That leaves Honda. Currently they're in disarray, late with the development of their own pneumatic technology. Last season they were in disarray, too. But they are the only manufacturer to have won more than 200
MotoGP and 500cc races - 206, to be precise, compared to Yamaha's 151 and MV Agusta's 139 - and they have won 50 of the 100 MotoGP races held since the class was introduced 2003.
Can you see Honda continuing to allow itself to be a punchbag in MotoGP? Would you like to see Rossi taking the battle to Stoner on a hyper-competitive Honda?
Look, I did stress that these are mid-day musings, not serious suggestions, out here in the 28C desert sun. Worth pondering, though.
Friday pm - Toseland to Get Pneumatic Yamaha by Estoril
Yamaha factory chiefs have promised their stunning new star James Toseland:
You'll get our new pneumatic-valve engine by Estoril at the latest!
The dramatic pledge came at midnight in Qatar tonight after Toseland had blitzed into third place in the opening night's practising for Sunday's MotoGP on a bike that was nearly 10mph slower down the Losail circuit's 0.664-mile (1,068-metre) straight than the fastest machine on the track,
Marco Melandri's Marlboro Ducati.
Toseland's Tech 3 Yamaha, which still uses a valve-spring engine, was also 5.407mph slower through the speed trap than the quickest Yamaha, the pneumatic-valve bike campaigned by Fiat Yamaha's
Jorge Lorenzo.
Toseland and his team-mate
Colin Edwards are still using the 2007 valve-spring versions of the YZR-M1 engine, while Lorenzo and his factory team-mate
Valentino Rossi benefit from the latest pneumatic technology.
But after Toseland's storming performances during winter testing, climaxed by tonight's stirring third place, Yamaha now realise that they must back the 27-year-old Brit to the full.
So he should receive the full factory engine at the third round of the 18-round series on the Estoril circuit in Portugal - and it may even come at the second round in
Jerez in Spain.
