MotoGP: 2011 season review DVD

The official MotoGP, Moto2 and 125cc Season Review DVD follows motorcycle racing's premiere classes through the 18 venues of an eventful 2011 season

As the last season of the 800cc era, the 2011 MotoGP season is one any fan of the two-wheeled sport deserves to have in his collection. The MotoGP 2011 Season Review twin DVD set comprehensively tracks practice, qualifying and race highlights from each round of the MotoGP calendar, offering a summary of each round for a well paced and enjoyable look back at the year that was.

Kicking off with Australian rider Casey Stoner's Repsol Honda debut under lights in Qatar, we track Toni Elias’ eventful return to the premiere class before heading to a wet Jerez in the south of Spain for the controversial round two altercation between Stoner and Valentino Rossi that would receive much attention throughout the remainder of the season.

The devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan in March saw MotoGP skip to Estoril, Portugal for round three where, in the words of Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Simoncelli's aggressive riding style saw him crash out in dramatic style early in the race. Lorenzo lead the championship as the iconic Le Mans round claimed his bike in a fiery crash during practise, the same session that saw Stoner fined 5000 Euro for punching Randy dePuniet in the arm. Simoncelli received a ride-through penalty for taking out Dani Pedrosa later in the race -- a move that would see race winner Casey Stoner slip to second place on the championship leader board.

The fifth round in Catalunya saw a return to Spain where Colin Edwards broke a collar bone in practice crash. Meanwhile, Elias was inducted into the circuit's own Hall of Fame before Stoner again took first place on the podium alongside Lorenzo and Ben Spies. Staying in Europe, round six headed to Silverstone Circuit where a cold, wet British Grand Prix claimed Spies, Lorenzo and Simoncelli in separate incidents.

Stoner moved to the top of the championship tally for round seven at the historic Assen TT circuit where Simoncelli took pole before taking out his fiercest critic, Lorenzo on the opening lap. Both riders rejoined the race which would eventually be won by American rider Ben Spies.

The Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit north of Florence, Italy played host to round eight of the 2011 MotoGP season where Rossi's crazy ‘eye’ helmet stole the show from a hard fought victory by Lorenzo against Andrea Dovizioso. Round nine, the half-way point of the season, took 17 riders to Germany's go-kart-tight Sachsenring Circuit where French rider Sylvain Guintoli retuned to replace an injured Loris Capirossi. Stoner dominated much of the race to be beater by Pedrosa in the closing laps.

Heading across the pond to Laguna Seca (USA) for a MotoGP-only round (Moto2 and 125cc classes skipping a round) we see Lorenzo's launch control system eject him from the bike mid-practice, but not before taking pole position. A dramatic high-speed slide from Crutchlow saw him crash out only minutes before Simoncelli took a similar exit. Alvaro Bautista was also to crash out mid-race as Lorenzo and Stoner battled for first place. Lorenzo succumbed to the straight-line speed of the Honda, coming second to the Australian and slipping further from the pointy end of the championship board.

New tyre rules were introduced for the Czech round of the MotoGP in Brno where more than 150,000 fans would see Pedrosa start on pole. Several riders would lead the 11th round, only to be beaten by the seemingly unstoppable #27 Honda of Stoner.

Back to the States again for round 12 and Indianapolis's legendary motor speedway saw Stoner take pole in an uneasy qualifying session. The new surface at the famed US track played havoc with riders as they tip-toed their way through a warm race, eventually won by championship leader, Stoner.

Racking up even more frequent flyer miles, the riders returned to Italy for round 13 at San Marino. Capirossi announced his retirement after 22 years in the sport. Simoncelli fought dramatically in the races closing stages but couldn't close the gap to catch race winner, Jorge Lorenzo.

Spain's new Motorland circuit in Aragon -- which replaced the Hungarian round last year -- hosted round 14, which again claimed Karel Abraham in its opening laps. Cooler conditions saw riders struggle for grip on the slick track with Dovizioso also crashing out early. Spies and Simoncelli fought hard for fourth place for much of the race but not before Elias and Capirossi came together with six laps to go. Stoner won the round to extend his place on the leaderboard to 44 points.

With four rounds to go, the MotoGP headed to Motegi, Japan. Stoner vocally expressed concerns of radiation poisoning ahead of the round after his recent announcement that he was to soon father a child to wife Adriana. Meanwhile, another Australian rider, Damian Cudlin, made is MotoGP debut.

Rossi crashed out with 24 laps to go while Stoner pulled away from the pack, only to run off with 18 laps to go. Elias and Bautista also crashed out of the race while Dovizioso and Simoncelli received ride-through penalties for jumping the starter's gun. Pedrosa took top place on the podium with Lorenzo second and Stoner third.

Leading the championship by 40 points, Stoner again took pole at his home track in Phillip Island. Leading from start to finish Stoner would at one stage enjoy a seven-second lead to win the race -- and the 2011 MotoGP championship -- on his 26th birthday.

Round 17 will sadly be remember for the sickening crash that would claim the life of one of MotoGP's great characters, Simoncelli. After a brief battle with Alvaro Bautista, Simoncelli lost control of the bike, sliding out in front of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi. The race was cancelled with no result, and no championship points. Simoncelli succumbed to his injuries and passed away on October 23. He was 24 years old.

The DVD then takes a break from the coverage to play a short but touching tribute to the Italian rider before he bids his viewers "Ciao. Ciao, ciao".

The Mediterranean city of Valencia plays host to round 18 in a race dedicated to #58, Simoncelli. Kevin Schwantz leads a lap of honour ahead of all riders ahead of the race and a “minute’s noise” requested by Simoncelli's father, Paolo. A big accident on lap one sees three riders taken out. The last race of the 800cc era is won by the same rider to win the first round of the 2011 series and championship winner, Casey Stoner.

Separate special features include an overview of the season and mini-documentary with Stoner, while the second Moto2 and 125cc disc also boasts highlights of the year with championship winners Stefan Bradl and Nico Terol -- the last rider to achieve the title in the 125cc era.

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MotoGP: 2011 season review DVD

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