The 2009 MotoGP season begins at Qatar on the evening of April 12. Ducati's Casey Stoner has been fastest in all three 2009 pre-season tests, but can he claim his third Qatar victory in a row? Yamaha's reining world champion Valentino Rossi is sure to be in contention, although Qatar traditionally hasn't been his strongest event and it was team-mate Jorge Lorenzo who got closest to Stoner at the test. Suzuki riders Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen have both been in the top six during testing, but could the likes of new factory Ducati rider Nicky Hayden, new factory Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso or the injured Dani Pedrosa spring an even bigger surprise?
