Check mate in Brno

Back on European soil at Karel Abreham's circuit and home Grand Prix in the Czech Republic.

MotoGP:
On thursday it was announced that Honda rider Casey Stoner will be flying out to Australia after medical specialists confirmed he needed an operation on his ankle. He posted photo's of his injury to his Twitter account shortly after the Indy GP and how he managed to ride a 1000cc bike in his state i do not know - it's true MotoGP rider's are machine's. With all the intentions of riding this weekend Stoner now faces being out for a lengthy amount of time, he says he hopes to be fit and ready for the penultimate race at Philip Island, Australia (28th october) which will be his last home GP before his retirement at the end of this season.
As well as Stoner not being able to race at Brno, Ducati rider Nicky Hayden was also absent from the weekend. He stayed back in the US to recover from his hand injury as advised.
*Neither were replaced by test riders, however Jonathan Rea will be testing the Honda on Monday and is set to replace the Australian until he returns.

Jorge Lorenzo started from pole and had an impressive start, with the pocket rocket Dani Pedrosa on his exhaust. Both Tech 3 riders, Ben Spies and Valentino Rossi all got off to a good start too, battling for 3rd and 4th.
The black cloud loomed over Ben Spies once again, this time he faced clutch problems off the line and after momentarily battling for 3rd he rapidly dropped down the field in to 13th where he remained till he took a tumble in the gravel, another retirement for the Texan.
Who said MotoGP was always boring?! Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa gave us some antagonising action for 1st place, countlessly changing the lead right to the end. Pedrosa definitely gave his team a taste of what he hopes next year will be like! Pedrosa took it down to the wire and won the race ahead of Lorenzo.
Away from the front two Cal Crutchlow had a lonely race in 3rd, where he finished the race on his Tech 3 Yamaha - he made history and became the first driver to step on the podium in 12 years!! Let's hope there's many more podium celebrations to come!
Rookie Stefan Bradl had his best MotoGP race of the year finishing in 5th after battling with Alvaro Bautista and Valentino for much of the race, hard to believe it's only his first season in the the premier class. Rossi finished the race in 7th after a blowout of oil in the early stages of the race meant he had no boot grip, he also dropped off the pace after tyre issues hampered his race.
Home rider Karel Abraham finished in 9th.

[1st-Dani Pedrosa, 2nd- Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd-Cal Crutchlow]

Next Up:

After back to back races MotoGP now has 3 weeks to recover from two eventful GP's. 

The next race will be a tough one as we head to San Marino otherwise known as Misano World Circuit  Marco Simoncelli, renamed in memory of Super Sic who lived a few miles away. The GP will be held from 14th-16th September.

The Doctor's back baby.

'Bye bye baby' was the slogan on every Yamaha team members t-shirts in Valencia 2010 when Valentino Rossi's 7 year love affair with Yamaha came to an end.
However, after a roller coaster two season spent at Ducati 'The Doctor' is returning back to the team he won several of his championships at: Yamaha. He's signed a two year contract with the team.

I'm not sure whether the move back to the blue and white machine is the best move but i really hope for Vale and MotoGP as a whole that it's a rewarding one.
Don't get me wrong i'd love nothing better than to see Valentino win (which i'm sure he will) and possibly bag another championship but he returns to the team where after he left Jorge Lorenzo settled in to and made his own to an extent, there's no denying he's their number 1 rider, up till now at least.
Even though Rossi's results at Ducati have been far from competitive, i was hoping it'd pick up, that some time soon he'd be back up the front winning races, i think it's even been evident in the few races that the Duc has been slowly improving. I guess we'll never know now.

With the greatest current MotoGP rider heading back to a competitive team, maybe 2013 is looking a little more promising for excitement, with Casey Stoner leaving the sport it's fair to say a lot of people thought it would be an easy championship for Jorge Lorenzo but now with Valentino Rossi, along with Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez maybe it won't be one long parade, i hope they all have a lot of exciting, close racing battles at the top!

Good luck and welcome back to Yamaha Vale.

Low down's i've missed: MotoGP

With the summer break now underway in both Formula 1 and MotoGP i missed a few low down's in both series.

Assen TT:

[1st-Casey Stoner, 2nd-Dani Pedrosa, 3rd-Andrea Dovizioso]

German GP - Sachsenring:

[1st- Dani Pedrosa, 2nd- Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd- Andrea Dovizioso]

Italian GP - Mugello:

[1st- Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd- Dani Pedrosa, 3rd- Andrea Dovizioso]

US GP - Laguna Seca:

[1st- Casey Stoner, 2nd- Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd- Dani Pedrosa]

News Update:

Since Casey Stoner's announcement that he'll be retiring at the end of the season speculation as to who'll take his place and where other drivers will be staying or going has been all the talk. 

Well, a few weeks ago the MotoGP Rookie rule was dropped and within days it was confirmed that Moto2 rider Marc Marquez will be taking over Stoner's ride, with teammate Dani Pedrosa staying on at the team too. 

With the rumour mill already going crazy over where exactly Mr.Rossi will be next season, it went in to  over-drive when Nicky Hayden announced he'd signed another contract with Ducati next season, a long with that early last week Yamaha rider Ben Spies took to his Twitter to really ramp up the rumours by telling fans he will not be staying at the team next year, it's in doubt as to whether he'll be staying in MotoGP - where he has had a far from great 2012 season - and moving back to Superbikes. 

As of yet, no 2nd rider at Yamaha has been confirmed so the waiting game commences as to what Valentino will be doing next season.

Is it really a smart move for him to go back to a team that is now dominated by Jorge Lorenzo?! 

Next Up:

The next race is at the Brickyard - Indianapolis in just over two weeks time before it heads back to Europe and the fly away's to wrap up the 2012 season. 

British MotoGP

It's that time of the year again, yep umbrella's, wellies and winter coats aka the glorious British Summertime!

Silverstone was the next stop off on the MotoGP calendar. It kicked up some blustery conditions on Friday practise's with it ulternating between rain and sun throughout the first half of the weekend, by the time race day came around it was dry conditions. 

