MotoGP: a vintage year

For the record, the result was Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa with remaining title contender Stoner fourth.

Turns 13 and 14 at the Sachsenring are the corners that Rossi has, historically, stamped his name on the year's championship trophy. But now everyone knows it. And so the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca used the terrifying corkscrew to learn how to handle one of the most technical and difficult - and fastest - sections in MotoGP, coming off turn 12 to the left, the road drops away and the bike unweights mid-corner. Compression sets in and the rider's chest is forced onto the tank as full speed is reached, his right wrist twisted back on itself and his neck compressing into the top of his spine as he struggles to keep his head up and his eyes pointing forward; the heat in the tyres evens out along the straight which is actually a slight curve right and the softer right side of the tyre starts to shred as it takes the strain, the bike bucks and then pitches as the rider hits the brakes, front first to set up the bike, then a dab on the back and sliding the bike as the front chooses a direction only to be stamped on and flicked right.

Nothing about this section is anything other than blood and guts racing. And both Lorenzo and Stoner knew that, if they wanted to stand any chance of beating Rossi, this was where they needed to neutralise him.

And so, Stoner blindingly fast around the rest of the track, had learned this corner well; Lorenzo, shuffled back at the start stormed through the pack using the Yamaha's superior handling to full effect; Pedrosa sat with them as Rossi stormed away at the start, then was overhauled.

It almost doesn't matter what happened next, unless your interest in motorsport is tribal. If you watch racing for the racing, the racing was the thing. The four best riders in the world - without any doubt - were all within six or seven bike lengths from front to back - and often less than that.

The winning margin was just nine-thousandths of a second. Try to think how short that is. Did you try to blink? That's one hundred times too slow.

Next week, the teams move to Donnington Park for their last race there before it goes to Silverstone from 2010. It will be a farewell party for a much loved track that is fast, sweeping and - like Sachsenring - with lots of undulations. There is no terrifying drop but there is raw speed, wide overtaking opportunities uncertain weather.

In the post-race press conference, one had the impression that Rossi, Lorenzo and Pedrosa (who said he was slow do to degrading tyres) had some unfinished business and - given the chance - would have jumped straight back on their bikes and raced across Europe to Donnington rather than get on the planes.

Instead, they will have to wait a couple of days - which will help them calm down - before they can perform their impossible feats again.

This is, simply, the best racing in any formula for a very, very long time.