What an incredible conclusion to the MotoGP World Championship at Valencia last weekend. Jorge Lorenzo is the champion, Valentino Rossi came within two positions of winning a 10th title and Marc Marquez has come under all kinds of scrutiny for his part played (if any, depending on your allegiance) in the final rounds.

It’s a polarising subject that has set social media alight in ways I haven’t witnessed before regarding motorcycle racing. It’s been covered time and time again all over the internet, including here on CycleOnline.com.au, which bodes well for another epic season of racing in 2016. Engagement is at an all-time high.

But as it does ever so efficiently, the show has gone on, with official pre-season testing commencing at the same title-deciding venue on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michelin tyres and spec electronics were at the top of the menu and it seems there’s a lot of work to do between now and next year’s opener.

The lap times produced were typically impressive, however consistency and a further understanding of the tyre/electronics boundaries will be important in terms of development moving forward. At Valencia only the factory Hondas, Yamahas and Ducatis had the new software, while Suzuki and the satellite teams were using the superior 2015 electronics still.

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From an Australian perspective, it was a positive debut for Jack Miller at the Marc VDS Racing Team. He was equipped with an ex-Scott Redding (now at Pramac Ducati) RC213V and looked immediately comfortable on it and the Michelins.

With the Open class being phased out, next year Miller will essentially be on the same machinery as former LCR teammate Cal Crutchlow and new Marc VDS teammate Tito Rabat on the satellite Hondas, so we’ll be able to see him on a more level playing field with all but the full factory riders.

What’s been so refreshing about Miller this year is that despite being on the under performing RC213V-RS within the Open class, he’s not complained about his equipment at all and has gone about his business in learning the craft of MotoGP. With a three-year factory HRC contract he has time on his side, so next year will be another step in that process.

The only direct indication we have of Miller’s true performance as a rookie was fellow Open class Honda entries Nicky Hayden and Eugene Laverty (Karel Abraham missed many races, but isn’t on the same level regardless). And he finished ahead of both in the point standings despite multiple race crashes – exceptional for a rider straight out of Moto3.

The 20-year-old was particularly impressed with the seamless gearbox and factory electronics package he rode with at Valencia’s test: “I’ve really enjoyed my time on the new bike over the two days; the electronics and the seamless gearbox make a big difference. You don’t have to worry about keeping the bike in a straight line or it stepping out unexpectedly, so you can focus on the other things, like trying to hit the same line on every lap.

“I felt smoother and smoother on the bike with every exit and that was reflected in the consistency of my lap times. Unfortunately we had three small offs, but that’s to be expected when you’re pushing on new tyres. The Michelin tyres are great, but they are very different in character to the Bridgestones and we will need time to make the transition. Getting a feeling for the tyres has been one key point of this test and going fast has been another.”

So that’s it for Miller’s first 12 months in the premier class and while the factories will test further this year, next time we’ll see him will be at Sepang, Malaysia, in February. For him – and us Aussie supporters – that can’t come quickly enough.

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And then there was the bombshell news that Casey Stoner is return to Ducati in a factory test role, with the chance of a wildcard or two, for 2016. It’s the type of news that has people worldwide hoping such a reunion will spark his urge to race fulltime again, but it’s unlikely.

“I can only say that Casey is a hero of Ducati fans and he won so many races and was a world champion for Ducati in 2007,” Ducati sporting director Paulo Ciabatti commented. “He obviously moved to Honda, but is still in the heart of Ducati fans and the people at Ducati.

“We will see what the future brings, but we know that his contract with Honda will expire at the end of this year and obviously if there’s a chance to do something together we would love to do it. That’s all that I can say at the moment.”

Still, Stoner is Ducati’s lone MotoGP title winner and it’d be really interesting to see how he adapts to the current spec Desmosedici compared to when he was so competitive through the 2007-2010 seasons. With direct experience on the Hondas in a factory and more recent test role, his knowledge would be very, very valuable for the Italian manufacturer. Watch this space come January.

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