Moto3:

Moto3 was the last race of the day at Silverstone, and it did not disappoint. Throughout the race there was an intense top 10 battle, swapping and changing the order so much that any of the riders could have finished on the podium.
Jack Miller and Alex Rins were early crashes, both sustaining hefty injuries and a few broken bones.
Towards the closing laps of the race it was Maverick Vinales who pulled out a lead from the rest of the pack however Louis Salom and Sandro Cortese weren't too far behind. In a nerve wracking last lap Cortese took 2nd from Salom though the Spanish rider put in a fierce lap, Salom pipped Cortese to the finish line and took 2nd position.Vinales crossed the line as the Moto3 winner at Silverstone, his third of the season and an important one at that, he's now taken back the lead from Sandro Cortese in the championship.
It was bitter sweet for the Brits in Moto3, Danny Webb, who was sporting a late great Barry Sheene replica helmet, had to retire in front of his home crowd. Though Brit Danny Kent had a good race battling closer to the front and finished the race in 6th place.

[Sorry for the quality, or lack of. 1st-Maverick Vinales, 2nd-Louis Salom, 3rd-Sandro Cortese]

Moto2:

With controversy off track still going on between Pol Espargaro's team and Marc Marquez's about the previous race in Spain (Pol's team is appealing against the decision to drop Marquez's time penalty) that was going to stop them both racing hard against each other yet again.
They say being at your home Grand Prix, in front of you home crowd, spurs you on to do well for the fans that have come out to support you and for yourself at a track you call you home track. Well, we saw a lot of it this weekend and Scott Redding (along with every other brit rider) put in a great effort. He battled with Marquez for the majority of the race for the battle for 2nd position and at some stages looking like he could go all the way to the win. Bradley Smith also got involved, however later on in the race started to drop off the pace.
There was no stopping Espargaro's fine form this season and he crossed the line on the top spot of the podium. Joining him was Redding who held off Marquez who finished in 3rd.

 [1st-Pol Espargaro, 2nd-Scott Redding, 3rd-Marc Marquez]

MotoGP:

With rain hampering the end of Saturday's qualifying session, MotoGP was  a bit like this year's Formula 1 championship - different pole sitters. Well, it was a first for Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista who bagged himself his first pole at the circuit, a little ray of sunshine to a team that deserves it after such a hard 7 and a half months, at a circuit that was also paying tribute to Marco Simoncelli (former Honda Gresini rider) *See end of post.

Cal Crutchlow was the talking point throughout the weekend, one of a hanfdul British riders but one with the most hope of a podium in the MotoGP class. Last year he was unable to participate in the race after breaking his collarbone previously. His one aim this year was to start the race at Silverstone in front of his home crowd... what does he go and do, crash in practise the day before and dislocate/ break his ankle. Spending the day in hospital unable to qualify, a race start was in doubt. After initially failing the medical tests at the circuit on Sunday morning as well as telling porky pies to the officials Crutchlow was determined to race and so he did, and can i say he did every Brit proud! True sportsmanship for his country. 

The race:
Ben Spies was the early leader in the MotoGP race, closely followed by the likes of casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, pole sitter Alvaro Bautista and Nicky Hayden.
It didn't last long before Casey Stoner was leading the race. After dropping back to 5th Jorge Lorenzo knew he couldn't let the Australian run away with it and soon found his rhythm. Nick Hayden soon started to lose the pace as well as lose places and leaving the door open to many a rider, Lorenzo took fully advantage, he soon passed Alvaro Bautista and was the front setting fast laps to reel Stoner back in.
Meanwhile Cal Crutchlow, who started from the back of the grid had a stormer of a race. It wasn't long before he'd overtaken all of the CRT riders and was battling in the top 10. The honey badger never gave up and ended up finishing the race in 6th!! Well done Cal, you made us all very proud!
After cutting down the gap, Lorenzo found his self in a tassle with Stoner, who he then overtook to take a clear lead. He went on to win the race, both Honda riders Stoner and Pedrosa joined him on the podium. Bautista narrowly missed out on the podium in the closing stages as he Pedrosa started to build a gap.
The top CRT was a familiar face of Aleix Espargaro, it's been a good year for the brothers!

Once again, i can't say it enough of what a great race Crutchlow put in with his injury, and the crowd were right behind him cheering him on, i can imagine a lot of people were cheering at their tv's too, i know i was.

Rider of the race for sure.

[1st-Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd-Casey Stoner, 3rd-Dani Pedrosa]

*This weekend was the release of the official Marco Simoncelli foundation song by UK band The Rainband. Profits of the single go to the foundation set up by Simoncelli's family.
The single is called 'Rise Again' featuring retired MotoGP and Superbike rider James Toseland.
If you're from the UK head to this link http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/rise-again-feat.-james-toseland/id532532309 to download the single from Itunes, it's 79p and for a good cause!!

Next UP:
MotoGP will be back in a few weeks time in Assen, remember race day will be on Saturday.
F1 is back this weekend in Valencia.... let's how it's a lot more exciting than last year.

Catalunya - MotoGP

Firstly, i know i've been slacking on the blog posts lately, sorry about that. This week seems to have just flown by, Catalunya seems like weeks ago not four days, i guess the Queen's Diamond Jubilee has thrown me off a bit - so if you live in Britain or any other commonwealth country (or anywhere else if you're a fan of The Queen) i hope you had a great, enjoyable few days celebration.

Here's the podium's:
Moto3:

[1st-Maverick Vinales, 2nd-Sandro Cortese, 3rd-Miguel Oliveira]

Congrats to all three of them who put in a great effort to get podium positions. 

After sustaining an injury to his wrist, Sandro Cortese finished 2nd in the race. Post race he took a trip to the Doctors it turns out he's got a hefty sprain but should be fit for Silverstone. 

Miguel Oliveira got his first podium after missing out at his home GP, he's the first portuguese rider to do so, so it must feel pretty special.

Moto2:

[1st-Andrea Iannone, 2nd-Thomas Luthi, 3rd-Marc Marquez]

A battle between these three and Pol Espargaro have been featuring a lot so far this season. It's Andrea Iannone's first win of the season and he's joined by reaccuring riders Luthi and Marquez however on the closing laps of the Moto2 race, Marquez and Espargaro were involved in a close battle for the final spot on the podium, a racing incident occurred and Espargaro had a nasty looking crash (rider is ok) however MM got the fall out and was initially handed a 1 minute time penalty - which would have put him at the back of the grid - however it later got revoked because it was just a racing incident. Most fans seemed to agree as well as riders such as Casey Stoner.

