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There wasn't even a 24-hour break for the stars of MotoGP after the end of the final round of the year at Valencia.

They finished racing and all the post-race debriefing mid-afternoon, had just enough time to press the sponsors' flesh and thank those who needed to be thanked then it was off for a quick pasta dinner and early to bed before the serious business of 2009 got underway.

Because, while we might think of the 2009 season as still being a long way away, it has already started. Testing started at 9am sharp on Monday morning for a two-day session designed to allow new riders to new teams on what is to them new bikes (and to a few, new tyres), and it could have been something special.

It could have seen the start of something amazing, it could have seen the blossoming of a brave new world.

But did it? As I sit here writing this blog, looking at the times hot off the track in Spain there's not many surprises. Casey Stoner was fastest at the end of the first day.

Ok, so he has the all-new, second incarnation of the Ducati GP9 under him, this one a particularly special version of the red bike with a spangly carbon/carbon fibre chunk of chassis around the growling four-stroke motor, but really - as far as the bigger picture goes, as far as the world at large goes - so what?

You've got to be really into your bikes to get excited about a technological advancement that for the most part you won't ever see. If you're something of a casual fan, or follow the odd race here and there then the news that Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki or Kawasaki have been very clever with the latest grommet or specially-made widget manufactured from the finest cheese is hardly going to set your world on fire.

What most fans want is thrilling, elbow-to-elbow action out on track, they want to be wowed and in awe of the stars rubbing fairings at 180mph. They want an action-packed show.

And the news that Stoner is fastest (again) will hardly fire people's interest.

In fact, after the final round of the year, I would think that quite a few casual fans turned off from Sunday's MotoGP race with a sense of disappointment.

The end of season race is one that normally delivers a rash of action and skill, especially so when the title has been decided earlier in the year and the pressure was off. A chance for all the riders to let their collective hairs down, if you will.

But the race itself turned into a pretty static affair. None of the spectacle we want from the premier class.

How to spice things up for the MotoGP race fans? Some sort of control tyre could do the trick to bring things closer together, just as it has in WSB and BSB already.

Good job that such a thing is about to happen for 2009 then, and all the detractors of the idea should take a long, hard look at the processional races we've had more and more frequently over the last couple of years before knocking the idea so loudly.

Tony Carter / Eurosport