There was probably a bigger question mark going into the 2016 MotoGP World Championship than any other season before it but the answer, by the end of Sunday night’s race, was the same as ever. In motorcycle racing the cream always rises to the top and that is why we love it. For no matter how many technical changes you make, no matter how much you try to level the playing field, on a motorcycle – unlike in a car – the most important component is the human. And the most efficient, consistent and high-performance human on the grid is Jorge Lorenzo, who backed-up his preseason billing as the title favourite with a victory that looked in little doubt from the moment he took the lead on lap 9 of 22.

With clear track in front of him, Lorenzo hit his stride at the halfway stage, clocking a 1’55.375 on lap 11 of 22 that incredibly he followed with an unerring 1.55.374 (just a thousandth of a second difference) on lap 12. Five of his next seven laps were 55.3s before he posted the fastest time of the race (1’54.927) on lap 20. Andrea Dovizioso managed a couple of 55.3s and a best lap of 1’55.149 on lap sixteen and whilst he was consistent in the mid 55s he could not find that crucial extra tenth consistently enough to keep in touch with the relentless Lorenzo.

It is this performance level, this degree of confidence and concentration, that separates the Mallorcan from his rivals on nights like this. Much like his title-winning performance at Valencia in November, when Lorenzo is on form he is flawless, and whilst he was quick to credit the soft Michelin rear tyre for his victory, the choice to run it was his and he employed it to perfection. It was a shame that perhaps the only man capable of stopping Lorenzo on Sunday night was watching the race from pit wall. After blitzing Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone in testing, one can only wonder what kind of a challenge Casey Stoner might have presented on that Ducati in the race. Hopefully we’ll find out before the end of the season – I have an optimistic feeling we might.

In a fleeting interview with BT Sport’s Neil Hodgson just moments after the chequered flag, Davide Tardozzi’s frustration with the result was palpable…

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