MotoGP:

[1st-Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd-Dani Pedrosa, 3rd-Andrea Dovizioso]

The surprise of the race was Casey Stoner, who was unable to keep up with Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa off the line. He dropped back behind Dovi in a Tech 3 sandwich (in front and Crutchlow) just hanging on to 4th place. Dani Pedrosa lived up to his nickname of the pocket rocket and had a fantastic start, battling with fellow Spaniard Lorenzo throughout the race. 

Ben Spies had his chance to compete for a podium spot, running near the top for the opening couple of laps, however he pushed too hard and went wide and off in to the gravel. Rejoining the race in last he ended up finishing in 10th - around the same finishing results as previous races. I really hope Silverstone is a good race for him, he needs it.

So that brings me on to the next race, which i will make sure i do a full scale blog post on because it's Silverstone!! I'm very envious of everyone going. The chances are it'll be a bit wet but whatever the weather hopefully it'll be a good one. 

I always find it strange watching Silverstone on Tv, a circuit i am very familiar with, the only circuit i've been too (for the Formula 1) and i just know it'll get me all excited for the F1 in a months time and will hopefully be an exciting MotoGP.

Talking of F1, tune in for the Canadian GP this weekend, Canada is always a good one, with the unreliable weather, varying track conditions and not forgetting the wildlife making brave appearances on track too - A fox, a squirrel and a groundhog in FP1 earlier today!

Again, sorry for the lack of a low down, i'll stop slacking :)

Le Mans

Seeing as it's wednesday now, i'm not going to write up a race low down. Low down's, although are fairly short, do take me a reasonable time to research and type up. My blog is more of an outlet for my motorsport ramblings to get it out my system and in all honesty, i started to write up a race low down on the Moto3 class... it was so long  it wasn't even a low down, and i wasn't happy about how i typed it, the race was just incredible and the same applies for Moto2 and MotoGP.
Le Mans was one of those few races where all three classes were intense, brilliant racing. No blog post would do it justice so i urge you to go and watch it if you can (iplayer it if you live in the UK).

Moto3 Podium:

[1st-Louis Rossi, 2nd-Alberto Moncayo, 3rd-Alex Rins]

Moto2 Podium:

[1st-Thomas Luthi, 2nd-Claudio Corti, 3rd-Scott Redding]

MotoGP Podium:

[1st-Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd-Valentino Rossi, 3rd-Casey Stoner]

NEXT UP:   MONACO BABY!

Tomorrow the Principality will be graced with the sound of Formula 1 cars once again. There's something very special about Monaco and i can't wait for the weekend to start! 

Casey Stoner

During the Le Mans press conference today Casey Stoner announced he will be retiring at the end of the current season.
Honestly, i'm not that surprised. After watching an interview he done with Azi Farni for the MotoGP website in the off-season shortly after his baby girl was born, he hinted that either this year or next year could be then end of the road. He stated he wanted to watch her grow up, to be able to spend more time with his family away from the sport and pursue other interests while he can.
He's always been open over the last few years that he'd likely end up retiring early than most and at 27 years old (by the time he retires) he looks to be set for the quiet life after this season.

Casey's retirement will be a huge loss to the sport; he represents the Aussies, he's a brilliant rider and most of all he's a genuine, nice guy.
I really admire the fact he's come to the conclusion that he does want to retire, for most drivers it's a distant thought and the longer they can ride in MotoGP the better - its their world, their passion and it's a sacrifice they make. For some riders they don't even get to think about retiring, they're taken from the world too soon. MotoGP is a dangerous sport, you never know what might happen next but with the down's there are some pretty amazing high's. Casey's got a lot of guts to give it all up.

Double world Champion (2007&2011) 

From what he said during the press conference here, it's the right decision for him to make. It's sad when a rider or driver loses his passion for the sport he's devoted his life to. In the time he's been riding the sport has changed an awful lot as well and i can imagine he's proberly not alone with his feelings that the sport might not be heading in the best direction.

He's going to bow out the sport being a double World Champion, maybe even a triple World Champion, in my opinion he's got a lot more to lose than he has to gain. 

I hope he can enjoy the rest of the season and wish him all the very best for 2013 onwards! He deserves the family time. 

Thank you Casey Stoner for being a big part of my MotoGP watching years! You'll be missed!

Estoril low down

It was a mixed weekend over in Portugal for the MotoGP weekend. Weather effected all three classes practise on Friday with little to no running for some riders, with improvements in weather conditions qualifying kicked up some nasty crashes and gobsmacking saves.
The MotoGP bikes in quali seemed to have a mind of their own, the save of the season has to go to Ivan Silva who, while holding on in an attempt to stay on the bike, hit the throttle and done a spectacular wheelie, saving the bike and going on his merry way (although he later had a unpleasant crash in warm up) however a few minutes later a nasty crash occurred between Randy De Puniet and Colin Edwards - Edwards was off the racing line on a slow lap while RDP was on a hot lap, just as he was sweeping past, the bike went down and collected Edwards. The weekend was over for Colin sustaining a broken collarbone. Both being rather beat up Randy was able to take part in the race.

Moto3:
It was a battle between Sandro Cortese (who started on pole for the second time this season) and Maverick Vinales, hot on their exhausts was the familiar name of Louis Salom but up in the battle for a podium spot were also Efron Vazquez (JHK T-shirt Laglisse) and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Airasia-Sic-Ajo)
The first half of the race was the usual mix in order however with every lap the race hot up, a tight battle between Brit Danny Kent and Italian Romano Fenati saw them both duel for position till confidence got the better of both the riders and ended up running wide together losing several places, soon after Romano Fenati crashed out the race on Lap 9 along with Louis Rossi who had a strong start to the race.
The latter stage of the race was intense racing, tactical Cortese stayed close behind Vinales, both lapping similar times. When the chequered flag was near with a few laps to go the battle was on, swapping and changing position countless times making your mind boggle with who was leading who. The last half a lap was nail biting (seriously, i have no nails left) they came up against lapped riders, getting mixed up with them and eager to get his first Moto3 win Sandro Cortese pulled out some agressive (but not over-agressive or dangerous in my opinion) moves on Maverick Vinales to take the first step of the podium!
Vinales wasn't too happy after the race, his fiery Spanish side and lack of experience in these 'situations' got the better of him, his team having to assure him that Cortese was within his rights, while Sandro himself was full of smiles, a season he needs to make an impression on and that he is certainly doing!
Louis Salom joined them on the podium after a great fight with Zulfahmi Khairuddin who put his stamp on the race and was close to being the first Malaysian rider to grace the podium, i'm sure we'll be seing more of him in future races.
Although it proved an exciting race, promising Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira retired due to a mechanical failure after such promising practise and Qualifying, bad luck Miguel.

