The 117,000 fans who packed the stands at Valencia should have asked for their money back, after a dismal drear-fest procession of a MotoGP race. Asked afterwards, none of the top three riders - Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa - thought control tyres would

of last year was simply this: had we seen the old titan Rossi ousted? Was Stoner – all but the youngest ever Champion – at the start of a run of serial domination? Or was it all a trick of the light: a matter of electronics and tyres and horsepower, all

turned them down, preferring one more year with Yamaha to race Rossi on equal machinery. The Marlborites then hunted Pedrosa, though it appears without success, for they renewed Nicky Hayden’s contract as second rider, suggesting they had run out

: Simoncelli, Barbera, Bautista and run-out champion Aoyama. They asked for it, and they got it: extra days were laid on.Rossi spoke for many of the veterans with his throwaway line: “If they want to have more laps, they should have come to MotoGP five years

I'm guessing, BUT I predict that by the time you read this, Rossi will have one or even both hands on his third consecutive top-class championship.This year, however, has been a little different from last. 2002, the first year of the four

of last year was simply this: had we seen the old titan Rossi ousted? Was Stoner – all but the youngest ever Champion – at the start of a run of serial domination? Or was it all a trick of the light: a matter of electronics and tyres and horsepower, all

Lippy little git, Casey Stoner. He won no new friends when he spouted off at Rossi after losing the best race of the 800 era. That was in America, just before everyone went on holiday.It left fans world-wide to spend the ensuing weeks in castigating

How many times can one man achieve god-like status? What does he then become? Some sort of supergod? God among gods? Or just Valentino Rossi ..The once-elfin Italian’s sixth premier-class title, his eighth counting those in the tiddler classes

been not just challenging team-mate Rossi, but actually beating him at a couple of races. Which is hard for the established master. It’s one thing getting beaten now and then by Stoner on a Ducati or Pedrosa on a Honda. But it’s quite different by a guy

, and most especially traction control. TC has made the bikes too easy, according to Rossi’s latest outburst, aghast at results from the last test of 2007 at Jerez.He’d quit early after his first Bridgestone runs, in pain from his hand injury, leaving