team's lack of competitiveness over the past 2 years as evidence for their case that this is a fundamentally bad move. But there are some interesting changes going on at Tech 3. The first sign of change was Hervé Poncharal's announcement in early June

on the competition down the straights, leaving the four cylinders playing catch up. This really is a case of less is more.Until Ilmor, and anyone else entering from Formula 1, understand that motorcycle engines require a fundamentally different approach, an approach

, with the winner only absolutely sure of victory once they've crossed the finish line. If the bikes are different, the riders seem all too familiar. Although the names changed at a number of teams over the winter, it was more a case of shuffling the pack than

.From The Sublime To The RidiculousHe should have known better. The GT chicane is one of the most infamous turns in racing, and a place where many races have been won and lost, and many battles have been fought, both on, and in the case of Carl Fogarty and Frankie

of the tricky Laguna Seca track gained from several years - and in the case of Duhamel, several championships - racing there, they are likely to have problems getting to grips with the vastly more complex electronics of a MotoGP bike. Roger Lee may have

to finish in 6th was a remarkable feat, and a sign that the Spaniard had recovered his form. If this really is the case, then Lorenzo could be right at the sharp end once again.Like Lorenzo, Nicky Hayden will be his Repsol Honda team mate's dark horse

full of meteorological surprises, and it put on a repeat performance during the tests. In case we had forgotten about the rain canceling qualifying in September, the first day of testing ended with a downpour to remind us. In the tropics, when it rains

th and Hofmann's 11th spot saw the Pramac d'Antin bikes well up the order, instead of languishing in the tail scrabbling for points, as was so often the case last year.Shinya Nakano was the filling in the d'Antin sandwich, and he will surely also

motorcycle racing is all about: off-track mayhem and on-track action, all under a hot southern sun. The Phoney War is over, and battle is about to be joined in full force. Roll on Sunday.Read more of David Emmett's articles over on MotoGPMatters.com

the weather can change at a moment's notice. It's almost as if Nature stands ready to lend a hand, just in case the racing gets predictable. The only sure thing on Sunday is that anything could happen. It should be a gripping spectacle.Read more of David