Here Come The Brits
Please excuse us as we don the non-professional journalist hat: Wow! What a weekend!
First to step up to the plate were Neil Hodgson and Chaz Davies, competing in the fiercely-fought (and equally fiercely patriotic) Daytona 200 race. Unfortunately, Neil ran out of road on the chicane and lost over 20 seconds trying to get back on the track. He eventually finished in 38th place. Ever the racer, Neil raced in the Superbike event later that day, finishing a creditable 7th.
Meanwhile, Chaz battled on with his Attack Kawasaki ZX 6RR to earn himself a second place behind Mississippi rider Josh Hayes on a Honda CBR 600. However, Hayes was later disqualified for using an illegal bike, thus handing the win to Chaz. Whilst we're sure it is not how Chaz would have liked to have won, a win is a win as far as we are concerned. Well done Chaz and commiserations to Neil.
Having recovered from the action over in Florida, all eyes were on how well the British contingent in MotoGP would fare. Things were looking hugely positive following Saturday qualifying. In the 125cc category, there were three British riders in the top five. Of those, special mention has to go to Bradley Smith who, on his debut for Aprillia, scooped pole position. Close behind were Scott Redding who gridded 4th and Danny Webb in 5th
For the race, Bradley made a blinding start, getting himself well ahead of the pack. Unfortunately, after only two laps, the front end of his bike was seen to shake violently, an indication of problems to come. His machine continued to lose power and he maneged to limp home a disappointing 16th place. To give him credit, he was remarkably upbeat about it all in a post-race interview with the BBC and anticipated better luck (and results hopefully) at Jerez.
Meanwhile, Scott Redding (a rider we have already highlighted as one to watch) proved to be more than a match for the established riders, many of who were probably wondering who the hell this upstart was. Scott finished a fantastic fifth place but was up to second for a time. Sadly, the quality of the '08 bikes he was competing against came through at the end, although it was a photo finish to decide whether it was Scott or France's Mike Di Meglio who would card the 4th position, the decision going in favour of the Frenchman.
Coming close behind Scott was Danny Webb, who achieved his best GP result to date. All in all, a fantastic showing for the 125cc class.
In the premier class, we were stunned to see James Toseland break the Losail lap record twice to provisionally claim pole, only to have it taken from him in the dying minutes of qualifying by fellow rookie Jorge Lorenzo. However, a front row start in your first MotoGP event is a major achievement in anyone's book.
James showed everyone that, as reigning World Superbike Champion, the other riders in MotoGP didn't faze him. Despite having the older model Yamaha M1, he mixed it at the front with the best of them, even swapping paint with Lorenzo as he barged past him.
It could be seen on the circuit's 1km start/finish straight that Toseland's machine didn't have the legs of the 2008-spec bikes. However, in the twisty sections he was back among them. In the end, he finished a highly creditable 6th, just over a second ahead of team mate Colin Edwards, who came home in 7th.
Back home, all we have to do is calm down a little, following what for the British fans was probably the most exciting opening round of MotoGP in many years. Warmest congratulations to everyone. See you at Jerez!