What should be a buoyant weekend for Casey Stoner at the MotoGP season's finale in Valencia will certainly be one of torn feelings and reflection. With the championship wrapped up, Stoner would normally be a bundle of cheerful energy, reasonably relaxed and ready to put on a flamboyant expression session to see out 2011.
But the death of the exuberant Marco Simoncelli a fortnight ago is still raw in the minds of the close-knit MotoGP scene. Still, Stoner says he and his fellow riders are determined to put on an entertaining race in memory of the Italian. And for the Australian, that means he will want the satisfaction of a win. ''It will be difficult to return to racing this weekend after Marco's terrible accident in Sepang but I think it is the best thing we can do to honour him," Stoner said. "We know we all play a risky game and, even if compared to the past, the safety of our sport is much better. Unfortunately these kinds of events still occur. We will go out there this weekend and try to put on a good show for all the fans and especially in memory of Marco.'' Tomorrow, Stoner will look to next season when he tests his 2012 1000cc Honda. Life at 300km/h-plus moves on, albeit with sadness and emotion.
INDIAN INTEREST
Even Sachin Tendulkar has his thoughts centred on motor sport after India staged a successful inaugural formula one grand prix on the fringe of New Delhi last weekend. OK, traffic snarls made race access painful, some of the track buildings and surrounds were unfinished, and the asphalt surface was dustier than the circuits in sandy Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, but miraculously, much-criticised designer Hermann Tilke's creation attracted widespread praise from the men who use it. The drivers enjoyed the overtaking opportunities available on the wide open spaces of the Buddh International Circuit, but appreciated the challenge of the undulations and one testing corner approached blind over a crest. McLaren's Jenson Button, who was second last Sunday, confirmed the dust was a nuisance but insisted the positives outweighed the negatives. ''The circuit itself is a great circuit to drive, it's a fun circuit, it's a real challenge,'' he said. On the less dangerous side of the catch fences, 95,000 of India's poor, blatantly wealthy, and growing middle class, welcomed the F1 action. The corporate support, genuinely fast take-up rate and widespread endorsement from the visiting circus left a positive feeling that India is destined to become a favoured stopover on the calendar.
Formula one supremo Bernie Ecclestone, originally concerned the facility wouldn't be ready, came up with a nice one-liner: ''F1 is as popular in India as cricket in France but things will improve drastically in the years to come." He even hung about to watch the race. "I'm very, very happy with it, and everybody else is as well. We've nothing to complain about,'' he said in what is Ecclestone-speak for great enthusiasm. As for the little master - Tendulkar, not Bernie - there are rumours he is interested in buying into a race team. Bathurst 1000 winner Nick Percat raced and won in a support category at the Buddh track last weekend and immediately came out enthused, insisting V8 Supercars should make it an objective to hold a championship around there. With options drying up at home, and New Zealand looking doubtful beyond 2012, V8 Supercars Australia is busily scouring the world for international venues. One is in the Philippines. This must be a furphy as a web search reveals a scruffy track with little in the way of redeeming features. A more sensible suggestion is to attach the Fords and Holdens to the support card of the popular Macau Grand Prix street circuit - Ayrton Senna's favourite track. It has elements of Mount Panorama with long, fast sections joined by barrier-lined snaky bits and a tight hairpin. The Macau organisers don't worry about poncey bollards, instead using solid walls that easily deflect 1445-kilogram cars.