Retirements: Jasper Iwema (8 laps), Romano Fenati (9 laps), Louis Rossi (9 laps), Issac Vinales (10 laps), Danny Webb (15 laps), Adrian Martin (17 laps), Miguel Oliveira (20 laps)

[Sandro Cortese-1st, Maverick Vinales-2nd, Louis Salom-3rd]

Moto2:
There seems to never be a dull race in Moto2 and Estoril was no different.
Marc Marquez led the first lap but by the second it was Thomas Luthi who was in front, Marquez, Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco all staying within over taking distance of each other. Luthi led for the majority of the race with the fight for podium going on, not far behind the top 4 were Scott Redding and Andrea Iannone pushing hard though once again Redding dropped off rapidly to the middle of the pack finishing in 11th. Iannone was on a charge but a mistake on Lap 11 saw him temporarily run his own race off-track, re-joining and eventually finishing in 5th.
Lap 17 was when any hope of a victory started to get less likely for Luthi as he wasn't able to pull a gap from Marquez and Espargaro who both over took the Swiss and they themselves pulled out a gap.
For the second race running the victory would either be Pol Espargaro's or Marc Marquez's. With quite a few chop and changes (after all this is Moto2 - nothing can be decided with only a few changes in lead) a fierce spat between both Spaniards and it was Pol who was first to slip, not literally but he ran wide at the chicane on the last lap and it was all over, 2nd place was the place he'd finish, giving the win to Marquez.
A hand-shake on the cool down lap (Maverick Vinales take note) Espargaro was gracious in defeat both riders enjoyed the rivalry and happy to be on podium. Once again joining them was Thomas Luthi.

Retirements: Mike de Meglio (6 laps), Simone Corsi (7 laps), Axel Pons (17 laps), Yuki Takahashi (21 laps)

[Marc Marquez-1st, Pol Espargaro-2nd, Thomas Luthi-3rd]

MotoGP:
MotoGP seems to be back to it's own familiar pattern (which i know some fans are finding... less interesting) With both Qatar and Jerez behind him it was Casey Stoner that has well and truly returned to his previous seasons form - winning by a mile.
What i'd like to type: 'it was a a close battle between front runner Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo both pinching the lead of each other throughout the race...'
What really happened: Casey Stoner had a terrific start and led the race from start to finish, pulling out a big enough gap from Lorenzo in which all Lorenzo could do was sniff the exhaust fumes from the Honda rider.
That was the story from the front of the pack and all though a very deserving race for Stoner and his pure skill to pull away from the pack for the whole race it does get a bit mundane doesn't it (but then all though i try to be as un-biased as possible on my blog i am a Lorenzo fan so this is very frustrating)
Further down it was Valentino Rossi, that i think i can safely say every MotoGP fan was happy for him, finding a bit of pace he was able to stay consistant and cross the line in 7th - the highest he's finished all season, feeling more at one with the bike i hope Ducati are on the right road but teammate Nicky Hayden had an appalling race finishing in 11th, apparently the bike was all out of sync, not handling like it should. As i've said before it's either or in the Ducati team it seems, fingers crossed that they'll soon have both riders up there on form.
Talking of form it was another disappointing race for Yamaha's Ben Spies, although he took 8th from race rival Stefan Bradl, who may i say is having a great rookie year for LCR Honda, Spies had a positive start up at the front however he himself admitting his over-confidence with finally feeling like he was in control, led him to make several errors during the first half of the race. Feeling the pressure that comes with lack of performance but finally being at one with his bike maybe we'll see him up there in Le Mans.
Having a corker of a season is the Tech 3 Yamaha's of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow, both having a race between themselves and finishing 4th and 5th respectively.

Fastest CRT: Aleix Espargaro

Retirements: Karel Abraham (5 laps), James Ellison (10 laps), Yonny Hernandez (12 laps), Mattia Pasini (17 laps), Ivan Silva (17 laps)

[Casey Stoner-1sr, Jorge Lorenzo-2nd, Dani Pedrosa-3rd]

Next up:
Formula 1 is back this weekend in Spain for the start of the European races followed the week after by MotoGP at Le Mans for the French Grand Prix.

Jerez low down

Jerez is a familiar circuit for the majority of the riders, especially the local Spaniards but with mixed conditions throughout the weekend it didn't run as smoothly, for others the rainy weather was a bonus.

Moto3
The mixed conditions hit Moto3 the hardest in so far as the amount of crashes with the rain getting the better of almost half the grid. It was the 16 year old Italian Romano Fenati that proved Qatar was not a fluke and that he really does have serious talent; Fenati led from the start, remaining calm and collected on the damp track. Turn 9 was the make or break for the riders with wet patches catching out a lot of them.

Once again there was an exciting battle for the last podium position between Luis Salom, who finished 2nd, Sandro Cortese, who finished 3rd and Alex Rins who missed out on a podium and finished 4th.
Title favourite Maverick Vinales only managed to finish 6th after a few major mistakes at the start which saw him drop down to 28th, his cousin Issac crashed out on lap 17, not the best day for the Vinales'. The race result means Fenati now leads the Moto3 championship, he has a 10 point advantage over spaniard Vinales.

Riders that crashed out of the race:
[Riders who didn't finish first lap]: Jack Miller, Danny Kent, Simone Grotzkyj - A suspected collarbone fracture for Miller and contusions for Kent.
Others: Adrian Martin (21 laps), Kenta Fujii (8 laps, wrist injury), Danny Webb (9 laps), Louis Rossi (14 laps), Issac Vinales (17 laps), Josep Rodriguez (19 laps), Miguel Oliveira (20 laps), Arthur Sissis (20 laps, contusions to chest and hands), Jakob Kornfeil (21 laps), Brad Binder (21 laps), Afren Vazquez (21 laps), Niklas Ajo (21 laps), Toni Finsterbusch (21 laps), Luigi Morciano (21 laps)

*Niklas Ajo will not be at Estoril after a dispute with a track official.

[1st-Romano Fenati, 2nd Louis Salom, 3rd Sandro Cortese]

Moto2
The weather caused ever more havoc during the Moto2 race; with a strong start by the front runners, the battle was on between Marc Marquez, Thomas Luthi, Scott Redding and Pol Espargaro, each taking the lead off of each countless times. Mika Kallio was also in the hunt early on but with the weather changing he made a diversion (he would have rather avoided) through the gravel dropping him back, he finished in 7th just ahead of Claudio Corti.

