There is never anything surprising about Valentino Rossi riding the wheels off a bike to get a result that his equipment probably didn't deserve, but I have to keep reminding myself that there probably shouldn't be anything surprising about Casey Stoner winning another MotoGP last weekend in China.
Ducati have now won six from the last ten races. Stoner has the package and the right attitude, and now boasts a tally of more MotoGP wins than Honda's golden wonder, Dani Pedrosa. Killer stat, that. Wish I was a betting man; I'd have a new bike in the garage already ...
Rossi has been on the podium at three of the four races this year. Had it not been for the tyre problem in Turkey, he'd be right on the Aussie's tail in the title chase with a bike that is nowhere in terms of top speed. Very Rossi.
Further down the pitlane, Ducati have been the focus of attention. The red Marlboro Ducatis have dominated the chit-chat in the paddock and the press office. If one had a couple of beers, you might almost have believed that it would have been a Ducati 1-2-3-4 in China.