Stan Hey: 6-5 Against

After the thrills of Cheltenham and the spills of the Six Nations, it seems a rather humdrum weekend, with an exciting Premier League race interrupted by dozens of obscure World Cup qualifying games while the international racing in Dubai has too much dubious form for a bet.

But for petrol-heads it's a new term with Formula One resuming in Melbourne tomorrow. They'll be hoping that Lewis Hamilton can be a more convincing champion this year than he was last. But the season seems to be starting half-cocked, with the drivers' scoring system changed, then reinstated, and a row about teams bending the rules with regards to the rear diffuser design.

"Parked" for now, the dispute will flare up again after prominent shows from the three accused – Brawn, Toyota, Williams – in practice. Add to this all the credit crunch consequences – lower budgets, Honda morphing into (Ross) Brawn GP – and an unpredictable spectacle seems likely. Hamilton's new McLaren has certainly been under-performing, so in a wide-open race I'm chancing the consistent Robert Kubica of BMW-Sauber, £5 each-way at 14-1 (Betfred). A longer term bet can wait until all the spats are settled.

There's another first day, of the Flat turf season, at Doncaster this afternoon where the centre-piece is the Lincoln Handicap. We found the 10-1 winner last year so the chances of a repeat are slim – Dream Lodge, £5 each-way at 40-1 (William Hill), is a suggestion if the ground stays fast.

*We didn't need the "saver" on Wales as Ireland edged home to bank a £25 profit – but my rear disperser certainly activated when a rampant Wales charged into a 6-0 lead.