It's a popular statement this weekend, one inferred by every member in the MotoGP qualifying press conference yesterday: the race will be difficult because there are few places to pass at Laguna Seca. Granted, the track is slightly different than it was in the past, and we haven't seen a MotoGP race here yet, so there is a degree of unknown in all this. That said, I can only assume that Anthony Gobert, John Kocinski, Troy Corser and Nori Haga are chuckling when they hear that some riders feel Laguna Seca is a single (racing) line racetrack.

If you've ever seen a World Superbike race at Laguna Seca, you know there are multiple places to pass here. Or, perhaps a better way of putting it is this way: aggressive passes have been made in at least four or five places here at Laguna Seca. And it would seem that all of those places still exist within the current track configuration.

History has shown Laguna Seca rewards aggressive passing maneuvers. If the Euros are of the mind that the running order will be set after turn one because the track does not allow passing, they may be in for a rude awakening.