This weekend's inaugural Qatar Grand Prix night race will also see four riders - James Toseland, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Alex de Angelis - compete in their very first premier-class race.

So, in addition to a straightforward battle between the rookies, just what should we should we expect from them - and what will constitute a good result?

For Toseland, a double World Superbike champion, the obvious comparisons are with Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss - the only other WSBK title holders to race in MotoGP since the new, post-2001, four-stroke era began.

Both Edwards and Bayliss made their first MotoGP appearance at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka - although unlike Toseland they were riding for factory teams; Bayliss at Ducati and Edwards for the less competitive Aprilia outfit.

Nevertheless, Edwards was ahead in qualifying, placing his RS Cube ninth on the grid, with Bayliss 13th. But the Australian turned the tables in the race - reaching fifth at the chequered flag, one place in front of Edwards, as both rookies delivered impressive rides.

Toseland may have finished the final pre-season test, also at Qatar, an eye-opening second fastest (on qualifying tyres) - but the Englishman will surely be satisfied to be inside the top ten in both the race and qualifying this weekend, while a Bayliss-and-Edwards equalling top six would be a great result.

"I'm now ready for the first race and I know I need to compete with all of the bikes on the track to truly measure my performance," said Toseland ahead of this weekend. "I've made several race simulations to calculate our fuel efficiency, which looks quite promising. I was very happy with the two day night test but disappointed that after being first for over three hours that I got pipped for the top slot. The team have been fantastic because the learning curve is so steep in this class and without their experience and skill I would be running around in circles."

Reigning double 250cc world champion Lorenzo was the only rider ahead of Toseland at the night test, and the most obvious comparisons for the factory Yamaha rider - plus fellow quarter-litre graduates Dovizioso and de Angelis - are the post-2001 debut MotoGP rides by former 250cc stars Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, Marco Melandri and Toni Elias.

Like Lorenzo, Pedrosa entered the MotoGP class for a factory team (Repsol Honda) and as the reigning double 250cc world champion, with his first race being the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez - where Dani qualified fifth fastest, then rode to a brilliant second position, behind Loris Capirossi, in a race that saw Valentino Rossi knocked off at the first turn.

Stoner's debut came at the same event, for the satellite LCR Honda team, where the future MotoGP world champion qualified 15th before charging to sixth position in the race.

Melandri entered MotoGP as the reigning 250cc world champion in 2003, and should therefore have made his debut alongside Bayliss and Edwards at Suzuka. However, the Italian broke a leg in free practice and was forced to wait until round three to make his first race start. Melandri, far from fully fit, qualified his factory Yamaha 16th at Jerez, then finished 17th in the race.

After being a seven-time race winner in 250cc, Elias graduated to MotoGP in 2005, with Tech 3 Yamaha. The Spaniard's first race was also at Jerez, where he qualified 13th and finished 12th.

And what of Valentino Rossi, the most successful rider still competing in the premier-class?

The Italian made his premier-class debut as the reigning 250cc world champion in 2000, when the class still consisted exclusively of 500cc two-strokes. The future five-time MotoGP world champion qualified his Honda fifth for the season-opening South African Grand Prix, but failed to finish the race.