Gibernau and Melandri in MotoGP, Pedrosa and Aoyama in 250s and a major junior series in Spain. Gauloises are feared ready to quit, if Rossi's plan to run in a separately sponsored so-called 'satellite' team come to fruition. At the same time, Team Roberts

a more sinister level of muscle: from Dani’s feared Svengali Alberto Puig, in league with sponsors Repsol, for neither of whom were existing contracts, loyalty or propriety allowed to stand in the way of Dani-boy.It cast the previously benign sponsor

flicked down the road by another engine seize.The team withdrew after four utterly fruitless rounds for riders Mikki Ranseder and rookie Matt Hoyle. With negligible improvement to the engine over the first half of the year, they feared further efforts

champs of the past, from Bayliss and Edwards to the hapless James Toseland.But I fear another tsunami of misguided British passion – a repeat of Superbike mania, is on the way. As well as the return to Superbikes of Toseland after his MotoGP misadventure

, in the fear that some Hicksville Harley dirt-track team would slap down $2,000 and walk off with their bikes. Never actually happened, though.Most surprising was factory desire to keep the 800s for longer. This change of heart is credited to Suzuki. Their 800

Bull rookies returned in Spain, the pimply brigade reinforced by ten new 13-year-olds. It’s all ripping fun, overlaid with a chilling fear of a nasty crash. Nearly happened at Jerez, when a Japanese kid high-sided, and his cartwheeling bike hit British