pressure, or attempted to scare the others into making a lapse of concentration.And as if this wasn't bad enough, the riders who make it into parc fermé are usually the same riders who are chasing the title, which means that not only have they just spent

, Rossi's help came from Nicky Hayden's Repsol Honda team mate, when Dani Pedrosa attempted an incomprehensibly optimistic pass up the inside of Hayden, taking the then championship leader out of the race, and seemingly out of contention for the title

the best part of the circuit, and the section the race is so often decided.The first opportunity to pass comes at Turn 9, where you can attempt to outbrake your rival for the hairpin. The problem is, if you pass them here, they have a chance to chase you

the festivities ablaze. Valentino Rossi returns to Mugello with a record rivaled only by Mick Doohan. The Doctor has won the last 6 races in a row here at the Tuscan track, and has not lost on a four-stroke GP bike. The last time Rossi lost here was in 2001

have only served to make the anticipation greater. The 800s are already smashing lap records, and want to be ridden like 250s, favoring riders like Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, and Randy de Puniet, last year's rookies. Valentino Rossi is staying in Moto

that was became clear from the pace the two leaders were setting. Casey Stoner was already a few hundredths under the old lap record pace on his 2nd lap, then shattered it on lap 3. But his place in the history books replacing Marco Melandri as lap record holder

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

, clinging on desperately to the controls in an attempt to keep the bike running, his wheels collecting the rear of Hayden's bike, almost throwing the Kentucky Kid out of the saddle, forcing him into the gravel and damaging his brake adjuster. Both men

in the afternoon. Impressively, Stoner smashed the existing pole record by over a third of a second. What was even more intimidating was the fact that he did it in FP2, on race tires, in a run of 7 laps. In fact, he put in a total of 5 laps under the pole record

. Nobody was ever a fan of a tire company, they say, a claim which Bridgestone and Michelin might publicly decry, while privately admitting.But concerns over safety and cost have prevailed, and in an attempt to at least slow up the ever-increasing speeds