Laguna marks MotoGP mid-point

The first of two American visits for the 2010 MotoGP title happens this weekend, with Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo sitting atop of the championship with a 47pt advantage over his compatriot Dani Pedrosa (Honda).

Lorenzo's second place in Germany last weekend maintained his form of finishing inside the top two in every race so far this season, and the lollypop-sucking Spaniard is also the first since Valentino Rossi in 2005 to have opened the campaign with eight successive podiums.

Last year Lorenzo finished third in the race despite injuries in qualifying, and he will be going for a first premier class win at Laguna - the shortest circuit on the current GP schedule at 3.61km long.

With victory at Sachsenring in the last round, Pedrosa drew Honda level with Yamaha on 57 wins each in the four-stroke MotoGP era, and on a personal level maintained his hold on second in the championship. Winner of last year's race at Laguna, Pedrosa is going for his first back-to-back victories in the premier class this weekend.

Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) is still hunting his first win of the season and will aim to improve on his best previous result of fourth at the American circuit from 2008. The Italian currently sits third in the standings.

In fourth, Australia's Casey Stoner (Ducati) is also striving for his first 2010 win, and he has a good record at the track having won and finished second and fourth in the previous three seasons - his dual with Rossi in 2008 an absolute classic.

Heading up the home contingent will be Stoner's team-mate Nicky Hayden, currently fifth overall. Since his victory at the circuit in 2006 no American rider has been on the podium at Laguna, something he, Ben Spies - who has AMA superbike experience at Laguna and finished eighth as a 2008 MotoGP wildcard there - and Colin Edwards (Yamaha) will be desperate to change.

Rossi's recovery will continue, although the reigning world champion displayed in his battle until the last corner the final podium spot at Sachsenring that he is already highly competitive after his return from injury.

Rossi has a single victory at Laguna, in the aforementioned 2008 blockbuster (pictured), and last year finished second, and now continues his attempt to recover ground in the championship. The Italian and his team-mate Lorenzo will be displaying special new liveries on their M1 machines as well.

Randy de Puniet suffered fractures to both the tibia and fibula in his left leg in Germany and will be substituted for by Roger Lee Hayden on the LCR Honda team, making it a fourth American on the grid.

Honda pair Marco Simoncelli and Marco Melandri, rookie Héctor Barberá (Ducati), Suzuki's Loris Capirossi and Álvaro Bautista and Ducati duo Aleix Espargaró and Mika Kallio will all be looking for strong results, with Alex de Angelis (Honda) continuing as a substitute for the injured Hiroshi Aoyama.

Following historical convention, there will be no 125cc or Moto2 races at Laguna Seca, with the support events filled by AMA road racing classes (featuring Aussie Josh Waters in superbike) and the FIM e-Power International Championship (featuring Aussie Aaron Gobert on a Brammo Empulse).

Qualifying will be shown on ONE at 6.50am Sunday, with the race coverage beginning at 6.45am Monday - in other words a late start to work for some….