Sunday, Rossi took another comfortable win at LeMans. The first few laps were a really tight battle between Pedrosa, Stoner, Edwards and Rossi. Stoner was leading for several laps as Rossi made his way from fourth position to second. After Rossi got around Stoner, Pedrosa was next. Soon thereafter, Stoner started having some issues with his bike and ended up pushing it into the pits with about 10 laps before the finish. Right about then Jorge Lorenzo found his way up into the pack of leaders. He had been working up order during the entire race after a very poor start. Lorenzo was able to get past Edwards and Pedrosa, even though he is still racing on two broken ankles. Rossi had a comfortable gap at the front and was able to coast in for the checkered flag. Lorenzo finished second and Edwards third. The 3 podium spots were all Yamaha this week. Not only did this win put Rossi at the top of the list as the new World Championship points leader, but it also tied him as the rider with the second most GP wins in history. Not a bad weekend.

This Sunday, May 18th will be the Alice Grand Prix De France. Rossi, and the Fiat Yamaha team have a bit of momentum for this weekend, coming off of such a strong victory in China. Rossi has a personal agenda for Sunday, to gain retribution for his last 2 races on this track. Although he has taken 2 checkered flags in this circuit at the premier level, last year at this track, is where Rossi began a year-long battle against equipment and injury that culminated in the winless streak broken 2 weeks ago in China. In 2006 Rossi had a comforable lead in the race when his tires (he was riding Michellin at the time) started to quickly wear out, with about 3/4 of the race left. This year Rossi has made the jump to Bridgestone, as a tire sponsor. If Rossi can pull of a win this week in LeMans, it will be a huge boost for the 5 upcoming races, all in Europe, where Rossi has traditionally accumulated the bulk of his championship points.

As much as Rossi has working in his favor this weekend, it isn’t as though he will be able to just waltz out of there with a win. Lorezno almost podiumed in China with a broken ankle. Stoner was also coming back strong last week. Finally, lets not forget the current championship points leader, Dani Pedrosa who will undoubtedly be a strong competitor on Sunday. In addition, Suzuki has announced the entry of Ben Spies as a wild card rider for Sunday. Although it is improbable that the Superbike veteran will be much of a threat to the leaders, it should liven up the mix a bit. I will be watching this one from “the road” but there are 4 races in June, so feel free to join me for any of them.

This Sunday will be the Pramac Grand Prix of China. I have a feeling that this race is going to be crazy. The first free practice session on Thursday started out nuts with a nasty highside by the current points leader, Jorge Lorenzo (seen here being thrown from his Yamaha M1). Luckily he only sustained a fracture in his ankle and some abrasions to his left knee and hand. It is still uncertain if he will race on Sunday. Even if he doesn’t it should be a good show. As of this morning’s free practice, Rossi has the fastest time by a solid lead with Stoner at second fastest. I’m not going to make any predictions until qualifying is over, but I would love to see a good battle between current world champion, Stoner, and the veteran, Rossi. Click here to see the full photo sequence of Jorge’s mishap.

Sunday’s race wasn’t the most exciting thing ever. The rookie Jorge lorenzo started on pole, with Pedrosa and Rossi qualifying 2nd and 3rd respectively. Those three pretty much controlled the pace of the race. Lorenzo and Rossi were in the lead for most of the race. By the 13th lap, Rossi was clearly having some equipment issues and dropped back to third position where he finished the race. About that same time Lorenzo started to open up a gap at the front of the race, which widened with every lap until the checkered flag. Hayden crashed out. Stoner barely finished in the top 10. The next race is in China on May 4th. Hopefully it will be a little more eventful.

After 2 free practice sessions, Rossi and Pedrosa are pulling down the fastest times in Estoril. Stoner is barely in the top 10 fastest so far. It would be great if this Sunday ends up being a tight battle between the two. After the win in Spain, 2 weeks ago, Pedrosa now holds the lead, as far as world championship points go. Rossi has never finished off the podium in Portugal and I’m sure would love to sneak ahead of Pedrosa, in the points (he is currently in third position). In contrast, last year was the first time that Pedrosa had a podium finish in Portugal. Estoril is an exciting track for GP because it is oldschool and super technical, like Laguna, with a lot of change in elevation and bumps exiting the corners. I would like to see Rossi win on Sunday. It would also be nice, but less probable, to see Hayden finish on the podium. Go Rossi. Go Hayden. As always, I’m taking reservations for seating on the couch Sunday.

Well, there you have it. As I sit here at work, counting down the hours until the first GP race of the season (or at least the local broadcast of the first race), it becomes apparent that it may be a repeat of last season. In the pre-2007 seasons, dating back to when he first started racing in the premier class, Valentino Rossi was the man to beat. He started on the Honda RC-211 V. When people attributed his massive success to the bike, he switched over to Yamaha (a notably crappier bike, at the time) just to prove that it was his riding ability, not the machinery, that set him apart. 2006, Rossi had an unfortunate series of mechanical, and health related events that resulted in Nicky Hayden taking the world title(no offense Nicky). Last year there was only one person who stood out. It was Casey Stoner. Barely into his twenties, Stoner teamed up with Ducati and their new Desmodeci bike, beat the crap out of everyone. I mean, the dude did not lose. Those who watched the races know what I’m talking about. He would qualify for the front row (if not pole)almost every race and develop a huge gap at the front. Even when his tires were obviously warn, and creating a super rough ride for him, Stoner was detonating all the way to the finish line. It was amazing at first, but then it got kind of boring, watching Stoner blow everyone away each week. I just checked the standings from the first free practice at Quatar (Sunday’s race) and Stoner is leading. I’m hoping with fingers crossed, that someone brings some serious competition for Stoner this year (even though I am a fan of his). Come on Rossi! Come one Hayden! Step it up gents! P.S. I’m still taking reservations for spots on the couch, Sunday evening.