MOTOGP » Hayden: You can't beat wild weekend.

It's been widely reported by credible sources that Nicky only started doing well last season when Honda let him and his crew turn down the traction control. They also built a fairing that better suited him and other riders of average size, like Checa. Chu chu, wtf he developed was a chassis that the latest iteration of was given to his teammate and not him. I hope and trust that it will be available to him by the next GP. You don't hear Pedrosa complaining now about the direction that the development of the RC212 took. Remember, the last time Hayden was responsible for developing a bike he won the World Championship.

MOTOGP » Hayden: You can't beat wild weekend.

The bike he developed and discarded? I still maintain that the 2008 RC212 that Pedrosa had for Qatar was a different spec than that which was available to Hayden. Since Hayden did the development it would seem that he put together a pretty decent bike for his teammate to race on. I hope Hayden has identical equipment to that which Pedrosa has for Jerez.

MOTOGP » Lorenzo, Pedrosa rivalry heats up...

Pedrosa vs. Lorenzo = Biaggi vs. Rossi? Biaggi has way more personality than Pedrosa ever will. Plus he won more championships.

MOTOGP » Hofmann 'unscrewed', plans '09 comeback.

WSBK. Aprilia - or better still - KTM. The way things are going in MotoGP there might only be 16 or 17 bikes on the grid next season. No way he's going to get any of those rides.

WSBK » Xaus leaves after record-breaking lap.

I think that Xaus' team probably only planned to test for one day because of the service intervals for the engines. Contrary to what they were saying in the preseason, I'm guessing that the 1098 still has shorter service intervals before being boxed up and sent to Ducati to be rebuilt than the Japanese 4's. Xaus being fastest doesn't surprise me as he's the best rider at the test. To me, Neukirchner and Nieto are the real surprises of the season, so far.

MOTOGP » Hayden: We got beat bad.

Wow, KFC and moonshine!?! Talk about bigotry. Man, the fact that somebody who doesn't come from Spain or Italy wins a championship really brings out the worst in some people. Stoner gets his share of abuse, too, but please. Fernando, if you're going to base your opinion of Americans solely upon reruns of "The Dukes of Hazzard" then please find somewhere else to let loose your jingoistic vitriol.

MOTOGP » Hayden: We got beat bad.

Apparently all 2008 RC212V's are not created equal. True, Hayden chose to ride the 2007-spec bike which turned out to probably be a mistake. He's admitted as much. But from what I've been able to gather Honda brought a new chassis for Pedrosa that wasn't available to Hayden. Since Nicky was the one driving the development in the off season it seems reasonable to say that the bike he developed - the latest-spec 2008 RC212 - wasn't available to him. Please let's hold off on the Hayden bashing until the kid has a chance to ride the bike he's developed.

MOTOGP » Hayden: We got beat bad.

So Nicky does all the hard miles over the winter and Honda comes to Qatar with a new chassis for Pedrosa. Pedrosa races that bike to an impressive 3rd place and Nick is left to run the 2007 bike. It's a pity, Hayden deserves better. I'm still optimistic for the season, but Honda needs to deliver the goods. Hopefully they do that before Stoner builds an insurmountable lead. A repeat of last year is the last thing any fan of hard, close racing wants.

MOTOGP » Crash.net's Qatar GP blog: Saturday.

I've got to agree with jihem - it would be a great coup for Ducati to have Rossi onboard. Stranger things have happened, but Rossi coming back to Honda WITH Jerry Burgess could go a long way towards focusing development in one direction. It seems Honda is having a difficult time building a bike to suit both Pedrosa and adult-sized riders. Rossi coming back to Repsol Honda - if he'd even consider it - would really put a knot in Alberto Puig's undies! I'm betting Yamaha will get it right for Rossi, though.

MOTOGP » Crash.net's Qatar GP blog: Friday.

Thanks, Mike Nicks for a thoughtful article. Who knows what''ll happen when the racing starts, but there are two big questions to me. First, how did Honda get caught with their pants down for a second year in a row? Second, where is Melandri and the rest of the Ducati riders? Honda has to be hoping to get out of Qatar without putting themselves in too deep a hole. Anything could happen in the cold desert night and we may see a surprise winner. HRC has to be grateful that there are 3 weeks until Jerez, another 2 to Estoril, and then another 3 weeks to China. That''ll give them some time to get the pneumatic engine ready. With Stoner at the front, Marco needs a good result for his confidence.