WSBK » McWilliams to race at Monza.

At least he won't be on that P.O.S. Buell he rode in AMA Formula Xtreme.

The GSXR ought to be faster than the Ilmor.

WSBK » Preview – Monza.

I was under the impression that the Ducati''s were to have a weight penalty imposed on them if one won at Valencia - which Lanzi did.

Has that happened and I''ve just missed it, or was it something that Jonathan Green was imagining when he was calling the race?

MOTOGP » Pedrosa 'too fast'.

Jack - Sure Hayden was lucky in 2006, but he made his own luck. Rossi may have fiddled away the beginning of the season with his F1 adventure and Stoner and Pedrosa may have not yet arrived as full-on threats, but really what's the point in playing "what if?" He won the championship and nobody handed it to him.

Granted it's not the best of times for Hayden fans, and Nicky really needs to be battling for the front if he expects to stay on the factory bike, but I still believe he's got what it takes to do that.

Kees - I agree with you about more power suiting his "loose" riding style. These bikes have all the power one needs, it probably has more to do with the way it's delivered.

MOTOGP » Pedrosa 'too fast'.

Great ride from Pedrosa to stick with Rossi as the Doctor kept upping the pace. He was very determined and aggressive - you could see it in his body language especially as he picked the bike up out of the corners.

It appears that his size negates much of the horsepower deficit between the Honda and the Yamaha. It'll be interesting when Honda finally delivers the air valve engine.

Disappointing ride from Hayden, I was hoping he'd be able to stick with Stoner and battle for third. Maybe Casey would have been happier with his position then.

I hope Nicky can pick it up, maybe the new motor will be the thing that'll give him what he needs to get on the podium.

MOTOGP » Rossi, Stoner split Shanghai practice.

The top ten were within one second of each other in the second session.

This is going to be a really good race.

MOTOGP » Lorenzo injury update.

Holy crap! Jorge looks like he''s practicing a triple gainer off of the 10m platform over at the Olympic diving pool.

Maybe these bikes aren''t the monsters that the 500s were, but they can still bite.

Here''s wishing Lorenzo a speedy recovery.

MOTOGP » Rossi hoping it all comes together.

The way I remember it, Rossi won in 2005 on the Honda in the rain against a charging O. Jacque on the Kawi.

The story has him coming in second.

It'll be good to see how Bridgestone in general compares to Michelin at a track they have historically done well at.

MOTOGP » Ducati by numbers.

I agree, thanks for an article with substance.

It''s obvious that Michelin has improved this season and that the expanded tire rule has helped their cause.

I''ve got to wonder how much the superiority of Michelin''s qualifying tires have contributed to at least Stoner''s ability to get himself into a position where he has some clear track in front of him. He, like Pedrosa, seem to do best when they can put their heads down and put some fast laps in.

That wouldn''t explain why he qualified nearly a full second slower in 2008 at Estoril, let alone Melandri almost 2 full seconds off of his pace of last season.

It looks like tough times are here for Ducati and Bridgestone.

MOTOGP » Hayden, Dovizioso defiant after falls.

I'm not convinced that Dovizioso is worthy of the factory Honda ride. If his results improve, and he can consistently challenge for a podium spot even if he crashes out trying to do it, then maybe.

It's still early in the season and some of you already want to anoint him as Pedrosa's teammate at Repsol.

I've said before that Hayden needs to be winning races and standing on the podium if he's to keep his ride, but he's certainly better than a 4th or 5th place finisher. Look at his 2006 results when he was on the podium 10 times and a winner twice.

2007 was an anomaly. Again, it's still early - the good results will be coming in 2008.

MOTOGP » Gresini chasing 'Honda' tyres.

It's interesting that the comments by DeAngelis were higher up in the story than those from Nakano.

The way these "stories" are written essentially is by posting a press release from the team or manufacturer.

Customarily the faster rider on the day is mentioned first. Nakano beat DeAngelis in the race, too.

Am I sensing some prejudice or favoritism towards young Alex on the part of the team here?

MOTOGP » testing

There's no way it's going to rain in China because the Chinese simply won't allow it.

They've got an battery of rockets ready to shoot down rain clouds. Don't believe me? Check Yahoo news. Crash won't allow URL's to be posted.

So things are looking bad for West and Vermeulen.

Of course they could always seed the clouds to make it rain on any Tibet protest that might be planned on the grid.

I for one am glad that the series is done in China after this race.

Despite his recent woes, I think that Stoner is the guy to beat in China. The Yamahas will give him a battle while the Hondas will have trouble keeping up on the 2 long straights.

MOTOGP » Hopkins high, West low.

I'm glad West finally got the chance at a factory ride. Even if it doesn't work out at least he'll have had the shot.

I've got to wonder how well he gets on with his crew, and what the communication is like.

Still, there are better riders out there. Maybe not for the money Kaw is willing to pay, tho.

Full marks to Hopkins on his result, I hope he can build on it. As the season progresses it looks like Hopper made the right choice in leaving Suzuki.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Hayden alongside Hopper next season. That ought to ruffle Hoppers' feathers given the rivalry he feels with Hayden. Especially since Nicky would almost certainly command a higher salary.

MOTOGP » Hopkins high, West low.

Two more words:

Chaz Davies

MOTOGP » Hopkins high, West low.

Three words:

Roger Lee Hayden

MOTOGP » Hayden, Dovizioso defiant after falls.

If Pedrosa performed better at the very beginning then why didn't he win the championship in his first season?

I've got to hand it to both of these guys for not just settling for 4th position, but for trying to fight for a podium.

I don't think HRC is looking for somebody who will settle for 4th just to bring home points. It's a long season so don't be handing out the Repsol ride just yet. I agree that Hayden is gone if he doesn't win some races this season. Tech 3, maybe?

China is going to be tough for Honda. Pedrosa goes well there, but the Yamaha's look to have more engine than the Honda's. I can't imagine that sits well with the bosses at HRC. Look for that pneumatic engine soon.