#also it's so hard to write dovi as andrea i need to write dovi and then edit it out because his narration would be that but still

[le-chevalier-au-lion]

nearly, nearly, nearly: dovquez [t]

@dovquezdecember + near

“Dovi!” Marc says clumsily, flashes him a grin—sun-bright, shameless.

Andrea is thinking. He was nearly a champion this season. Nearly, nearly, nearly. But it wasn’t so close at the end, -37 points, and the entire ocean between Marc making a miraculous save and him screaming on the gravel trap.

His fingers spasm around his empty glass, just once. Andrea is acutely aware of the camera glares, of way, way, way too many people around. Too soon to get another one, and the one after that. The frizz of alcohol is heavy in his stomach, leaden.

Marc makes a noise—impossible to make sense of. Andrea blinks, remembers he should answer him any time now. His tongue is stuck on the roof of his mouth, but it isn’t Marc’s fault that everything had to go right today and nothing did.

He drops whatever he was planning on saying. Marc brandishes his own champagne flute, takes Andrea’s empty one for himself. It’s full—lukewarm prosecco, sure, but it’s full.

Andrea—against his own will, let it be said—laughs.

Marc’s eyes go round, shiny. His hand comes down to cling to the sleeve of his suit, where it falls half an inch too long. And he sways towards him, chest brushing against the side of his arm. Andrea cups the small of his back, raises his eyebrows.

“The drinks aren’t good enough for you to be drunk already.” He prods—harmlessly, his voice pitched low.

He could be drunk on everything else, though. His podium, his sixth championship in—God—eight years, Honda delirious over their golden boy.

Marc bats his lashes coyly, pretends to think. “It was a good dinner, don’t be mean.”

It was, is the thing. He stopped counting after the fourth course, the tenth FIM/Dorna exec with a polished smile that congratulated him on a clean, sportsmanlike dispute—probably having the time of their times that it didn’t end in death threats and a sports court.

Andrea snorts. “Drinks are still shit.”

For all that Marc says don’t be mean, the corners of his lips are trying to quirk up again. Just as cruel.

And when he catches Andrea looking, Marc ducks his head away. Tries to hide it.

He’s so—he’s a sharp, shameless little thing. Hurts to cradle him close, cuts his palms to gory ribbons. Andrea clings, anyway. The party has dulled to a trickle of I wish it was me that barely registers. He fancies he can spot the place where Marc kissed the tower on his mouth, his teeth—like Raphael’s blessing.

His stomach rolls with champagne, too little food he wasn’t feeling up for. Sizzles.

“It was a good season, too.” Marc speaks abruptly but quietly. The cut of his jaw turned bullish, stubborn.

He can feel the tension pressed on his side. It’s not even like gearing up for a risky overtake—Marc throws himself into those with wild joy, again and again and again. This is measured, strained. Marc’s spine grows rigid where he’s touching.

Andrea hums. “Are you going to say you’re sorry?”

Marc’s expression slackens, softens with confusion. “What?”

“You look like you might.”

“For winning?” Andrea nods, stares at him expectantly—wills his face to stay flat and unamused and is only mostly sure he succeeds. Marc purses his mouth, lets him catch a hint of teeth and the downturned curve of his lips. “No way.”

And listen—

Andrea shakes his head. He feels that gold-tinted lightness filling the insides of his chest. Maybe he’s drunk, four glasses catching up like outbreaking himself into a highside, but it’s easier now than it was a couple minutes ago, when the champagne tasted stolen, tasted like trackside dust and a mocking round of applause in his garage.

“You are horrible.”

He watches it happen in real time, how Marc pulls a face, how his eyes flutter to look at him and then away.

People call him brutish, impulsive—it’s not true. Just because he was born without a sense of self-preservation doesn’t mean he doesn’t think. Marc is a shrewd thing. Calculating. He wonders what he was trying to find with that look.

But he’s probably a little drunk himself too, or Andrea wouldn’t have caught that minute flinch in his expression. Marc is too opaque for acting mistakes these days.

It is the thing about Marc. Andrea doesn’t know if he’s bracing for a slap or it never coming despite how much he wants it to.

