Lorenzo It Is.

Well, after that Moto2 race, the MotoGP main class was a little sedate. As usual Pedrosa launched up into the top three from a third row start ... then with a little back and forth it settled into Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa. Not much happened for quite some time other than to note that there were two completely separate races going on. After two laps, the CRT bikes were way back on their own, but not so slow that they ever got lapped. A lot of the bikes seemed to have problems with their Bridgestones and as predicted by many, tyres went off with about 6 laps to go. From that point on, Stoner's bike was sliding even with traction control. This probably contributed to arm pump in his right arm that took the wind out of his sails. Lorenzo motored under Stoner to take the lead, then Pedrosa slotted into second with a spectacular hard braking dive into turn one, his rear wheel waving well off the ground. There was a good contest between Cal Crutchlow and Dovi behind the leaders in the last few laps, with Crutchlow finally making the pass for fourth. Further back Hayden got the best of Barbera and Bautista to finish top Ducati. So, Lorenzo takes his first Losail GP after many attempts. I'm thinking he's going to give Stoner much more of a run for his money this year ... a bit of a combination of his wild riding of two years ago and his serious down to business riding of last year. Pedrosa looked in top form as well ... it's going to be a close three-way championship this year. Only problem is that we're down from 17 "real" MotoGP bikes to 12 and poor old Rossi is at the back of the pack.

Moto2!

Wow. Well, I thought the opening Moto3 race was exciting, but that was nothing compared to the opening Moto2! Eleven rows of three on the grid, close tight racing, aggressive, paint-swapping battles and passing, passing, passing. All the top riders pulled out all the stops and almost all ran wide at one time or another. Marquez pushed leader Luthi wide, who rejoined in 5th. Marquez then got passed by Iannone, then nipped him back at the line to take the win. Awesome race.

First Moto3 Is History.

The first running of the Moto3 GP class, 4-stroke replacement for the 125GP class is now done. Exciting racing from the buzzing hoard of small displacement racers. While 17 year old Spaniard Maverick Viñales won the race by several seconds, the story is second place, bike number 5, 16 year old Italian Romano Fenati in his plain white lid. In his first ever GP level race, Fenati battled closely with Viñales and took the lead a number of times, finally fading slightly to a solid second place. Probably the best ever finish of a GP rookie in his maiden race. This is definately a rider to watch. And then there was third place. Five bikes fighting closely for third ... somethimes three abreast into corners, followed very closely by two more. If you blinked you missed a diving pass, or out-braking to make your heart stop. Luis Salom eventually crossed the line ahead of the pack. Now that was real motorcycle racing. Twenty minutes 'til the Moto2 kick-off!

Stoner, Pedrosa and Dovizioso In It Too.

Stoner, Pedrosa and Dovizioso pulled the plug out in today's MotoGP warmup and now we've got six or more real podium contenders, including Hayden, top Ducati in sixth. Edwards is top CRT bike ... 2 1/2 seconds off the pace. This should be a great race, with lots of close racing at the front ... and lots of lapped traffic to really mess it up. First ever Moto3 race is about to start and 3 hours to go before the big show. Can't wait.

It's Going To Be A Good One

Jorge Lorenzo has pole for tomorrow's season opener in Qatar, with Stoner 2/10ths behind. Lorenzo's attitude looks a little more agressive than last year ... in 2011 he played the cool, calm champion and seemed to be missing something. He's looking good in practice ... believe it or not, he's never won here, so this could be the first. Stoner is, well, Stoner ... although he now has a 7 week old daughter and that has changed some other riders in the past. He looks strong but we'll see how much he's willing to push it. The most agressive looking rider in practice was Cal Crutchlow, less than 4/10 thenths behind Jorge ... he literally stomped out to his bike like he was marching into gladiatorial battle. Next on the grid is Spies, followed by Hayden. Rossi might still be having problems but Hayden has the Ducati figured out. In fact Rossi is the slowest real MotoGP bike, with only the 9 CRT bikes behind him. There's no way that's all the fault of the bike ... he's just not hungry enough. Fastest bike on the track? ... Hector Barbera at 339kph on the straight ... gotta love litre bikes. So ... Lorenzo to win? Could very well be. At the very least, it should be a close battle at the front, with Crutchlow probably running a crash or win strategy, Lorenzo determined to prove he can win in the desert and Stoner trying to show he's still the man. Gonna be a good one.

Is MotoGP Gonna Survive?

Well, last year there were 17 bikes on the MotoGP grid. This year, with the move to 1000cc bikes and the CRT teams, the grid is now up to 21. Good right? Well, not so fast. With 9 CRT bikes, that leaves 12 real MotoGP bikes. It will be interesting to see whether the CRT bikes make the race more entertaining or just get in the way. Only hours to go before we find out. Stay tuned for Qatar under the lights.

Any Guesses Yet?

Any guesses on how World SBK is going to turn out this season? Well, Carlos Checa cleaned up at Imola after Tom Sykes gave him a run for his money in both races. No matter how hard Sykes pushed, Checa reeled him in and took home the trophy. Best bet for 2012? Checa to win. Good effort by Brett McCormick, the rookie Canadian who got as high as 11th in race one before fading, finishing just outside the points in 16th place in both races. Hopper made it to 13th in race 1 and DNF'd in race 2. Final placing for race one was Checa, Sykes, Haslam and Biaggi. Race 2? Well, how about Checa, Sykes, Haslam and Biaggi. Biaggi's starts were Pedrosa-like rockets from row 2, even getting the holeshot in race 2, but to no avail. He had good pace and perfect lines, but it didn't help. Checa's Ducati and Sykes' shear determination left him in their dust with Haslam somewhere in between. Well, even if Rossi can't get his Ducati to the front, Checa has no such problem. MotoGP starts next. Bring it on.