Rossi clocks up win 100… but Stoner stays well in touch.

Those of you watching on TV might well have thought that Saturday’s Dutch Moto GP looked like a walk in the park for Valentino Rossi…but, from where I was watching in the TV commentary box, it seemed anything but.

We’re fortunate enough to have all the official timing screens on hand up there, and Rossi put in an astonishing mid-race charge to get away from his Yamaha team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo. ‘The Doctor’ pumped in a series of laps up to half a second per time quicker than even his qualifying efforts, and Lorenzo was going faster and faster, too. That meant that the two were at war with each other again – just like they were in Barcelona – but two or three seconds apart this time, rather than bashing fairings into corners, like they were a fortnight ago.

Maybe it might have been a very different job if Lorenzo had enjoyed a good start, but he really made a mess of it, unfortunately. And in the laps that it took him to overtake other rivals and get his team-mate Rossi back within sight again, the Italian was too far gone into the distance. Valentino has now made two separate points to his fast young team-mate inside the last two races; I can either overtake at the final corner or simply ride away from you all the way to the chequered flag. And didn’t ‘The Doctor’ enjoy celebrating his 100th Moto GP victory, as a result!

It was the same old story again for Casey Stoner, aboard the Ducati, in that he again hustled a difficult-looking machine to a good third place. He may well have been ill again, too, as he was very breathless immediately afterwards. Either way, though, he’d just scored a whole stack more World Championship points to stay well in touch with the leaders at the top of the Moto GP riders’ table. There are awful lot of points still up for grabs between now and the end of the season; and Casey could easily still win it.

Just what Stoner and Ducati achieved, under trying circumstances, can be measured against the disastrous performance of the Honda team at Assen. I’d be prepared to bet that both Pedrosa and Dovizioso crashed on the same centimetre of tarmac when they each, in separate accidents, fell off at Turn 1.

Ideally, as at Yamaha, you’d have two riders pushing each other harder and faster than ever before, with a consequent knock-on effect in terms of effort, concentration and morale to the mechanics and every other member of the team. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening at Honda, at the moment…but it’s still hard to see two riders around at the moment who might be better than who they’ve already got.

Honda’s hierarchy may well have looked on enviously at the performance of their former rider Nicky Hayden aboard the second Ducati, who turned in easily his best performance yet. He showed everyone in the Moto GP paddock that he’s still a great rider, and that he hasn’t shirked away from the challenge of trying to re-build his career.

In fact, Nicky looked like he was having a great time in amongst that fantastic, multi-bike battle for sixth place, and might have done even better than his eventual ninth spot had he not felt his handlebars come loose half-way through the race. That six-bike train was easily the best fight of the whole Moto GP, and it illustrated, once again, just how well off this series is for quality, right the way down the field.

Looking ahead to the next race in Laguna Seca, this looks as if it may well be an American Moto GP to remember, not least because the Californian venue seems to be one of Casey Stoner’s favourites. The hilly American circuit – particularly its world-famous ‘corkscrew’ section – is one where a truly brave rider can make a real difference in terms of lap-time. In fact, I’d personally regard it – and I speak from experience, here – as being just about the most challenging on the entire Moto GP calendar, not least because it’s the only track on the tour with no straights on it at all. Even the start/finish straight is more of a long curve!

The smart money will be on the sweet-handling Yamaha to succeed there, but a fully-fit Casey Stoner will surely take the fight to them. In fact, Ducati’s number one rider may well have revenge on his mind, after he was just edged out by Valentino Rossi at Laguna last season, after a ferocious, race-long battle. But there may well be other wild cards, too; Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen, for instance, seems to be a real specialist at this Californian circuit.

All in all, we look set for more thrills and excitement, and I can’t wait. It’s certainly going to be worth staying up late next Sunday evening to see!