MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

The rumors that Michael Schumacher was preparing to race in MotoGP as a wildcard, which we reported here earlier, are turning out to be just that, rumors. According to Autosport.com, both Carmelo Ezpeleta, the CEO of Dorna, and Ducati team boss Livio Suppo rejected the suggestion out of hand.

The problem with practical jokes is that they can all too easily get out of hand. At the end of December, rumors first started emerging that Michael Schumacher was poised to make the switch to MotoGP, riding a Ducati. The rumor was based on the time Schumacher is alleged to have set at Valencia after the final Grand Prix of 2007, with the German former F1 champion riding the Ducati GP7 to within 5 seconds of the MotoGP lap record.

The weather stopped play during the final session of day 2 at the official IRTA test at Jerez, after the rain returned and the wind damaged advertising signs around the track. Officials red-flagged the session after less than an hour, with parts from the damaged signs forming a hazard for the riders. Only 4 riders had been out prior to the red flag being shown, completing a total of just 15 laps between them. Frenchman Randy de Puniet was the fastest in the meaningless session, in a time of 1'55.568.

If there were any lingering doubts about who is favorite for the 2008 MotoGP title, Sunday's qualifying practice at the official IRTA test in Jerez should have laid these well and truly to rest. Within just 11 minutes of the start of the session, one rider had stamped his authority on qualifying with such force that the 2nd place rider at that moment was nearly three and a half seconds behind. Three and a half seconds. And though his lead was reduced, after the 40 minutes were up, the winning margin was still over 1.3 seconds. This wasn't a contest, it was a massacre.

The first day of testing at Jerez was yet another object lesson on ignoring the headline times and focusing on the big picture. If you were to judge Saturday's times just on the timesheet printed at the end of the day, then it would be simplicity itself to fall into the gaping trap laid by a smattering of qualifying tires.