Bigger engines, higher definition - same drama
After five months of hibernation in the wintry West Yorkshire wilderness it is finally time for me to emerge blinking into 5.4 million watts of light in Qatar, as the Losail International Circuit prepares to bring the MotoGP World Championship firmly back into the spotlight next weekend.
Like most fans of the sport I am a little disappointed that the curtain-raiser to the new season will be limited to Red Button coverage due to scheduling clashes in the packed Sunday evening time slot but that is made up for by my excitement that the following seventeen races will be shown live on the BBCHD channel, as well as on BBC2 (the Qatar race will be repeated in full on both channels later on Sunday evening).
High Definition television is made for the colour and movement of a spectacle such as MotoGP and there will be plenty of extra detail to pick out this season, especially with the switch from 800cc to 1,000cc machinery.
You don't need to be a mechanical engineer to work out that bigger bikes create more power and when it comes to racing this invariably means more excitement.
Hi, I'm Matt Roberts and I present the BBC's coverage of the MotoGP World Championship, a series I've been reporting on since 2001, and the NFL. You can follow me on 
