously recommended to commissioner Roger Goodell to push back the start of the draft, ESPN's Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini reported late last month. Goodell ultimately decided against postponing the draft, which will begin on April 23. NFL general managers wanted more time to evaluate this year's prospects after pro days, individual workouts, and in-person visits were wiped away due to the COIVD-19 pandemic. During a conference call, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, one of the NFL's longest-tenured general managers, told league officials that teams should be awarded three extra draft picks due to the "inherent challenges posed by the coronavirus restrictions," according to the New York Daily News. Colbert suggested the i..