Scott Redding was one to watch from the start, he found himself racing for a podium spot after he qualified 12th on the grid. The Brit's chances of a win only lasted 4 laps but a podium was definitely in sight with a battle for 3rd, Swiss rider Thomas Luthi pipped him to it.
A cool track but heated riders, Pol Espargaro fought tooth and nail to hold off Marquez as the rain started falling, both knew the race could be red flagged.

With rain pouring down in Jerez the race was inevitably stopped, however not without confusion as on the lap the flagged was raised, Marquez was in the lead for half the lap, as well as crossing the line under the flag but ruled are rules and it went back to the previous fully completed lap where the last times and places had been recorded which meant Pol Espargaro won his first Moto2 race - even though he didn't know it at the time! Congrats Pol!
All but four of the Moto2 riders stayed on two wheels, Elena Rosell was the first to go out crashing on Lap 4, Marco Colandrea (6 laps), Mike di Meglio (8 laps) and Max Neukirchner (12 laps) were the other three.

[1st-Pol Espargaro, 2nd-Marc Marquez, 3rd-Thomas Luthi]

MotoGP
By the time the MotoGP race rolled around (i know i'm going on about the weather but it was an important factor) the rain had passed and the track was rapidly drying, with tyre wear being the main issue during the race.

Ducati once again were the talking point but on a more positive note this time, Nicky Hayden had a corker of a start to his race, after qualifying on the front row that is where he stayed for the first quarter of the race fending off the Tech 3 Yamaha's of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso.
While Hayden was holding his place, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo where off in a fight of their own, a familiar sight of them breaking away from the pack. Dani Pedrosa wasn't too far away either.
Stefan Bradl held his own amongst the 'big dawg's' of Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista, the rookie finished in 7th in a Gresini, Ducati sandwich however not Vale but Nicky. Hayden soon wore his tyre's out, with a fair few laps still to run he dropped back down the field to 8th, in front of his teammate. Worrying for the team (i promise i'll hop off the Ducati Bandwagon soon) that while Hayden was immersing himself at the front Rossi was still fighting down in 10th against a rider who is also have a bad start to his season, Ben Spies.
The same thing happened over at Yamaha, Lorenzo fighting for the win and Spies fighting for a point (which he didn't get and finished 11th) Hopefully we'll see them all back up the top sometime soon.

Cal Crutchlow put in another very impressive rider over the weekend, if he had a few more laps and his tyre's weren't dropping off i'm sure he would have taken 3rd off Pedrosa, fingers crossed for the weekend Cal (me bias? of course he's a Brit!)
Lorenzo just missed out on the win with his tyre's degrading rapidly on the last few laps handing the win to Stoner. It was first's for riders in all three classes as Stoner had never won at Jerez before so well done to him. He did suffer from slight arm pump again which is never a good thing, will he get it in Estoril at the weekend...

It was a good weekend for the Espargaro brother's as Pol's big bro Aleix was the fastest CRT (Aleix finished the race in 12th behind Spies) so another well done to him! I bet celebrations went on in their household!
One big disappointment for Randy de Puniet as the frenchman retired on the last lap after what looked like a bike with no fuel left, not a way you want to end so close to the finish line. Other retirements were James Ellison on Lap 24 (gearbox) Michele Pirro, 18 laps and Yonny Hernandez who stalled on the grid, started from the pit lane then came back in to the pit lane on the first lap.

[1st-Casey Stoner, 2nd-Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd- Dani Pedrosa]

Next Race: Estoril 4, 5, 6th May.

Also this week will be the Mugello Formula 1 test.

The war of the manufactures

At the end of last week Ducati hit the motorsport headlines, not for the reason you'd assume necessarily. The first thing that springs to mind would be a new bike in production or the Ducati MotoGP team but it was to do with the company itself.

If you've been living under a rock this past week then you might not know that Ducati got sold to Audi. 

Audi's 'parent company' the Volkswagen group owns car brands such as Lamborghini, Seat, Bugatti, Skoda and as i mentioned Audi. One thing these manufactures have in common is that they are considered to be 'sport' cars.

Why Ducati?

Founded in 1926 by brothers Bruno, Marcello and Adriano Ducati from Bologna, Italy. It's one of the world's most recognisable bike company; the Ferrari of the Motorbike world.

Ducati is one of the few manufactures that produce road motorbikes as well as competing and being participants in motor racing series such as MotoGP which it re-joined (after a 30 year absence from the sport) in 2003, the British Superbike Championship and the AMA Superbike championship. It's also the most successful manufacture in the history of World Superbike's and won last year's title with Althea's Carlos Checa.

Ducati also produce their own engine's however with only 10% (i say only, it's quite a lot really) of Ducati's revenue being pumped in to racing, Ducati also have other non-motorbike related products such as radios, camera's and electricals. All in all Ducati are a well rounded company that offers a lots of potential so why wouldn't a big car brand like Audi want to own it?  Having Ducati on board means they can branch out to motorcycle's.

However, this means it's bye-bye for Mercedes-Benz AMG. Their partnership was formed in 2010 and although relatively new, Mercedes and Audi/Volkswagen are rival car manufactures which means their relationship was bound to end. AMG said that they had no interest in taking over Ducati and their partnership with the Italian company was about 'producing premium performance cars' and that is what they still focus on, though obviously not with Ducati anymore.

A fine example of the cut-throat, competitive world of the motor industry.

In other news MotoGP will be happy to hear Valentino Rossi has repeatedly said he'll not be leaving Ducati in the lurch, he will not be leaving Ducati (for this season at least) Vale, i suggest you repeat it a few more times to truly banish the rumours!

With a rainy first day day in Jerez, let's hope it clears up for the rest of the weekend. Qualifying Saturday and the race on Sunday (all three classes) don't miss it!!

46

Has Valentino Rossi really lost his passion?

So since the Qatar Grand Prix a lot of rumours have been flying around about Valentino Rossi, some on the more extreme end of the rumour mill such as he's quit Ducati others that are more of a possibility are he's lost his passion for bike racing.
Rossi is the rider that even if you don't follow MotoGP you know who he is and what he does and how successful he's been. He's the rider the younger generation of MotoGP fans have grown up with, almost automatically support because of his success, his character and his talent, even if he's not your number 1 rider.

