MotoGP – Qatar Round One

The opening round of the 2007 MotoGP championship has been run and won in Qatar this weekend and what a greatrace it was. Being an Aussie and a Rossi fan I was looking forward for a couple of reasons.

I was interested in not only seeing how the new 800cc bikes would go but in watching how Valentino Rossi would begin his chase to regain his lost MotoGp crown. Valentino made a great start to the weekend by taking pole position from Aussie Casey Stoner on the Ducati and with Texan Colin Edwards and  Honda rider Toni Elais filling up the first four spots it was looking to be a great start for Rossi in 2007.

Interestingly in the warm up before the race Valentino’s Yamaha was well down in the times, suggesting the Yamaha team might have a ‘race pace’ issue. Casey Stoner and the Ducati really showing blistering speed down the very long main straight, proving once and for all that red ones do go faster!!!

 After a good start by Rossi and Stoner, disappointingly Edwards had a terrible start allowing himself to be swamped by the pack and drift down the order and he never recovered. But out front Rossi and Stoner were in the beginnings of what was to be a great battle for the number one spot on the podium. To see the incredible pace of the Ducati down the straight was awesome. The Honda of Dani Pedrosa was also quick, however when he was instructed to set the ECU mode to 4 by his pit board, he lost momentum and ability to keep up with Rossi and Stoner, and had to fight hard to keep Suzuki’s John Hopkins at bay.

In the end it was a tight battle with Rossi’s M1 Yamaha obviously having a superior chassis but with his distinct lack of horsepower and top speed, he couldn’t out run the hard charging Aussie. So Casey Stoner finally broke through for his maiden MotoGP win and did it in great style absorbing the pressure exerted by Rossi for the whole race. I have commented in earlier posts that he really needs to step it up and prove he can win races. Today he showed he can, and the Ducati crew couldn’t be happier.

Interestingly 2006 champion Nicky Hayden floundered all race and eventually finished 8th behind Aussie Chris Vermeulen who fought well from a bad qualifying position to be 7th.

So what has this first round told us?

Firstly – the Ducati is quick and with Stoner on board (and keeping it upright) it will be hard to beat in the horsepower tracks

Secondly – Rossi’s Yamaha, whilst ultimately lacks outright grunt, will be a tough bike to beat. If and when the Jeremey Burgess and his team find that last 10 kph, it will be interesting to watch to see if Rossi can keep pace with the Ducati.

Lastly – Nicky Hayden seems to be missing his drive from last year. It’s early days however I am sure the plucky American can bounce back and look to prove to all that his form last year was no fluke.

The final top 5 positions for the race where:

1. Stoner
2. Rossi
3. Pedrosa
4. Hopkins
5. Melandri

Look out for more posts and check for articles on the Sportingo website too.

Dave