“I don’t think you mean that,” he says—petulantly, imperiously.

Very, very deliberately.

Andrea smiles, squeezes his back. “I do, I do!”

“No, you don’t.”

He does. But Marc is horrible like a tricky corner, or a bull charging in a bullfight. Predictable only in how it scares you shitless no matter how many times you try it. Horrible in that clammy fear you’re going to be swept along. Fucking fantastic when you conquer it—if you do.

It’s there anyway, of course, red-hot, that frustration—the shame in the gravel, in the garage. But Andrea tries to get angry only about things he can control.

Marc winning isn’t personal, is it.

He takes a breath, lets that awkward silence wash over him, over them, releasing that aimless frustration knot by knot. Marc fidgets against him, rehearsing taking a small step to the side, away from him. Andrea considers for a moment, half of one—doesn’t let go of his grip on him, on the fabric of the back of Marc’s suit.

There are cameras, still. Too many people. It’s none of their business—

This is, Andrea reasons, nothing worth hiding.

“It was a good season,” he says, gently—either an agreement or a concession.

Marc relaxes a fraction, does his best to tuck himself against him no matter that he’s a couple of centimeters taller. Finally, finally, he looks at Andrea straight on, with his usual hungry shamelessness, eyes huge and liquid on his face.

“You looked like you were having fun.”

“Here and there,” Andrea shrugs, isn’t even a bit surprised when he feels Marc’s fingers slip under his shirt to hold the jut of his wrist. “I had this pest bothering me.”

He is surprised at how hot those tiny points of pressure feel. His pulse drums against the thin skin of his wrist.

Marc bristles, indignant. “You ambushed me this whole year!”

Here and there, when he could, when he managed to make it work. In Austria, Japan. Andrea made himself steady as a metronome, harmless until he wasn’t—he wasn’t going to outcrazy Marc anyway, might as well try something unorthodox.

“You weren’t very angry about that from what I remember,” Andrea replies mildly. Mock-dry.

Marc nudges him with his shoulder, tries to scowl but melts into a loud, honking chuckle. It’s evidently, incredibly disarming. “Fuck off, I was! You always knew what I was going to try next. I thought you were going to drive me crazy.”

“Not even you can win them all.”

Marc grins—shiv-quick, self-satisfied. He looks like he’s winning this one, whatever this one is. “I can try.”

Andrea is thinking—it isn’t self-pity this time. Feels about just as dangerous. Marc’s touch is insistent, makes him fidgety all the way to the bone. He isn’t even the slightest bit innocent himself either—hand splayed on Marc’s back, the tip of his little finger reaching suspiciously lower than it was a moment ago.

He swallows. Marc tracks the jerky move of his throat, stares at him through his lashes. It is as shameless as it is—unfortunately—effective.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I enjoyed myself?” There’re nails biting into his forearm lightly. A smirk��broad, pink-lipped.

Cocky little bastard, isn’t he?

“You still are.”

Marc preens, forgets—for a slip of a second—to keep his cards close to his chest. Everything about him becomes bright enough to blind, to cast spots in his vision like he’s staring into the sun. He is horribly easy to like, to forgive.

Even through the stab of the annoyance, the tangle of thorns wrapped around his throat that Andrea has to name envy. Even when he wants to shake Marc by the shoulders—don’t you know? Don’t you see what you are? It never sticks. Marc is that dangerous in close proximity.

Looks eager to prove that he is, too. He shifts his head from one side to the other, gauges the crowd. There’s this focused frown on his forehead. Andrea knows him well enough to brace himself. Realizes—too late—that there’s no bracing for an inspired Marc.

“Do you want me to suck you off?” He pauses, bludgeons on when Andrea doesn’t immediately reply. “I want to.”

Christ.

Christ on the bloody cross.

He doesn’t know why he expected Marc to be subtle or careful, but still.

Andrea sputters out a cough, laughs. He can hear the strain in his voice—the complete fucking disbelief. “What? Here?”

It is a yes by any other name. Marc shrugs, chuckles—he’s an insolent thing, fingers straying playfully over his arm, looking so very sure of himself. Of getting what he wants, always.

Smug.