After switching teams at the end of 2010 from Yamaha to Ducati, everyone knew it was a bold move, Valentino knew that too. He enjoyed a lot of success at Yamaha but good things have to end too. To the Italians it was a match made in heaven, the most successful rider is in a top Italian team, sounds good right? Well, Ducati may well be a top Italian team but in recent years they've dwindled as a top team. Yamaha and Repsol Honda have taken over the top ranks and unfortunately Ducati have slipped to being a front-mid-field team, if that.
2011 was a tough year for the team, both Valentino and his teammate Nicky Hayden struggled to place the bike high up on the grid, the team went through changes and put all their effort in to the Ducati 2012 bike so they could avoid a repeat of a year to forget.
With a brand new bike at the first race in Qatar they finished with a decent result, Nicky finished in 6th... Valentino however finished down in 10th. With that result media flipped out at the Italian and the rumours began.

One rumour i did read was that Vale had a go at the guys in the Ducati box after the race, another being he's quit... now this seems a bit extreme in my opinion. He certainly hasn't quit. There is no denying he's having a hard time with the bike though, his results show that but i highly doubt he'd ever give up so easy, he's not a quitter. Unless something really bad was happening that we don't know about, i don't think Valentino would ever quit the team during the season, especially seeing as it's only race one. It's the first race, there's a whole season to improve, look at Ferrari.

As for having a go at the Duc guy's, if that was true, then doesn't that prove he still has passion? You don't get worked up over nothing.
I know he's had a very hard year, with the frustration of Ducati to Marco Simoncelli's passing. He was a very close friend and losing a friend to the sport you love is unimaginable.
Has he lost his passion because of it? Maybe it isn't as fiery as it was in his championship winning years (which may i remind you weren't all that long ago) has he lost it completely? Hell no! If his passion was gone he would not be racing today and would have retired. He's determined to put in the hard work to improve his teams performance, he knew from the beginning it wasn't going to be easy, i hope that he'll stick around long enough to see the improvement.

Which leads me on to Qatar; the bike's race pace wasn't too bad, yes Vale only finished 10th, he said after the race that the bike was impossible to ride and he couldn't keep up with the other Ducati's pace and struggled but is this the bike or is it VR not able to gel with it?
Nicky's 6th wasn't a bad result considering. Plus, Nicky Hayden is relishing in the swap to 1000cc engines, he never got on with the 800's, he's said it himself that in his championship year he much preferred the bikes then to the 800's from 2007 to last year.
I guess what i'm trying to say is that i don't think the bike is solely to blame, It's working for Nicky which usually means it's not working for Valentino. Although it might not 100% be the bike, i also don't think Vale's lack in performance is because he's lost his passion. I can't see him ever losing his passion for bikes, that's the reason he's stuck around for so long, he's had plenty of opportunities to switch to car racing. I'm pretty sure even F1 would love him but no he's still in MotoGP.

People have such high expectations for him but he can't be at the top forever, as long as he's enjoying his job, enjoying the sport he loves and has devoted himself to, then i'm happy for him. If his heart's not in it though then neither should he and there will be a time, maybe sooner or maybe a little later when he'll retire.
Valentino Rossi of all people knows how dangerous the sport is but how much it gives to you as well, something fans will never understand like riders do however we experience the love for the sport all the same.
Hey, let's not forget Casey Stoner won his first championship on a Ducati! I really hope they start challenging for podium's soon, and they don't give up hope completely.

visors down

With the sun set and the circuit lights turned on, it was race time in the desert.
Qatar is always a test for the riders, the conditions are hot and sweaty, the bikes are getting their first outing in race conditions and the pressure is on.

Moto3:
Moto3 started off in fine fashion for the classes first Grand Prix. There was a solid battle up and down the field, the main being for the podium.
Championship favourite, Maverick Vinales had a close battle with rookie Romano Fenati who put in a fantastic performance, chopping and changing the lead with Vinales throughout the race. Vinales broke away from the Italian during the last few laps to take the win, Fenati was guaranteed 2nd place (providing he didn't slip up - which he didn't) however the 3rd and final place on the podium was very much up for grabs. Sandro Cortese, Luis Salom and Miguel Oliviera were all in contention. All on a charge on the last lap it was pole sitter Cortese who made a brave move to take 3rd from Salom.

[1st-Maverick Vinales, 2nd-Romano Fenati, 3rd-Sandro Cortese]

Moto2:
2012 started no different in Moto2, exciting racing from the start, followed by controversy and a Marc Marquez win!
Where do i start? From start to finish the race order was constantly changing. Pol Espargaro got off to a great start leading the race, he was closely chased by Marquez, Andrea Iannone, Esteve Rabat and Thomas Luthi, with all of them going deep and off line at some point during the race.
With  no clear leader throughout the majority of the race it was tactical Marquez who kept calm and calculated, well and truly putting the doubters to rest after his eye injury, he made all the right passes to take 1st from Iannone who came 2nd. Joining them on the 3rd step of the podium was Pol Espargaro thanks to Luthi who ran wide after clashing with Marquez earlier on.
In my opinion Marquez didn't cut Luthi off, touching each others back-to-front wheels, intentionally. Luthi was not a happy rider after the race, unnecessarily hitting Marquez on the arm on the cool down lap in fury which is never a good move.

[1st-Marc Marquez, 2nd-Andrea Iannone, 3rd-Pol Espargaro]

