So, Shakey and the new Ducati open with a double. Sounds a bit like WSB, that! I'm still not convinced the Ducati has no unfair advantages - they may not be any faster at the top end than the fours, but it's how they get there that counts. That was always the problem with the 750cc fours versus the litre Dukes: history repeating itself?

Now that James Haydon's retired, is there an unluckier racer in the business than Karl Harris? Presumably he can't actually remember what it's like to ride uninjured! Even minding his own business in race 1: Sykes has an orbital highside in front of him and Harris gets to stop the wayward and airborne Rizla Suzuki with his face. Unbelievable that he got away with it.*

* In a manner of speaking. Ever noticed how commentators watch somebody plough off track at a zillion miles an hour, rag-doll through the gravel traps and slam to a broken halt against the air fence before coming up with: "Well, he was lucky to get away with that!". Think you'll find he didn't, chaps. "Getting away with it" would be NOT crashing at all...

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

Not going to say anything more about the results, though - if you don't have satellite, there's a highlights package on Channel 4, 7th May at 02:00 (and repeated a couple of times in the week). Well worth watching, this season is shaping up to be truly excellent.

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

Back at Brands for round 3, it was another day for plenty of crashes and the occasional red flag. A fairly processional first race with Shakey at the front rather set the day up. It's one of those tracks where the riders can end up separated by a couple of seconds quite easily: the pace car saw some use, which tightened the pack up for a while, but really, not the best day's racing ever.

Crutchlow deserves an honourable mention, finishing 3rd and 1st while riding with a busted ankle. As does Sykes, busy competing with Harris for the title of unluckiest racer in Britain - his Suzuki detonated near the end of race 2 and spat him into the scenery, forcing a red flag in Crutchlow's favour.

Still fairly open in the points race, but everyone else is going to need a lot more consistency to haul back on Shakey's lead.

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

You'd think by now that it would be possible to come up with a working set of rules. But superbike racing has always given the impression of being in Ducati's pocket, even going back to the days when they were excused having to build any road machines for homologation purposes. Wish the organisers (BSB and WSB both) would just tell them to either build bikes that fit the existing rules or go somewhere else to race! Doesn't seem unreasonable. especially since MotoGP have managed it - Ducati seemed perfectly happy to build a level-playing-field 1000 (now 800) cc four to join that particular party...

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

Personally I think its great that there is a fair spread of manufactureres within the series but I don't see why one should be given an 'advantage'.

The rules should state in my opinion, a max cc, any configuration allowed. It's then the choice of the manufactureres to choose which config they figure would be best suited. (A bit like Honda creating the V5 for Moto GP when the rules changed).

It's ducati's choice to race a twin, why should they be given an advantage? Why can't they build a V4 for example, it's now a road bike, so homologate it and stop whining about unfair advantages of four cylinder bikes.

Or let the four cylinder bikes over bore to 1200cc

One rule for one and a different one for another is stupid!

Sideways through time

Be interested to see if the WSB rules also penalise Ducati, as you don't get much more Italian than Paolo Flammini...

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

Good win for Val at the weekend. Another plucky ride from JT

so is Val going to grab back the world championship, or is the shrewd money on Pedrosa with Stoner an outside bet this year?

Sideways through time

Rossi did good, but then he always does at Mugello and it is supposed to be a track well-suited to Yamahas. He certainly seems to have sorted the Bridgestones, though I'd expect to see him get some more serious competition over the next few rounds.

I still think it may be Lorenzo who poses the biggest threat, if he can start pulling back the points gap quickly.

That said, the prototype air-valve Honda was running quietly round at the back but posting absolutely wicked top speeds. Put one of those under the Pedrobot and he may well be the bookie's choice...

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

About par for the course: Shakey extended his lead yet again. Only one win, race 2 - but to be fair a hugely impressive one after the inevitably unlucky Harris highsided right in front of him. From a dead stop and about thirteenth place, Mr Byrne made his way ruthlessly and inexorably to the front to beat race 1 winner Camier a lap from the end.

So, Ducati one-two in both races, followed by both HM Plant Hondas. Haslam, amazingly, failed to knock anybody off but did noticeably crack under pressure from Byrne.

Doesn't look like the weight penalty on the 1098s has made a blind bit of difference - if anything, the Airwaves team look even more likely to fill the first two championship slots. Still not a level playing field in my opinion...

>> ex silens nox noctis <<

Excellent to see Michael Rutter take the race 2 victory: he really is a top bloke and deserves to get some good results. Remember seeing him many years ago being interviewed post-race, having wrestled an unruly RC45 into an unlikely podium place. The commentator asked him if he'd enjoyed the race. There was a pause, then a rather lugubrious: "Well, I quite liked the straight bits...".

Shakey, almost needless to say, won t'other race and came in second behind Rutter. Might as well give him the trophy now, in all honesty.

No-one else showed a lot of consistency, it must be said. Haslam does appear to have lost it, forever running off track and making all sorts of other unforced errors. Crutchlow did put in a brilliant race 2 performance, though - there's another rider that I've got a lot of respect for. And amazingly, Karl Harris finished a whole race: Rob McElnea must think it's Christmas!

>> ex silens nox noctis <<