Phillip Island is a real rider's circuit. Fast, flowing, immensely technical, it offers everything the discerning rider could reasonably request. It's even got a decent number of left handers - something notably lacking at many other circuits. And the environment is fabulous, with beautiful views out over the Pacific, trees, everything to make the photographer's lot a happy one as well. The weather can sometimes be a little uncooperative, it's true, and races have been rained off here before. But it's still a great track.

Casey Stoner, newly crowned World Champion, is a local lad (well, same continent anyway, which passes for local for these guys) and has come with nothing whatsoever to prove. He has utterly dominated the season from the off and should by rights just cruise around to keep the sponsors happy. Valentino Rossi, on the other hand has everything to do as his second place in the championship is still far from secure against Dani Pedrosa, who seems to have remembered how to ride a motorbike.

First practice showed that Stoner, as well as having a prodigious talent, has no concept of cruising around. Which he demonstrated by parking his Ducati at the top of the timesheets and simply leaving it there. Indeed, right from the very start it was very obvious that the young Australian was out to make a point as he smoked around and made it all look rather easy. Wallowing in his wake, Valentino Rossi, Randy de Puniet and Dani Pedrosa had no answers. In fact, apart from Stoner it seemed as though everybody was struggling for grip, suspension settings and general balance. The wildly fluctuating weather, offering the by now legendary four seasons in one day, didn't help of course, but the playing field was even and just the young Australian was able to rise above it.

Qualifying saw at least some sort of return to normal, with Rossi wrestling the Yamaha through to second. For most of the session it seemed that the Italian was going to take pole, but a last gasp effort saw him relegated off the top step by Dani Pedrosa who rode a storming session. Stoner closed off the front row with Nicky Hayden in fourth, just ahead of Loris Capirossi on the second Ducati and Randy de Puniet on the ever improving Kawasaki.

Race day was dry and mild, though a little breezy. And when the lights went out it was Casey Stoner who resumed where he left off before qualifying. taking the holeshot and extending a commanding lead almost immediately. Nicky Hayden made a fabulous start, slotting into second ahead of Pedrosa and Rossi. To be honest, the rest ofthe race was really not very exciting. Loris Capirossi rode a brilliant race to climb to second place in a welcome return to form. Nicky Hayden, despite his strong showing in the early stages, faded at the mid point and then retired as his Honda gave up the ghost. Rossi cooked his tyres, as did Pedrosa while they fought each other for third place. The rest of the field strung out over the circuit and, though they all rode hard there was no actual racing as such, just twenty odd demonstration laps.

Phillip Island is great, but if a MotoGP could ever be boring then this one was. Casey Stoner's total dominance is impressive to be sure, but it really doesn't make for exciting viewing. Add that to the lack of overtaking that seems to have come in with the 800s and the seeds are sown for a viewing experience close to F1 in its mediocrity.

So the riders left Australia with Stoner even further ahead, despite having won already, a increased cushion for second placed Rossi and no real changes further down.

A week later the whole shebang reconvened in Malaysia for the penultimate round. Sepang is a fantastic, purpose built circuit about thirty miles South of Kuala Lumpur. It's hot, humid and very, very fast. With over a hundred points in hand and the championship sewn up two rounds ago, Casey Stoner has nothing to prove. The real fight now is for second place, with Rossi fighting to at least retain that honour from Pedrosa. So Rossi's dreadful practice performance was a real surprise as both Yamaha riders found that the conditions didn't suit their engines, tyres or chassis. In short, they were really struggling, particularly with the power sapping humidity. No such problems for Stoner, though, who continued his dominance, trading places at the top of the table with Dani Pedrosa and a spectacularly on form Randy de Puniet. In fact, with the exception of Pedrosa, it looked for a while as though this was a Bridgestone only party as both Kawasakis, both Suzukis, both Gresini Hondas and both Ducatis.