MotoGP:
The first five lights of the season went out and the race in Qatar was underway. Pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo got off the line and lead the pack in to the first corner. Dani Pedrosa aka 'the pocket rocket' is the master of getting a good start, he whipped out his trick once again and jumped up to 2nd from starting 7th on the grid.
Casey Stoner wasn't going to let them both get away and claimed the lead on Lap 3, the Australian went on to pull a two-second lead from the pack and looked as though he was on to a winner.
Both Yamaha Tech 3 riders Andrea Dovizioso and 2011 rookie of the year Cal Crutchlow had a race of their own for 4th place. Crutchlow was the fastest of the pair and finished in 4th position, both riders are determined to prove themselves for a seat in the team next year as only one will get the chance to ride for Tech 3 in 2013 as the other seat has been promised to Moto2 rider Bradley Smith.
Rookie LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl had a fairly lonely race running in 6th, until the final few laps when he came up against Nicky Hayden and Alvaro Bautista who both overtook him demoting him to 8th place. A fine opening race for the promising young German.
Talking of Nicky Hayden, who is now in his 10th year of Grand Prix racing (congrats Nicky, here's to many more) pushed his Ducati to the limits, crossing the line in 6th - a result which i think is a good start for the team and Nicky but with teammate Valentino Rossi finishing in a dismal 10th position, needs a re-evaluation of what exactly is gong on with the multiple world champion. If his teammate is able to finish in 6th and the other Ducati's such as Hector Barbera finishing in 9th, you've got to question if it is the bike or the rider? One thing is for sure Valentino isn't a rider that accepts not being on the podium.
A place behind Rossi was Yamaha rider Ben Spies who had a tough race slowly dropping down the order with what he says as a beat up bike after enduring several high speed crashes over the weekend, one to forget for the Texan, hopefully he'll be back to top form in Spain.
With the race coming alive towards the end few laps when the riders push their skills further to the limit in a bid to get a higher result, Casey Stoner dropped back to 3rd, where he finished, after suffering from arm pump and bike chatter. Not a way you want to end any race however teammate (and they only have each other this year instead of three riders at Repsol Honda) took full advantage and fought with Lorenzo for the win. There weren't enough laps in the race for Pedrosa and he crossed the line 2nd, the win went to pole sitter Jorge Lorenzo after a sweaty, intense race under the Losail lights.

[1st-Jorge Lorenzo, 2nd-Dani Pedrosa, 3rd-Casey Stoner]

Next race: Spain.

Before that though will be the F1 Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

Here we are again

After what was a very long winter for MotoGP, it's back! First stop on the calendar: Qatar. The circus have arrived for the only night race (can you really call it a night race? More on the evening side) in the season.
MotoGP are very much entering a new era, in more ways than one.

Firstly, the historic 125cc class has followed the change of Moto2 (previously 250cc) and is now Moto3. A little easier to remember. The main change in the lower class championship is they have now moved up to 250cc four-stroke, single cylinder motorcycles from previous 125cc two-stroke bikes.
Moto3 is the 'starting' or lowest (i don't like saying that because they are all so talented and Moto3 isn't a bad place to race) of the three championships, this means that from season to season the rider line up can chop and change quite dramatically compared to MotoGP, with 32 rider competing, all at a young age it's always set to be a corker.
While Moto2 stays near enough the same big changes have happened in MotoGP.
2012 see's the switch in engines; since 2007 teams have been restricted to 800cc engine capacities, now they are riding 1000cc engines, as Dani Pedrosa has said with the new engine you 'brake later and are faster through corners'
As well as the engine change, MotoGP has also introduced CRT (Claiming Rule Team) on the grid. This allows independant teams to be competitive at a lower cost and increase the number of bikes on the grid, something MotoGP was seriously lacking in before the 2012 season. These bikes are effectively bikes you could go and ride on the road compared to the factory bikes which you can't buy.
While it all get's a bit complex for a simple blog the 'Claiming Rule' is an attempt to lower costs further, teams can 'claim' their rivals engines, if they wish, however the actual 'claiming' is done by the MSMA Manufactures. If you want to read the endless pages of rules on CRT then you can always Goggle it, there's plenty of information on 2012 rules released by FIM.

QATAR QUALIFYING
A short low down of Qatar quali - otherwise tomorrow's race blog will be bordering on an essay.

Moto3:
A very close battle at the front has taken place in Moto3 all weekend, qualifying being no different.
125cc veteran (sorry Sandro) Sandro Cortese just grabbed pole in the last few seconds of the session.
Cortese has been around in 125/Moto3 for some time now, with a fresh move to KTM this season, he seems to be settling in well. The KTM so far seems consitent, the bike's been in development for some time and now is the time to see the hard work pay off, starting with a pole. Though Cortese has the race to come, with front runners and young guns, Maverick Vinales, Louis Rossi and Luis Salom all hot on the KTM's exhaust, it is going to be a close battle not only for the top riders but also for the whole field.

Moto2:
Suter rider Thomas Luthi has been quick all weekend, once again he pulled it out when it mattered in quali and took the first Moto2 pole of the season.
Marc Marquez is back and ready to fight for the 2012 championship after being denied the chance to fight for the title last year after his bad crash in Sepang which left him unable to race in Valencia.
Andrea Iannone, Pol Espagaro and Mike Di Meglio are all in contention for a podium.

MotoGP:
The spartan, Jorge Lorenzo triumped to pole position in a last minute hot lap taking pole of reining champion Casey Stoner.
Like the Moto2/3, the grid in MotoGP is set to be a competitive one. Lorenzo and Stoner are most likely to battle it out for the win however the podium is wide open with the likes of Cal Crutchlow, Ben Spies, Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa all eager to get up there. Not the list you thought it would be? Cal Crutchlow has been on it all weekend and is certianly the rider who is switching up the familiar 2011 order, as well as Nicky Hayden who put if a great effort to qualify 5th seeing as Ducati are still struggling to get close to the top with Valentino Rossi only qualifying 12th.

With all the bikes looking beautiful under the lights of the Losail circuit, the long winter break now behind us, it's time for lights out.
On a side not, while we all go in to this season remembering the life of Marco Simoncelli, who i know i'll always remeber and will always be apart of MotoGP, the sport still continues, in memory of  not only Marco Simoncelli but all the fallen riders.
All three race's from Qatar tomorrow evening are set to be thrilling openeers!

Emotional farewell

I'll start by saying what i am about to write will do today's and indeed this weekends MotoGP only a fraction of justice, and it might be a little lengthy.

Everyone entered the Valencia paddock this weekend with a heavy heart, a hole in the family. Marco Simoncelli had a big personality, a feisty riding style but most of all he touched everyone in the MotoGP community. Whether you support a particular rider or not MotoGP riders deserve respect, it's dangerous, they push the limits, they risk their lives but as most of the riders said 'we wouldn't live without it'. 

If there was one thing Super Sic would have wanted it would be to continue racing and that's exactly what they did. 

The Honda Gresini team set up Marco's box with his bike and helmet one last time.

In tribute to Sic, his father Paolo Simoncelli suggested earlier in the week that instead of a minutes silence that there should be a minutes noise of revving engines as that's what Marco would have liked. 

After warm up's had finished 125's, Moto2 and the MotoGP bikes took a tribute lap around the circuit all following the 58 bike which good friend and '93 champion Kevin Schwantz was riding. 

Kevin Schwatz lining up after the tribute lap.

