Think about it. James Bond in an Aston Martin DBS, the suave man about town with the vehicle guaranteed to please. The car is part of the image – part of the chat-up line. Will your Japanese import’s big spoiler and loud muffler attract the girls? Will your Porsche?

There doesn’t seem to be an equivalent for the woman about town – perhaps we aren’t meant to need assistance to attract members of the opposite sex. But you’ve got to find something to start a conversation, and what better way than with the car you arrived in?

As a motoring writer I’m in a fairly unique position to evaluate what cars work – and sometimes it comes as a surprise.

Just seconds earlier the stand at the end of the main straight had pulsed with excitement; now the roaring crowd fell silent as the awful impact unfolded on the screen to my back.

It was obvious this was a bad one; an event-ending crash, and we returned to our room over the pits to await the verdict.

This was a tragedy for Simoncelli, his friends, his team and family and a bad end to a great weekend. For Sepang is a fantastic place to watch a MotoGP. Malaysia is beautiful; there’s a great mix of cultures and plenty to see, and Sepang isn’t far from KL.