Handlebars at Dawn - the MotoGP halfway report | Thebigtip

Being Jorge Lorenzo must be one of the most nerve-wracking jobs in the world right now. The 2010 Moto GP title was practicaly in his back pocket until a couple of rounds ago, with perennial powerhouse Valentino Rossi at home nursing a broken leg, and closest rivals Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso half a country mile behind him in the points table. But nothing's ever that simple in the wacky high-octane world of motor racing, and now the 23-year-old from Mallorca faces serious competition from not one, but three fellow riders who want the premier category glory all for themselves.

Six wins from the first nine races is some way to go, and no one can deny that fiery Lorenzo deserves to land the honours this season. He's certainly stamped his authority on a sport that had, in recent years, become Rossi's playground alone; and it's refreshing from a fan's point of view to witness a changing of the guard at the head of the premier class. Still, I'd check over my shoulder a little more often if I were him. That #99 Fiat Yamaha may be a force to be reckoned with, but there's a couple of Repsol Hondas and a sneaky Ducati that are slowly but surely beginning to do the reckoning.
 
Spaniard Dani Pedrosa made up for a sloppy seventh in Qatar's season opener with pole position at his home event in Jerez, which he soon translated into an authoritative lead. Just when it looked as though there might actually be something for surly Dani to smile about, bullish Jorge muscled past and snatched the golden prize from right under his countryman's very disgruntled nose. The epic battle was reversed two rounds later at Mugello, where pole-sitter Pedrosa clung like a clam to his lead and landed himself a perfect, resounding result. It wasn't enough to launch him into the championship lead though, as Lorenzo eked out his early advantage by bagging 20 points for a solid second placed finish.
 
Notching up a trio of third places that day was one Andrea Dovizioso, a competent rider still searching for his big break and a second career victory in the premier class. Things were looking up for the Repsol Honda rider, who in the first four championship races had consistently finished in the top six. He might be some 95 points adrift of the dogged Mallorcan, but he isn't down for the count just yet. Grand-scale misdemeanours have an ugly habit of occurring when the championship battle is at its tightest -  cast your mind back to Estoril 2006, the penultimate round of that year's championship. Nicky Hayden, gunning ferociously for his first Moto GP title, taken clean out of the runnings by his own clumsy team mate - Dani Pedrosa. It had been Hayden's title all season long, and his unfortunate DNF at the hands of his Honda comrade allowed a lurking Valentino Rossi to blast his way into the championship lead with a second place finish and an extremely smug grin on his animated face. Now we all know that Hayden fought back hard to claim his title at the final round, but the point remains that anyone who attempts to predict racing is a complete and utter numpty.
 
It's highly unlikely that Rossi will be crowned King of the Racetrack again at the end of 2010, as the comical Italian is still in the process of recovering from a fractured leg. He sustained the injury two months ago during practice for his home event, crashing out just 15 minutes from the end of a session in which he had been running third from the top of the timesheet. His progress has been miraculous though - virtually no one expected him to swing back into the saddle after a mere six weeks, but he did so in typical, confident Valentino style at the Sachsenring. Hobbling over to his Yamaha with the aid of a crutch, he hopped keenly back on and roared to a resounding fourth behind his former championship rival Casey Stoner. Laguna Seca and a triumphant (if unexpected) podium followed, proving that not even a shattered bone can stop him. Maybe that ridiculous 'Doctor' nickname has more truth behind it than we thought...
 
So maybe Valentino, poised for a switch to Ducati next season, isn't the man to take an outside challenge to runaway leader Lorenzo. But there's one more fella who can. He's one of four riders who've broken the 100 points barrier this year, and he's a former world champion to boot. Devilishly quick on his day, Australia's Casey Stoner could possibly seal it if the gods decide to smile in his direction. The 24-year-old from Queensland seemed to be having a scrappy start to 2010: when he wasn't dropping it in the gravel he was floundering in fifth, a rather lowly position for such a self-critical ex-champion to find himself in. It all turned around at Assen where he stormed to a long-overdue podium, and he's alternated between the second and third rostrum spot in each round since. Statistically, it will require Stoner to win every remaining round while Lorenzo scores virtually nothing to knock the championship favourite off his high horse.
 
We've hit the halfway mark now and it's all to play for. Lorenzo would undoubtedly make a worthy champion, but wouldn't it be scintillating if we went into Valencia with a four-way tussle on our hands?