The MotoGP boys return to action this weekend after a two week rest that wasn’t enough to prevent Casey Stoner from sitting out the next three races to recover from his mysterious ailment. Valentino Rossi leads teammate Jorge Lorenzo by 25 points in the championship and returns to a Brno track where he has taken four wins and three seconds in MotoGP. Seven rounds remain in a championship that is far from over, but with Rossi getting the better of Lorenzo in recent races and riding a Yamaha M1 that is considered the class of the field his ninth world title is in sight.Casey Stoner’s temporary departure has opened the door for Mika Kallio who moves up from the Pramac Ducati team to take over Stoner’s factory ride. Kallio has had some strong rides on the Pramac bike in his rookie season, and it will be interesting to see how his times and race pace compare with Nicky Hayden's on the other factory Ducati. The other beneficiary of Stoner’s leave of absence is Michel Fabrizio who moves up from the Ducati World Superbike team to replace Kallio on the Pramac Ducati at Brno. Fabrizio currently sits third in the World Superbike Championship behind Noriyuki Haga and Ben Spies.
The MotoGP silly season is in full swing with everyone waiting for Jorge Lorenzo to decide whether he’ll be moving to Honda or staying at Yamaha. Most in the paddock feel that his best choice would be to stay with Yamaha, and although he has yet to announce it he will probably be teamed up with Rossi again in 2010. Lorenzo’s decision will have an effect on the movement of other riders although it’s hard to say how it will affect Americans Colin Edwards and Ben Spies. The 35 year old Edwards has outperformed teammate James Toseland on the Tech 3 Yamaha, and looks likely to spend another year in MotoGP. Spies domination of World Superbike has raised his stock, and a move to MotoGP seems more likely if he is able to overtake Haga and win the championship. Like many before him Nicky Hayden has struggled on the Ducati. Hayden is the first to admit that he needs to improve, but with the factory’s recent release of a special edition Nicky Hayden Ducati 848 it’s hard to imagine that the Kentucky Kid won’t be riding a bike from Bologna in 2010.
