Round One is(yawn)in the books...

How was that for ya, boys and girls? Looks like we left off right where we were at the end of the '08 season. Stoner and Rossi waaaaaaaaay ahead, with Lorenzo, Edwards and the rest of the gang half a lap behind. I'm a Stoner fan, a Rossi admirer, and BIG Edwards fan, and this is just a little dissapointing. Not that Edwards isn't anywhere near the podium, no, it's dissapointing that the racing is still not what it was ten years ago with the 500cc beasts, or even three years ago with the 990cc fire-breathers. But, still, the excitement and hype is still there, and it was a GP, none the less. Chris Vermeulen had an alright run in seventh, helping a little after his teammate Loris Capirossi bit the dust. Mika Kallio had an awesome debut on the Pramac Ducati, finishing 8th(I'm always happy to see my fellow scandinavian do well!). His teammate, Niccolo Canepa, well...yeah, finishing last, in a dead heat with Toseland in the end. He definitely has his work cut out for him. As well as JT, he's not looking good in his second year so far on the Tech3 Yam. Dani Pedrosa and Alex de Angelis(a rider, along with Dovizioso, who I feel has alot of potential), had a close call, with de Angelis as the latter took an opportunity to close a pass on Pedrobot in the corner. He earned a call-out from Pedro and a meeting with the stewards post-race. Andrea Dovizioso had a difficult race, missing the setup with the new spec Bridgestones, and finished a dissapointed 5th place(!). Dissapointed? Really...That's damn good for a second-year rider on a factory ride, others would kill to be in that position! It just shows the heart the kid has. Out of '08's rookie class, I think, personally, he'll go the farthest. As far as '09's rookie class...I don't know, we'll have to see...

Official Results-Commerical Bank Grand Prix of Qatar
1. C. Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team

2. V. Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team +7.771

3. J. Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team +16.224

4. C. Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech3 +24.410

5. A. Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team +27.263

6. A. de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini +29.883

7. C. Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP +33.627

8. M. Kallio FIN Pramac Racing +34.755

9. T. Elias SPA San Carlo Honda Gresini +29.481

10. R. de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP +42.284

11. D. Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team +48.526

12. N. Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team +48.883

13. S. Gibernau SPA Grupo Francisco Hernando +52.215

14. M. Melandri ITA Hayate Racing Team +56.279

15. Y. Takahashi JPN Scot Racing Team MotoGP +1'00.286

16. J. Toseland GBR Monster Yamaha Tech3 +1'14.978

17. N. Canepa ITA Pramac Racing +1'15.028

Not Classified
18. L. Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 15 Laps

Championship Standings(after Round 1)
1. Stoner 25
2. Rossi 20
3. Lornenzo 16
4. Edwards 13
5. Dovizioso 11
6. de Angelis 10
7. Vermeulen 9
8. Kallio 8
9. Elias 7
10. de Puniet 6
11. Pedrosa 5
12. Hayden 4
13. Gibernau 3
14. Melandri 2
15. Takahashi 1