Matt Roberts' MotoGP round-up

Matt Roberts
BBC Sport at Indianapolis

The return of motorcycle racing to the Brickyard for the first time in 99 years was a festival of all things two-wheeled but Hurricane Ike had been destined to gatecrash the party from the moment we arrived at Indianapolis on Thursday.

The circuit's official website had caused mild panic with the bold headline Tornado Warning and although it turned out to be the rather inappropriate title for 'Texas Tornado' Colin Edwards' guest column, it set the tone for a whirlwind weekend.

The 250cc race was postponed because of the effects of Hurricane Ike

After sneaking up on us with a relatively tame shower on Friday, the periphery of the storm returned with a torrential downpour at lunchtime on Sunday, just before the start of the 250cc race, which was subsequently postponed.

It raised the possibility of the rest of the day's action being cancelled and panic momentarily reigned in the press room, with journalists' computer screens awash with the latest satellite images of a green swirling blob edging dangerously past Indiana.

It created the tempting urge to run around with one finger in your ear, Hollywood style, shouting: "I need the latest co-ordinates on this son of a gun!" Or something like that…

Thankfully it abated long enough for us to at least see 22 laps of MotoGP action.

And it allowed Valentino Rossi - as they would say over here, the all-time winningest rider in the sport's history - to make further history as the first MotoGP winner at Indy, in what turned out to be an otherwise damp squib of a weekend.

Nevertheless, it was great to see MotoGP fever take over a town as steeped in four-wheeled tradition as Indianapolis and the effect was palpable downtown, where 12 of the streets were renamed after famous motorcycle grand prix racers.

Americans Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, John Hopkins, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Kenny Roberts Jr, Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer and Ben Spies were all honoured, as well as the last two non-American world champions, Rossi and Casey Stoner.

It was a nice honour for them but a nightmare for the taxi drivers.

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Danica Patrick, the first woman to win an IndyCar race, was invited as a guest of watchmaker Tissot.

She showed impeccable timing by showing up for the only dry day of action - Saturday's qualifying - and she seemed impressed with her first taste of MotoGP.

"It is pretty impressive how fast they go down that front straight, especially considering how little tyre there is underneath them," she told journalists.

"I can only be mildly trusted with a scooter. No-one rides with me because they don't trust me and I kind of understand as I didn't ride scooters until a year ago.

"That is why I am so impressed with them because it takes a certain amount of bravery and a special talent to handle a bike and to have fun with one. This stuff is obviously a whole other level to regular bikes."

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The 2009 grid line-up came closer to completion this weekend, with Kawasaki confirming the worst kept secret in the paddock by officially announcing the signing of Marco Melandri.

Nicky Hayden is set to replace Marco Melandri at Ducati

Nicky Hayden will be confirmed as his replacement at Ducati in the next couple of days, which should lead to Honda unveiling Andrea Dovizioso as their new factory rider in their home grand prix at Motegi next week, where we are also expecting an announcement on the one-tyre rule.

Ducati are planning to put five bikes on the grid next year, with test rider Niccolo Canepa gaining promotion to the Alice satellite team alongside current 250cc title contender Mika Kallio.

The fifth bike will be ridden by Sete Gibernau if Pablo and Gelete Nieto, the two sons of the legendary Angel Nieto, can finalise the details of a proposed new team.

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Jorge Martinez will also have a one-rider outfit with Kawasaki machinery, although his plans appear to have been thrown into disarray following the decision by Toni Elias to turn them down in favour of a surprise return to Gresini Honda.

Elias also rejected a new contract with Alice, meaning he will maintain the unenviable record of riding a completely new bike every year since his MotoGP debut in 2005.

That leaves one spare seat at Martinez, with a Spanish rider the preference of his sponsors, and another at Scot Honda, who have been linked with Ben Spies but are more likely to go with their 250cc rider and Honda stalwart Yuki Takahashi.

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For Nicky Hayden, the chance to join up with Casey Stoner at Ducati will be a welcome escape from the Repsol Honda garage and Dani Pedrosa's entourage.

Asked if there was any truth to a rumour that he could split with Honda before the end of the current campaign, the Kentucky Kid quipped: "There are probably people in that box that if I didn't show up would probably never notice!

"But no, I plan on going to race. Unless they lock the door over there on me I am going over there and getting on the bike."

Nicky's weekend almost had a Hollywood ending when he produced one of the performances of the season to challenge Rossi for victory only 14 days after missing the San Marino Grand Prix because of a broken heel.

Having had a special boot made to fit his foot into, it must have been a nice feeling to stick it into Honda.