1 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati

2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Yamaha

3 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda

4 A Dovizisio (It) JiR Team Scot

5 V Rossi (It) Yamaha

6 J Toseland (GB) Yamaha

7 C Edward (US) Yamaha

8 L Capirossi (It) Suzuki

By Julian Shea

606: DEBATE Your views on the big race

Send us your views, comment and opinions on the Qatar MotoGP - text us on 81111 or use 606. (Not all contributions can be used)

"Great Race Rossi Beaten Up again. JT Well Done just need some more HP."
weonlysingwhenwefish, via 606

"Sadly i'm missing the race as i'm at work :( thank god for the internet keeping me up to date on toseland's debut. Come on JT!"
anonymous texter

Lap 22: With the front two well clear of the rest, Dovizisio and Rossi are involved in a hugely entertaining battle for fourth place. With the pair of them wrapped up in beating each other, can Toseland stage a late surge and get up into fifth? Er, no, but almost.

At the death Dovizisio steals fourth from Rossi.

They think it's all over - it is now. And the vital statistics are:

1 C Stoner (Aus) Ducati

2 J Lorenzo (Sp) Yamaha

3 D Pedrosa (Sp) Honda

and

6 J Toseland (GB) Yamaha - a very creditable debut.

"He certainly doesn't use his brain for remembering jokes".
BBC sport commentator Charlie Cox on Dani Pedrosa, not a man famed for smiling a great deal.

Lap 19: Ah, the confidence of youth - Dovizisio has the nerve to pass Rossi and is promptly slapped back into place by the Doctor. Will that slap in the face maybe give Toseland hope of passing Dovizisio into fifth place?

Lap 18: Lynn said she was hoping for a closer fight than last season. The way Stoner is performing today suggests your hopes may be in vain. Once he gets out in front, he seems to have nothing else on his mind than the road ahead. He has not been challenged yet and his times are suggesting it's unlikely to change tonight.

Lap 17: Ouch. Alex de Angelis spins off into the gravel - plenty of dust and rolling around as the bike somersaults away. Nothing damaged other than his pride as he gets up and walks away seemingly ok.

"Can't watch on TV so it's great you're doing this. Am hoping this season is a closer fight than last."
Lynn, via 606

All part of the service Lynn, glad you're enjoying it.

Lap 15: Randy de Puniet is giving Loris Capirossi something to think about back in eighth place but the experienced Italian holds off the Frenchman. Here's a good bit of MotoGP trivia for you - Capirossi is a big country & western fan as when he was learning English, he found English people spoke too fast and Americans spoke more slowly, so he learnt the language by listening to country records. I swear this is true.

Lap 14: Stoner is 0.923 seconds ahead of Lorenzo. Dovizisio and Toseland are definitely closing the gap on third and fourth. 2006 champion Nicky Hayden is back in 11th place, while his team-mate Pedrosa is challenging up the front. What has the American done wrong to deserve the rotten luck he has had since winning the title?

Lap 13: Back in sixth place, Toseland is 4.6 seconds off the lead, and he is currently lapping faster than Rossi.

Lap 12: Rossi is struggling to shake off Pedrosa, and it looks just a matter of time before he tries to zip past. Up the front, Stoner sets a new lap record - 1:55.489.

Lap 11: Vermeulen returns to the track with a new tyre but surely he can only be getting track time now, rather than mounting a serious challenge. The gap between Lorenzo in second and Rossi in third is looking pretty big, and with Stoner looking ominously in the groove up front, the battle for third between Rossi and Pedrosa is the main point of interest at the moment.

Lap 10: Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen is back in the pits with a knackered-looking front tyre. Great disappointment for someone who has come into the season with such high hopes.

All quiet on the texting front at the moment, so feel free to send one - the most recent one is in fact from someone going into great detail about how much she enjoyed Dancing on Ice last night. Er, not a BBC programme so not really our business, but it's nice to know anyway.

Lap 9: Toseland is not bothering the podium places at the moment, but the Briton is holding his own in sixth place and is by no means out of it.

Lap 8: Stoner makes it clear to Lorenzo that the youngster should have a bit of respect for his elders - not that there can be too many years between them - as he tears up inside him on the straight, and then nips past Rossi into the lead. Happy scenes in the Ducati garage.

Lap 7: Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo all seem to be trying to climb onto the same bike to try and close the gap on Rossi. Nerve-shredding stuff but everyone holds their nerve and, more importantly, their handlebars and stays on.

Lap 6: The front of the field seems to have settled down now, with no attempted passing for a couple of minutes. But no sooner do I say that than Lorenzo comes very close to bumping Pedrosa's back wheel.

Lap 4: Just in case Pedrosa was wondering what was going on behind him, Rossi lets him know by closing the gap to be on the Spaniard's shoulder. And he doesn't wait for long, charging past into the lead.

Lap 3: Stoner passes Toseland but the Briton shows he is no respecter of reputations and does his best to keep the MotoGP champion within touching distance.

Lap 2: Team-mates Rossi and Lorenzo make contact although neither rider is in danger of coming off. Maybe they're just not used to being that close with a divided garage. Rossi and Lorenzo coming into contact - a sign of things to come this year maybe?

Lap 1: A great start by Dani Pedrosa, the man who won the final race of last season, with the Tech 3 duo of Edwards and Toseland close by. No crashes or drama at the first corner, which is a relief.

2001: AND WE'RE OFF!!

2000: With the temperature plummeting as the desert night sets up, the riders have a last waggle of the tyres as they get ready for the off.

1957:coolhandpaul on 606 says he is "missing Suzi Perry's legs - Steve Parrish's just aren't the same". Frankly coolhandpaul, it would be a slight worry if they were. On behalf of your viewing public, get well soon Suzi!

"Can't wait for the race to start. All the best to JT, looks like we could finally have a British rider capable of getting on the podium!"
davealyward, via 606

1950: BBC pitlane reporter Matt Roberts is getting a last-minute word with the big names - James Toseland grins and bears it, and tries to be polite, but you get the feeling he might be a bit on the nervous side and would rather not talk at this precise moment.

"Sometimes things can go too smoothly and I was waiting for something to happen - unfortunately it happend in the race - in the second lap the steering damper fell off and I couldn't do anything about it."
Bradley Smith on his unlucky technical problems in the 125cc race

1940: So far British fans have already had an eventful weekend - not only Toseland's second place on the starting grid in the main event, but also an eventful weekend in the 125cc competition.

Bradley Smith became the first Briton in pole in 30 years - almost twice as long as he has been alive - but when it came to race day, his Aprilia suffered technical problems which scuppered his chances.

But into the breach stepped fellow teenagers Scott Redding and Danny Webb, who came home in fifth and sixth places respectively.

1930: Not long to go now until the waiting is finally over and the excitement of MotoGP 2008 is finally under way.

Plenty of new faces and big reputations will be lining up on the grid in Qatar as the battle to follow Casey Stoner as world champion starts under the floodlights.

After the incredible drama of the 2006 season, where Nicky Hayden sealed his astonishing title win in the final race, 2007 was not quite such a thriller, with Stoner proving too good and his Ducati proving too fast for anyone to catch him.

So hopes are high for a bit more excitment this season, and this is the place to follow all the action. Where are you following the race and what are your thought and hopes for the new season?

Please get in touch with us on 606 or by texting 81111 to let us know your thoughts on all the action. May the best - and fastest - man win.