Following the lap the MotoGP bikes lined up behind Marco Simoncelli's bike along with the 125's and Moto2's staying on their bikes behind. The MotoGP riders all lined up facing the 58 with two minutes of firecrackers being let off.

A beautiful moment for everyone involved and if you missed it you can watch it on motogp.com

125's

In the last ever 125 race it was the only title decider race of the day which was resolved early on when Johann Zarco of France crashed out the race in tricky, drizzly conditions on Lap 3, handing the 125 title over to rival Nico Terol.

Terol took the race fairly easy from there until gaining places with a battle between fellow Spaniards Marverick Vinales and Hector Faubel. 

The young rookie Vinales scored his fourth win of his debut season with Terol in second and Faubel in 3rd.

Congratulations Nico Terol!

Moto2

After suffering a high impact crash last time out in Sepang, Marc Marquez was deemed unfit to race after suffering double vision, and unless short of a miracle wasn't going to race. 

Inevitably this meant that the Moto2 crown was handed over to Stefan Bradl which he won during qualifying when Marquez was officially unable to put in a fast lap to qualify for the race. 

With unpredictable and wet conditions the qualifying was wrapped up in the first 15 minutes or so and Stefan Bradl began celebrating with his team and congratulating Marc Marquez and his team on a great championship battle, although we would have all loved to have seen the last battle. 

Qualifying on pole was Michele Pirro and second was Gresini team mate Yuki Takahashi - a fitting tribute for the team in memory of Marco.

The race started under doubtful conditions with patches of rain making a lot of riders crash out, including  most of the brits. 

Those who went down including freshly crowned champion Stefan Bradl, shorty after Yuki Takahashi also crashed out, a sight nobody wanted to see, he's ok but under observation in Hospital. 

Meanwhile at the front Pirro lead his Gresini bike to his first victory, followed by Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing) and Dominique Aegerter (Technomag-CIP) 

Not the usual's we see on the podium but a deserved win for Pirro and the team, for Marco. 

The Moto2 Gresini bike with "Race You Life" tribute to Marco.

 Pirro pointing to Marco in the sky - this one's for you.

The Moto2 new World Champion on the podium with his own tribute to Super Sic. 

MotoGP

A very tough weekend for all the riders, Jorge Lorenzo (who did attend the race) and Colin Edwards (resting at home in Texas after the Sepang crash where he was heavily injured) were unable to race.

The race started with a Turn 1 crash where Bautista went down and 'skittled' Randy De Puniet, Nick Hayden and Valentino Rossi and himself into the gravel trap. 

A disappointing result for Rossi who was a close friend to Simoncelli and i imagine would have loved to tribute him by pushing for his first podium of the season. 

It wasn't to be and Casey Stoner rode of into the distance leaving Dovi, Pedrosa and Spies to battle it out for 2nd. 

Battling right through till the last laps when rain started and Pedrosa backed right off, Stoner going wide, leaving Spies to bring back top spot. It looked like he was going to cross the line in first when Stoner (running in 2nd) gained speed and good a good exit on to the finish straight and took first from Spies with half a wheels length between them. 

Behind Spies was Dovizioso and on the last lap rookie of the year Cal Crutchlow took 4th from Pedrosa, the best result for the Brit all season. 

How close it was between Ben Spies and Casey Stoner.

The rookie battle - Karel Abraham and Cal Crutchlow 

 The podium - Ben Spies, Casey Stoner, Andrea Dovizioso

This weekend was the last MotoGP weekend for Honda Gresini rider Hiroshi Aoyama  and MotoGP legend Loris Capirossi

 Good luck in World Superbikes Hiro, it ended on the hardest weekend for MotoGP and the Honda Gresini team but everyone wishes you well in you next bike adventure!

And a very happy retirement for Loris! Grazie for the memories, 22 seasons of MotoGP and i'm not sure it's going to be quite the same without you on the grid, you're a legend on an off the track. Spend time with your family and enjoy but don't forget to pop back to say hi!!

Finally a final farewell to Marco Simoncelli, i hope you enjoyed this weekend after all it was all about you, we'll miss you so so much and you will never be forgotten.

Ride in Paradise Super Sic #58

Ciao Marco

What went on in Motegi...

[Japan in photo's]

With all MotoGP riders and the majority of the crew, Japan weekend went ahead. They done a brilliant job fixing up the track in time after the devastating Earthquake and Tsunami that hit earlier in the year, despite the country still recovering the Japanese were all smiles for the Grand Prix and they were in for a treat.

In 125's, after almost clenching his first win at Misano but missing out to Nicolas Terol, Johann Zarco won his first Grand Prix! Congratulations Johann!!

Moto2 kicked up another exciting race, Stefan Bradl had a disappointing qualifying, unable to turn it around in the race  for a podium, Marc Marquez took full advantage and is now 1 point ahead of Bradl in the Championship hunt, with a few more races to go this may go down to the wire, each deserving but there can only be one champ!

MotoGP saw Valentino Rossi out on the first lap, in a Yamaha sandwich he collided with Ben Spies (a racing incident) and although Rossi had to reitre with [at the time] no suspected injuries the Texan Terror Ben Spies was able to rejoin, after a rocky weekend suffering with severe food poisoning Spies finished the race in 6th.

[Valentino Rossi going down - he has a fractured little finger but should be fit for Australia]

Casey Stoner fell back on Lap 5 after being late on the brakes and taking an excursion through the gravel trap but later made his way up to 3rd - he was unable to catch Jorge Lorenzo for 2nd.

THREE riders got penalised for jump starts, Andrea Dovizioso, Marco Simoncelli and Cal Crutchlow were all given drive through's.

Alvaro Bautista had a cracking start to the race, climbing to third before Stoner over took however Bautista later lost control after the tunnel and crashed the Suzuki.

[Proberly thinking "What happened there?"]

Other retirements from the race were Hector Barbera (who's suffered a broken collarbone and  has had an operation in Barcelona), Toni Elias, Damian Cudlin- who was a replacement for Loris Capirossi who has a broken collarbone. Along with Rossi and Bautista.

With Stoner able to take the title at his home race in a weeks time, he has to win the race, he needs to claim 10 more points than Lorenzo to become a double world Champion after winning his first in 2007.

[Dani Pedrosa after crossing the line] 

[Podium: Jorge Lorenzo (2nd) Dani Pedrosa (1st) and Casey Stoner (3rd)]

Next up Philip Island, Australia!