Snapping at a young gun's heels

Last year, there were two notable firsts at the pompously named Circuit of the Americas.

It was the debut MotoGP race at the Austin track and a fresh-faced Spaniard, in just his second race in the premier class, danced off with the spoils.

He was still playing the crazy Cossack at the end of the season, becoming the youngest champion yet in the sport.

This year, Marc Marquez returns to Texas having already gone one better by winning the opening race of 2014 in a thrilling duel with Valentino Rossi under the lights of Losail.

He admitted after the Qatar race that he had to compensate for the broken right leg he suffered just weeks before the event by using his right arm more on all the right turns.

In Austin he should be far happier, for not only has his leg had extra time to heal, but - like all the US tracks - this one runs counter-clockwise.

And chasing his Honda around all the left bends, including the first one that comes at the crest of a blind rise, will surely be the twin blue threats on Yamahas, Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.

In Qatar, Rossi returned to the sort of form that earned him nine world championships across three racing classes, and if he can stay interested and healthy, this season could be among the best in years.

After binning it for no apparent reason at Losail, Lorenzo will be desperate to get back into the mix. Last season, he clawed back huge chunks of Marquez's advantage as the races ran out.

This time he's the man in the middle, having to fend off the young pretender as well as the old master if he wants to regain his crown.

There could also be a threat from Alvaro Bautista or this year's new kid on the block, Aleix Espargaro .