The life of a MotoGP rider can seem utterly sublime to outsiders. Flying around the globe to ride the most advanced motorcycles on the planet at some of the best tracks in the world sounds like a pretty idyllic existence. Combine this with a very generous salary, a three-day work...

tracks in the world. The Italian track seems to bring out the poetical in even the most hard-nosed and cynical of journalists and press officers, and before you know it, you are awash with press releases and previews sounding more like paeans

There is something about the Circuito do Estoril which just exudes drama. Firstly, there's the location: Situated just a few miles from Portugal's wild Atlantic coast, with only a few hills between the track and the ocean, the next stop past the beach is Atlantic City, New Jersey...

In the 18th century, the cream of London society would entertain themselves by taking a jaunt up towards Moorfields, pay a penny to the warden, and stroll through the wards of the Bethlem Royal Hospital to gawp at the antics of those who had the misfortune to suffer from mental i...

There are many hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of racetracks around the world. Each of them is unique, and has a particular personality. Some are bland and faceless, like Shanghai. Others, like Barcelona, have plenty of character, but have no real tie to their location. But per...

There's something ineffably romantic about a newly-crowned champion returning to his native soil to be feted in his home race. And at first sight, Casey Stoner would seem to fit that poetic notion just perfectly: a handsome youngster and his beautiful young bride return home aft...

It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast in climate than the chilly, blustery spring conditions of Phillip Island, which the MotoGP circus has just left, and the slow broil of Sepang, set slap bang in the middle of the tropics, where they head to this weekend. You would thin...

And so, after the excitement of the Turkish Grand Prix, we head eastwards, from the Orient Express to the Trans-Siberian Express, leaving Istanbul to head off to Shanghai in China. Though some 5,000 miles apart, the two circuits are remarkably similar: They are both new facilitie...

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

The Shanghai International Circuit is a strange place. It is, to paraphrase Dickens, the best of tracks and the worst of tracks. For like so much of the building going on due to China's rise as a global superpower, the facilities are quite simply remarkable. The pit garages are s...