MotoGP world champion booed at Donington

Casey Stoner is a hard rider to love. He speaks in a monotone whine, he lacks charisma, he rarely smiles, and he’s Australian. It’s the perfect recipe for unpopularity, at least in Britain.

So when Stoner won Sunday’s British round of MotoGP, not everyone was happy. He received a mixed reception on the podium, with boos as audible as the cheers.

“What do they want? Are they here to watch racing? It’s not the right way to come to a race track,” Stoner said after the race. “It’s nice to see people here in good numbers but not if they’re here for the wrong reasons.”

Ducati looking strong at Donington

Reigning world champ Casey Stoner set the pace in the first practice session for this Sunday’s British MotoGP. The Aussie has slagged off the Donington Park circuit in the past, but that didn’t stop him setting the quickest lap on Friday morning run, a 1:28:979.

Rookie Alex de Angelis clocked the second fastest lap of the session in his final outing of the first session, but was still half a second off Stoner’s time.

Local boy James Toseland is under huge pressure to perform in front of home fans, but he couldn’t match Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards, who set the third-fastest time of the morning. Andrea Dovizioso, Nicky Hayden and Chris Vermeulen completed the top six, with Toseland (7th) and Valentino Rossi (8th) the only other riders within a second of Stoner’s time.

What we discovered in Mugello

1. All of the grid girls were called Alice. Apparently.

2. Valentino Rossi’s brilliantly eye-catching helmet put off all of his rivals, as we suspected it might. Not that we’d ascribe Rossi’s victory to his helmet alone, but it sure helped.

Grid Crasher sees who endured a China crisis

Five winners:

1. Valentino Rossi The Doctor is back again, after a seven-race winless streak - ah, we never doubted him. The Italian maestro hardly put a wheel wrong in Shanghai, and is deservedly the new bookies’ favourite for the title. Great to see him back on the podium’s top step.

2. & 3. Charlie Cox & Steve Parrish The BBC’s MotoGP first-class commentary duo continue to entertain, inform and excite – they complement each other so well. We’d like to see them involved somehow in the Beeb’s F1 coverage next season.

German F1 legend shines on competitive motorbike debut

The steely blue eyes and hawkish nose are unmistakable. Yes, Michael Schumacher is back on the track – and this time we can see his legs. The man with the worst nickname in the history of motorsport – seriously, couldn’t he come up with anything better than ‘Schumi’? – finished fourth in his first competitive motorbike race. The 39-year-old recorded the second-fastest lap in the minor series event at Misano in Italy, and battled through the field from 10th to record a top-four finish. Damn, is there anything he can’t drive?