, trading the Kawasaki 990 in for the 800 on the second day, before retiring with mechanical problems, and going home early. But Kawasaki weren't the only team with problems. Throughout the test, the Hondas seemed to struggle, never really getting

to the prospect of fairing-bashing action. Much of the problem is down to the design brief: The track layout has been chosen to resemble the Chinese character "Shang", meaning "High" or "Above", which forms part of Shanghai's name. As beautiful as Chinese

examination of the state of MotoGP, we submit our own proposals which could form the basis for making the sport a great deal cheaper, and getting private teams back into the sport.As explained in part one of this series, the biggest problem facing the sport

, and a couple you didn't know you had. It truly is something to you have to see before you die. The problem is, it could well be the last thing you see before you die.After the insanity of Saturday night, joining 130,000 screaming Spanish race fans

early in 2007 - after a history of problems throughout the 2006 season as well - The Doctor engineered a switch to Bridgestones during the latter part of 2007. After a couple of races to get up to speed with the Japanese rubber, Rossi is back on top

the country. But because these tracks do not host hugely popular events such as NASCAR or the Indy Racing League, these often spectacular circuits have their own set of problems. Barber Motorsports Park is a superb track, with lots of elevation change

had the same situation in Jerez, and the teams complained bitterly that the cool morning sessions were virtually useless for finding a race setup, due to be run in the warmth of the afternoon. Istanbul looks set to repeat the experience. The problem

problems he has had this year behind him, and concentrate on trying to get his season back on track. A repeat of the 2006 race is extremely unlikely, however.Over in the other Ducati team, the situation is similarly muddied. Alex Hofmann is absent once

.A sign that they are taking the problems seriously is the announcement that for the time being, HRC will be focusing its efforts on the factory Repsol Honda team. While bad news for the rest of the Honda riders, it should help Nicky Hayden and Dani

. The problem is worse this year, with the Chinese authorities tightening up security for the Olympics, especially after the Olympic torch relay turned into a mass protest against China's active role in Tibet and her passive role in Darfur in Sudan. Beijing