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.