But come qualifying, again it was the diminutive Spaniard who stuck his Honda on pole for the third time on the trot, ahead of Stoner. The two regulars were joined for a special guest appearance on the front row by Marco Melandri, showing a welcome return to form after a rather up and down season. The second row had both Kawasakis, West being just pipped by his team mate, ahead of Nicky Hayden while row three was Chris Vermeulen and Toni Elias ahead of Valentino Rossi.

Stoner seems to have a qualifying head and a race head. He's not all that strong a qualifier, but come race day all that changes. And so it was today. Lights out and again it was Stoner who got the holeshot, extended a lead and took control. The first lap saw a moment of excitement as the Australian ran wide at the central, very challenging, hairpin ad Pedrosa dived underneath him to take the lead. But the Spaniard ran wide on the exit, while Stoner got the Ducati stopped, squared off the corner and shot back underneath to reclaim the number one spot. That was as close as anyone came to threatening him as, once more, Casey Stoner romped off for a comfortable win.

Behind Stoner, a little battle started between de Puniet, Melandri and Pedrosa. Made all the more exciting in the latter stages by the ever looming presence of Valentino Rossi who had sliced his way up from a dismal eleventh at the end of the first lap to fifth. Anthony West found himself penalised for a jump start - slightly unfairly as he had simply lined his bike up on the wrong grid position and nobody had noticed - and so was cruelly robbed of what could have been a well earned fifth or sixth place. And Nicky Hayden continued his woeful fortunes with a magnificent outbraking move that, unfortunately, also outbraked him and put him on the gravel. Both West ad Hayden were to put in fastest laps in their moves back up the field from the back. The biggest real battle seemed to be between the two Suzukis of Vermeulen and Hopkins, where no quarter seemed to be given by either rider. A third Suzuki appeared for this race, as factory tester Nobby Aoki debuted the 2008 machine.

Talking of fastest laps, on his way to another crushing victory Casey Stoner also managed to break the lap record set last year by Loris Capirossi. So much for the 800s slowing things down, then. Behind him, things stabilised ad the gap between the next four riders pulsed like a living thing but never really changed. Marco Melandri rode the wheels off his Honda, the only slight blip being Randy de Puniet nearly highsiding right in front of him and running them both wide. Pedrosa was smooth as ever, while, except for that one moment, de Puniet rode a faultless race. Behind that trio, Valentino Rossi had clawed his way up but had in truth shot his bolt and it was all he could do to maintain the pace. Getting his hundredth podium was just going to have to wait a while.

A long way back, Toni Elias held off the attentions of Chris Vermeulen, aided no doubt by the latter's need to fight off his team-mate. And behind the battling Suzukis, Nicky Hayden got past Colin Edwards in the last moments to snatch ninth place.

We've got two weeks before the next race at Valencia. Pedrosa could still take second if Rossi doesn't get at least a point. The real battle is for fourth, where Hopkins, Melandri and Vermeulen are in the thick of it with Capirossi i with a shout as well. It might be a great race. One can but hope...

SB

Results - Phillip Island

1 Casey Stoner (Ducati)
2 Loris Capirossi (Ducati)
3 Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)
4 Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
5 Alex Barros (Ducati)
6 Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki)
7 John Hopkins (Suzuki)
8 Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki)
9 Colin Edwards (Yamaha)
10 Marco Melandri (Honda)

Results - Sepang

1 Casey Stoner (Ducati)
2 Marco Melandri (Honda)
3 Dani Pedrosa (Honda)
4 Randy de Puniet (Kawasaki)
5 Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)
6 Toni Elias (Honda)
7 Chris Vermeulen (Suzuki)
8 John Hopkins (Suzuki)
9 Nicky Hayden (Honda)
10 Colin Edwards (Yamaha)

Championship Points after 17 rounds

1 Casey Stoner347 (2007 World Champion)
2 Valentino Rossi 241
3 Dani Pedrosa 217
4 Marco Melandri 174
5 John Hopkins 173
6 Chris Vermeulen 169
7 Loris Capirossi 155
8 Colin Edwards 121
9 Nicky Hayden 119
10 Alex Barros 106