MotoGP - Rd 1 - Qatar | Today In Sport

MotoGP - Rd 1 - Qatar

by The Stinger on Apr.13, 2009, under Motorsport, Uncategorized

The 2009 MotoGP season kicks off in the most bizarre setting, the desert of Qatar at night. After a season in 2008 that saw Valentino Rossi return to the top of the class and an injury and crash riddled title defence by Casey Stoner we start anew with some fresh faces up from the 250’s and some old heads ready to go round again.

Valentino Rossi begins his title defence on his trusty Yamaha with a host of young guns nipping at his heels ready to take his crown off of him again. 2007 champion Casey Stoner has tried to put his bad season behind him and an injury plagued off-season hasn’t really helped. The Australian is hoping his body can hold up to the rigours of a long season and that his Ducati has gotten rid of some of its reliability problems.

Former champion Nicky Hayden has joined Stoner at Ducati and hopes to make a return to the title race but after a huge highside in qualifying may not make the starting grid for race one. Dani Pedrosa and new Honda teammate Andrea Dovisioso look to take their team back to the top of the mountain. They are two of the most talented young riders to come through recently.

With old boys Sete Gibernau, Colin Edwards and Loris Capirossi and the new youngsters like Mika Kallio, Jorge Lorenzo and Alex De Angelis all in the mix this looks like an exciting year.

Casey Stoner has taken pole for the first race of the year with Rossi and Lorenzo joining him on the front row.

Ed: The Qatar GP has been delayed by a day by rain. Considering Qatar only get 5 days of rain a year that’s pretty unlucky.

Share and Enjoy:

:motogp, Motorsport

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Today In Sport
If it happened in sport today, we're probably making fun of it.
Today In Sport
- Holger Osieck - The Socceroos New Boss August 14, 2010
  This past week the Football Federation of Australia announced the successor to Pim Verbeek for the head coach position with the Socceroos, Holger Osieck. Who? No, seriously. Who the hell is that? Well apparently after a mediocre playing career, he worked his way up to being Franz Beckenbauer’s assistant/clipboard monkey at Italia 90. Oh by […]
  The Stinger
- Barclays Premier League 2010/2011 - A Quick Preview August 14, 2010
  The new English Premier League season is upon us and here is my picks for where everyone will finish plus a few extra special predictions. 1. Chelski 2. ManCiti 3. Arselol 4. ManUre 5. Liverwurstpool 6. Rottenham 7. Villa 8. EverTimmeh 9. Fulham 10. Small Heath Alliance 11. Wigan 12. Stoke 13. Sunderland 14. Newcastle 15. West Ham 16. Bolton 17. Blackburn 1 […]
  The Stinger
- Shaquille Becomes A Jolly Green Giant August 7, 2010
  Shaquille O’neal was this week announced as the newest addition to the Boston Celtic’s All-Star Cavalcade Of Future Hall Of Famers Retirement Tour. That’s not to say that this team won’t be competitive, far from it. They have over 50 combined All-Star appearances on their roster and they can all still play. But they are not [...]
  The Stinger
- Ilya Kovalchuk - The Saga Continues August 3, 2010
  For those who came in late, Ilya Kovalchuk was traded during the middle of last season from Atlanta to the New Jersey Devils. He became a much sought after commodity during the off-season and was actively pursued by many a NHL club, most notably Los Angeles. But the New Jersey management came up with a brilliant plan. Offer [...]
  The Stinger
- 2010/2011 Hyundai A-League Season Preview August 1, 2010
  A brand new Hyundai A-League season begins on Thursday complete with a brand new team, the Melbourne Heart. There have been changes a plenty over the off-season, new managers have entered, goalkeepers have been moving around left, right and center and Australian players have returned from their time with overseas clubs. So, who will win this [...]
  The Stinger
- The Top Ten Newspaper Headlines During The World Cup* July 18, 2010
  *Newspapers may or may not be real. 10. The Kim Jong Il Times, North Korea - 23 People Shot And Killed During Welcome Home Ceremony For North Korean Football Team. 9. The Montevideo Sun, Uruguay - New Goalkeeper Suarez Keeps Uruguay In World Cup 8. The Springbok Sentinel, South Africa - The Johannesberg Symphony Orchestra To Add Vuvuzela To [...]
  The Stinger
- Happy Birthday Dad. July 13, 2010
  Today is my father’s birthday, so Happy Birthday dad. My love of sport comes from him. He introduced me to so many different sports and helped give me a overall enjoyment of all sports. He came from a big family and all of them loved their footy, especially growing up not far from the Footscray football [...]
  The Stinger
- The Weirdest Olympic Sports In History June 22, 2010
  Throughout the history of the modern Olympic Games many sports have come and gone. Some events were merged or incorporated with others, but other sports were banished altogether. There are many sports that were given a go and either through lack of participating countries or just flat out strangeness, they had to be let go. Here [...]
  The Stinger
- FIFA World Cup - Refereeing At Its Worst? June 21, 2010
  The 2010 FIFA World Cup has been hit by a spate of at the very least, questionable decisions being made by the match referees. Sure, the actual football has at times been on the wrong side of good but the officials are making it hard for teams to play. The World Cup is supposed to be [...]
  The Stinger
- 2010 FIFA World Cup - Round 1 Review June 17, 2010
  Well, the first round of matches in this years World Cup are done and dusted and there were a few thrills and some bigger spills, especially from big guns Spain and England. Best Performance - Argentina’s defeat of Nigeria - It would be easy to say Germany’s demolition of Australia but two of their goals came [...]
  The Stinger