's qualifying, leaving Stoner on the second row, down in 4th. And as the one session that really matters is in the afternoon, the race taking place after the scorching midday sun has taken its toll on the track, the odds were starting to sway Rossi's way

. Flicking left and dropping down onto a short straight then takes you on to another long, intimidating corner. Correntaio loops downhill to come back on itself, pushing the front all the way from the braking zone to the exit of the corner. Another fast left

's awe-inspiring display at season opener at Qatar, some people calculated that the Bologna Bullets could gain around a second a lap down the two long straights at Shanghai. Fortunately for the rest of the field, the long back straight is followed by a

-breathing 990s to the dustbin of history was that they were just too powerful, and too fast. Reducing engine capacity by 190 cc was the best way of slowing the bikes down, and making racing safer for all concerned it was thought. It only took a few winter tests

.As the leaders rounded the long left-hander of Bucine, leading back onto the front straight, it was still Dani Pedrosa at the front, but he knew that the chances of him holding on to that lead down Mugello's long straight were limited. Though the speed

back to Loris Capirossi, who had got past Toseland, but the Suzuki and the Tech 3 Yamaha were already a long way down.With Dovizioso out of his way, Stoner set about chasing the Honda of Pedrosa. On lap 3, Stoner took 3/10ths of his previous lap time

at close to 100 mph, before rocketing down the kilometre-long tarmac ribbon past the finish line. And that means that the huge injectors are spewing forth fuel into the thirsty, high-revving engines as fast as they can for a very long time. So far this year

from way down on the grid to battle for the lead. This was exactly what Valentino Rossi was counting on. A crash on his second qualifying tire had left The Doctor dazed and with a painful neck, and unable to get out in time for another assault on pole

The march of the seasons may well be Mother Nature's way of bringing balance to our hurried and stressful modern lives, but to motorcycle racing fans, it is a maddening annoyance. The onset of wet and windy fall, and the long, dark night of winter

such valuable data, and he used this skill to perfection, passing Stoner down the front straight and holding him off on the brakes into San Donato. Stoner struggled valiantly, fighting Barros every inch of the way, but try as he might, he could not get back past