[jhansen]

Oh wait, it's only the second race. And yet, we're in Japan. WTF! Well, Motegi is usually a late season venue, but this year it is Round 2. Actually, I'm ok with that, because I'm not found of it as a venue that could decide the title outcome. The track doesn't inspire the soul much. It has lots of straights and heavy braking areas. There is a nice flowing section after the tunnel, but that's about it.

With that said, you have to expect that Stoner will be strong here. It just seems like a Ducati track. I'm sure Rossi will go well, but I think he is facing another challenging weekend. If he can bag another second before heading to Jerez I'm sure he'd be ok with that.

Stoner and Rossi were talking tires on Thursday. Rossi declares the new regulations difficult, as two compounds are sometimes not enough. Stoner is ok with it. He says it's easier to know what your competitors are up to.

Other than the top two, we have Dovi and Lorenzo I suspect. And maybe Pedrosa, although he still aint 100%. And quite honestly, it would be great to not have to hear him give a podium interview. We'll see how the Suzuki boys can get on and supposedly Hayden is back to full fitness. It will be interesting to see if he can look like he's riding the same bike as his teammate.

Round 1 saw an interesting 250 race. I doubt we will ever mention the name Jules Cluzel for the remainder of the season. But he was brilliant in Race 1. I believe that Simoncelli will race this weekend, but he'll be starting on zero points.

Hopefully 125 will put on a better race this time around. This is of course a guarantee, as they only put on a four lap race in Qatar.

Enjoy the racing everyone!