As opening nights of the MotoGP World Championship go, it’s a fair comment to say there have been better. Not that the Qatari GP was a complete let-down by any stretch, but the big shake-up we were anticipating amidst the established MotoGP order never quite materialised, and the Moto2 race produced the kind of farce that club-level amateurs would have been embarrassed by.

Topping it off was a disappointing crowd, who from where I was standing turned up in fewer numbers than had done so even in the searing heat of the early events at Losail – whatever the official figures may say. Making it worse, a large majority of those who had graced the desert venue with their presence then promptly booed virtually every rider on the grid barring you-know-who.

As much as I’m not a fan of the trip to Qatar, with question marks surrounding migrant-worker rights and a fairly soulless venue in Losail, I do also appreciate the value to the series of a visit to the Middle East. The track layout generally makes for decent racing, despite its flatness, and it is the only stop for the championship in the region. Perhaps most importantly the exorbitant rights fee the organisers pay to host the opening race of the year effectively subsidises the costs for some of the more classic venues on the calendar. It also looks pretty special under lights!

I was stood alongside Eugene Laverty on the MotoGP grid as he went through his pre-race routine and strategised with crew chief Phil Marron. At the same time the circuit announcer was taking the assembled throng through the runners and riders. Starting from pole, Jorge Lorenzo’s name was greeted with a cacophony of jeers and whistles, swiftly followed by much the same treatment for Marc Marquez. Unfathomable as that already was as far as I was concerned, there were then boos for several other riders too, mainly the Spaniards. So much so, that when the Northern Irishman’s name was read out and he received a murmur of approval and a spattering of cheers, he raised both a chuckle and one eyebrow, suggesting it could have been so much worse.

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