It is said that great circuits make great racing and the contrast between Phillip Island and Buriram seemed to bear this out. The Aussie track provided some of the most thrilling Superbike battles seen in years and got us all excited. Then came Thailand.

It was not bad. Maybe it had nothing to do with the circuit. Maybe it was just confirming the inevitable. That the combination of Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki - arguably the best rider on the best bike - will dominate like they have for the past two years.

But it just seems that natural tracks, faster and more flowing, provide closer racing. And the more that those old tracks are ‘improved’ the worse they get. As a wise old bird once said: "Improvement usually equals deterioration.”

Tilke-built or just inspired tracks, usually those the other side of Suez, are flat, stop-go and all look the same. Ideal for Scalextrix racing which is often what they get. In their defence they are designed with safety, F1 and TV in mind.

In this country we don't know how lucky we are. Oulton, Cadwell, Donington, Brands Hatch - great circuits, only one of which could hold a world championship event. Oh, and the most famous of all, Silverstone, which certainly can. Ironically, the Northamptonshire is long but flat and fast. And fast circuits historically promote close racing.

So on the circuits which the remaining 11 World Superbike rounds will be contested and does include some great ones, including Donington and Imola for example, which riders will emerge? And will the new rules, which include reversing the first three rows of the grid for the second leg, make any difference?

We should not complain about Rea looking so good. Who would bet against him? Or indeed Tom Sykes. But we're all hoping that Chaz Davies and the Aruba Ducati can do what he did last year and that his team-mate, the pint-size Marco Melandri, can continue to surprise us. One has to wonder though if Davies appreciates the presence of Melandri in the garage. He has not proved to be a great ‘mate’ in previous teams.

Honda are frankly, a disappointment while Shaun Muir's Milwaukee Aprilia team have started little better than last year. Not good. Paul Denning's Pata Yamaha outfit, while lacking a bit of top end pace, are at least giving Alex Lowes a chance to show what he is capable of.
 
It is only when the series gets to Europe that form starts to emerge so Aragon will indicate just who has a cat in hell’s chance of challenging Rea.  Was rigging the starting line-up worth all the fuss?

It hasn't changed much so far as the finishing order is concerned but does make the first three or four laps more interesting. So full marks to Dorna's Daniel Carrera for trying to inject some excitement.

But it simply hasn't gone far enough. If we're in the entertainment business as the riders, some through gritted teeth, have admitted let's go the whole hog.

The first nine in  qualifying should draw for positions on the three front rows in each race. Make it a TV event shared by viewers and spectators listening and watching at the circuit. Seeing the riders’ reactions will be entertainment in itself.

Perhaps it is something British Superbikes, the leader in bikesport innovation having invented the Showdown, should consider…