A slightly late welcome to 2010. I’m still here, it’s just slow in these winter months. For this season I have a new theme and philosophy behind the site. Be on the lookout for less solitary race results, and more race commentary and wrap-ups.

Ducati confirmed previous rumors today. Lead rider Casey Stoner, having suffered illness at the last five races, is pulling out of the next three races at Brno, Indianapolis, and Misano. After consulting with his long time Australian Doctors during the break following the Donington Park GP, Casey Stoner and team decided that the best option for recovery from his mystery illness was more time off.

The decision did not come lightly to the former World Champion, he’s currently 37 points shy of Championship leader Valentino Rossi, and 12 points down from runner up Jorge Lorenzo. At Donington Park, Stoner took a massive risk going out on wet tires in what turned out to be a dry race and came in at 14th place, being lapped by the race leaders before the halfway point.

“After five extremely difficult races due to my health, I returned to Australia to visit the sports doctors who have looked after me for many years” said Stoner “We have taken the difficult decision not to contest the next three rounds of the championship, to allow my body time to recover from the recent stress. The doctors believe that during the Barcelona race I was suffering from a virus, and, that I subsequently pushed my body too hard, leading to problems that have caused my fatigue since then. The doctors are continuing with many tests to try to understand these problems and make sure it does not happen again. I have spoken with Ducati and thank them for their understanding at this time. I feel very sorry for the factory, my team, my sponsors and the fans and I am also disappointed because the bike in the last races has been very competitive. I will be doing everything possible to come back at full strength for Portugal.”

Stoner has the full support of his team and Ducati. “It’s obviously difficult for us to contemplate the next three races without Casey” said Livio Suppo “but it’s clear that the most important thing at this time is his health. Since his debut with us in Qatar in 2007, Casey has won 18 times as well as taking countless podium finishes, becoming one of the top riders in the World Championship in the process. We have already overcome tough times together, like when he had to undergo surgery on his scaphoid towards the end of last season. We are united whether in times of success or in times of difficulty. We are confident that the doctors will help solve the issues that have affected him since early June and that Casey will be able to take part in the last races of the year in peak fitness. Then we can prepare for 2010 in the best way possible.”

Pramac rider, Mika Kalio, will step up to the factory team and onto Stoner’s red Desmosedici. Michel Fabrizio will replace Kalio at Pramac.

From a press release issued by the FIM

April 11 *: Qatar – Doha/Losail
April  25: Japan – Motegi
May 2: Spain – Jerez de la Frontera
May 16: France – Le Mans
May 30: Italy – Mugello
June 6: Great Britain – Silverstone
June 26 **: Netherlands – Assen
July 4: Catalunya – Catalunya
July 18: Germany – Sachsenring
July 25 ***: United States – Laguna Seca
August 15: Czech Rep. – Brno
August 29: Indianapolis – Indianapolis
September 12: San Marino & Riviera di Rimini – Misano
September 19: Hungary – Balatonring
October 10: Malaysia – Sepang
October 17: Australia – Phillip Island
October 31: Portugal – Estoril
November 7: Valencia-Ricardo Tormo – Valencia

Reserve circuit,”Motorland Aragon Circuit”

*: Evening Race
**: Saturday
***: Only MotoGP class

A serious gamble on the part of the factory Ducati team saw both of their riders start off on wet tires while every single other rider choose slicks. With the race having been declared wet, it was an arguably genius move. Unfortunately for the riders in red, whatever information their teams had about the weather was wrong and both riders were lapped by the race leaders before the halfway point of the race.

Toni Elias led for a few brilliant laps at the beginning, but was quickly swallowed by faster riders. He was still in contention when he ran just a little too wide, hit the slippery white line, and high sided his way out of the race. He came away unharmed, but with nothing to show for his brilliant early form.

Jorge Lorenzo was the next to crash, leading the race with a decent margin, he too caught the edge of the white line and got flung into the gravel for his efforts. He got up uninjured, but his bike hit the wall and was unrecoverable. Back in the pits he had to watch as Valentino Rossi took his hard earned lead and ran with it. But Rossi wasn’t having a runaway as might have been expected. Dani Pedrosa was having problems of his own and was slipping all the time towards the middle of the pack as his team mate Andrea Dovizioso was sat right on the very tail of Rossi’s Yamaha M1.

Dovi showed Rossi his front tire on a few occasions, but Rossi kept him behind him as they both made their way through the very treacherous conditions. Until Rossi’s back tire went out from under him and he slid out of the lead. He and his M1 were OK and able to get back up, but the damage was done and he wasn’t going to win the final race at Donington Park.

In the end, Andrea Dovizioso held onto his lead and won his first MotoGP race. Colin Edwards made his way from 15th position to finish a brilliant 2nd, Tech 3 Yamaha’s first podium of the season, and Edward’s first time on the box in far too long. Randy De Puniet raced brilliantly, reeling in Dovizioso and fending off Edwards for much of the last half of the race, and finished in 3rd. His first podium, and well deserved after his form this season. The factory Ducati riders ran in last place for the entire race, likely coming up with ways in which to torture whomever tipped them off on the weather for much of their time out on the track.

Rossi grabbed extremely valuable championship points and is now one race’s win ahead of tittle rival and team mate Lorenzo. Who watched on from his box as Rossi threw away a point scoring position only to remount and score more points. The gods of racing were not looking too kindly down on Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati it seems.

Consistent Lorenzo set mid to low 1.28’s throughout the entire session, only losing out when the softer tires were put on. Pedrosa ran well, Stoner crashed with 20 minutes to go and couldn’t improve on his spare bike. Rossi, running in 4th for most of the session, waited until MotoGP commentator, Gavin Emmett, spoke up to say that Rossi probably wouldn’t get pole. And then proceeded to set the fastest lap starting in the very next split in an effort to reinforce the idea that you can never count him out.