The link between Pearl Harbour, James Toseland and 5.4 million watts of power may not seem immediately apparent, but all will become blindingly clear on Sunday when motorcycling history is made in the Middle East. The MotoGP season promises to be one of the most illuminating for years as Casey Stoner, the prickly Australian wunderkind, defends his title against Valentino Rossi, the five-times champion with the £24million tax bill. That the Ducati-Yamaha battle begins under 3,600 floodlights in Qatar adds to the intrigue.

The night race at the Losail circuit in Doha is a coup for MotoGP and the Qatari Government, with Formula One scheduled to follow in Singapore in September. An official from Musco, the American company charged with the task of lighting an area the size of 70 football pitches, declined to be drawn into that rivalry - “there's a lot of politics there” - but a degree of one-upmanship abounds in the paddock.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of Dorna, MotoGP's rights holder, and the two-wheeled equivalent of Bernie Ecclestone, was candid about the reasons for the night race. “This is not about the crowds, it's about television and selling Qatar to the world,” he said. “We've been in discussions with the Prime Minister ever since we signed the contract to hold races there.”

The riders have given their cautious approval. “It would be better to move this night race to a period when the temperature is a little higher because at the moment it's very cold here,” Rossi said after testing at the weekend. The 11pm start has also failed to impress Dani Pedrosa, the Honda rider who was runner-up in the championship last year. “There are a lot of shadows and it's very tiring on the eyes,” he said.

Stoner, who beat his own race lap record by more than a second, said the floodlights meant riders had to trust their ability. “The most interesting thing is that with the lower visibility you have to have more confidence in what your instinct tells you,” he said.

As for Toseland, he was jubilant after posting the second-fastest time in the final test on his Tech 3 Yamaha, but admitted that the novelty factor was trying. “I feel like I've worked a night shift,” he said. “Getting your body fired up when it wants to shut down is very difficult, but the only real problem was the humidity. It made it a bit hazy and I had to wear a rain mask because I was getting some moisture on my visor.”

Teething troubles notwithstanding, the lighting of Losail has been a stunning operation. Musco, the company that won the contract, has spent 175 days on the job, with most of the equipment coming from their base in Iowa and their plant in Shanghai. The $15.5 million (£7.8 million) cost has has been footed by the Qatari Government. Musco's previous projects range from providing lighting for films such as Pearl Harbour, Titanic and Catch Me If You Can to the homes of sporting clubs such as the Green Bay Packers and Stoke City. However, illuminating an entire race track for motorycle racing was its biggest project to date.

“We've done race tracks like Daytona before, but this was harder because of the way bikes move,” Jeff Rogers, Musco's vice-president, said. “Bikes move around a lot more and the hardest part was the corners where they come back on themselves very quickly.” About 1,000 poles from three to 36 metres tall have been erected, while the wiring has involved drilling through 12,600 metres of desert rock and earth, the equivalent of 42 Eiffel Towers. The bulbs range in wattage from 250 to 2000 and would light a village of 3,000 houses.

Ezpeleta believes the innovation cements MotoGP's status after last season opened with talk of a sponsorship crisis. Kenny Roberts, the legendary rider turned team owner, has been forced out of the series this season and many onlookers are disappointed by the number of bikes on the grid.

“There are 18 bikes and the maximum is 22,” Expeleta said. “I'm happy with the number and I think Suzuki and Kawasaki will come in with more bikes. We're in a healthy position.”

When the lights went down on the last test, the talk of the paddock was the form of Toseland. MotoGP has been a wasteland for British talent in modern times, with the most recent win coming in 1981 courtesy of Barry Sheene, but Toseland has impressed everyone. “I'm surprised he's been so fast so soon,” Stoner said. There could just be light at the end of the tunnel.

Light on the subject

450 - Million lumens of light.

70 - Football pitches, the equivalent area lit

500 - Kilometres of wire used

12,600 - Metres of rock that needed drilling and trenching

113 - Ocean containers used to transport the lighting equipment

3,000 - Houses that could be powered by the system

5.4 - Million watts of power

205 - Miles per hour - fastest speed reached on the circuit

15.5 - The cost, in millions of dollars

1 - Oscar won by Musco for film lighting.

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