MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Qualifying practice at Jerez was a case of déjà vu, but from a parallel universe. A young man goes out on a new bike and posts the fastest time in session after session, before ripping up qualifying and snatching the pole by a big margin. Last year it was Casey Stoner putting on the smackdown at track after track. But here at Jerez, things were a little different.

When Marco Melandri signed for Ducati, he cannot have foreseen the immense difficulty he would have in getting to grips with the Ducati GP7. Since making the switch from Honda, Melandri has floundered near the back of the field during testing, only managing to stay ahead of the satellite Alice Ducati riders Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli. The measure of his difficulties is summed up in the relief Melandri expressed in managing an 11th place finish at the season opener in Qatar.

Competing in motorcycle racing's premier class, and a prototype class to boot, is an extraordinarily expensive undertaking. As a consequence, being able to bring hard cash to a race team can sometimes be one of the factors in rider selection for a team.

The success of the floodlit MotoGP season opener at Qatar, held at the dead of night local time, has opened up a whole host of new perspectives. After the race finished without incident, and generating some spectacular images, a host of race organizers around the world breathed a huge sigh of relief, and started work on their own plans.

When Jorge Lorenzo entered MotoGP, sparks were sure to fly. Lorenzo is both outspoken and flamboyant, and has never been at a loss for words. He has also never been afraid of confrontation, having spent virtually his entire career engaged in sniping at various targets in the paddock. Such was his reputation, indeed, that as part of his contract, Yamaha banned the "Lorenzoland" celebrations, and forced Lorenzo to work with a psychologist to keep his impetuosity in check.