“Why not?” He asks, eyebrows wagging. It is ridiculous. So is the rush of fondness in his chest. The fishhook tug of Marc’s tongue flashing over his teeth.

Andrea isn’t—usually, he amends—so reckless.

“You’re insane.”

Marc stares at him, shark-eyed, unblinking. It slices through him cleanly like a hot knife, like Marc on a left-hander circuit. “You keep saying that.”

And yet goes unsaid.

He breathes in, a little funny, constricted. His fingers spasm on Marc’s back, cling to the smooth downiness of his pressed shirt. Want jolts through him like touching a live wire—he isn’t thinking. It’s the easiest thing in the world to move his hand, eyes on the party that feels like his burial.

Marc chokes on a noise when Andrea untucks his clothes to reach the skin of his back, when his thumb digs into one of his Venus dimples.

“Alright,” he mutters, soft.

The room melts to nothing around him, a kaleidoscopic blur of color and people he doesn’t care about. Marc’s head is bent, tucked close to his own—an inch closer, and they’ll be inside each other’s skin, breathing the same air. Andrea can only think about the pinkness of his mouth—how near it is.

[sbknews]

New Post has been published on Superbike News

New Post has been published on http://superbike-news.co.uk/wordpress/faster-last-year-riders-ready-take-silverstone/

Faster than last year - riders ready to take on Silverstone

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Ahead of track action on Friday for the Octo British Grand Prix, the Pre-Event Press Conference got the ball rolling at Silverstone, with Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) joined by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), a Union Jack-wearing Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) and Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten). Talk focused on the challenge of the long, fast Silverstone Circuit, and a few questions about the weather – as always when touching down for the British GP.

First to speak was reigning Champion – and Championship leader – Marc Marquez,who first debriefed Spielberg before talking Silverstone: a difficult but good track for the rider from Cervera: “Austria was a great race and I was at home on the sofa watching it again and it was really nice to watch! Dovi was really fast there, he had a bit more than me but we tried until the end and I was very happy to take 20 points there. But now we’re at Silverstone, and we had a good test at Misano before. Last year I was close to the podium so the target is to stay consistent and try and get on the podium. Weather is always a question mark here! This is one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar, it’s demanding physically, difficult to warm the tyres…but I felt good since I came here with a MotoGP bike in 2013. I know here can be a weekend where Maverick will be strong but I’ll try and work hard in the garage and get ready for the race on Sunday.”

Andrea Dovizioso, who moved up to second in the standings after his stunning Austrian GP win, agreed it’s a tough circuit – but says he thinks it’s a great venue: “It’s a wonderful track. It’s very long, difficult, a lot of lines and bumps…and the English weather! But it’s really nice to ride in MotoGP. Last year was a strange race but I think this year it will be different; I think we are more competitive. But let’s see, we’re going into the race very relaxed. I hope it can be as close as Austria again – when I watched it again at home I was more nervous then! But I think this weekend there will be more riders who can be fast. It’s a different story every weekend and we’ll have to see, but it looks like we’ll have good weather and there will be time to work with the bike.”

Next up it was Maverick Viñales, who won the race last year, and has some extra-special memories of the track: “It’s always really nice to come here, with great memories in the smaller categories and last year. It’s really important to start pushing 100% here and giving the maximum. Friday, especially FP2, will be very important to decide which direction to take with the tyres. It’s tough now but that only makes us stronger, and when good times come we’ll make the most of them. And it was great to do the test in Misano before coming to Silverstone.”

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Key rival Dani Pedrosa agreed on the need to maximise track time – and is also raring to get out the blocks and down to work: “The last two races were quite good for me. We’ve been working a lot since the last test, so hopefully we can maintain the same level. We were testing a few days ago and the level is good. We’ll work from FP1, at this track it’s important to get laps because we don’t come here often. It’s long, wide and you need to learn the bumps. You need to get feeling with the track. Everything from FP1 will be important, qualifying is obviously an important point, the start…but we need to focus to try the tyres and understand which is best for the whole race and which for the laptime. More settings and laps are always useful.”

Then, of course, it being the British GP meant the UK was well-represented in the Press Conference, with last year’s polesitter and podium finisher Cal Crutchlow the next man to talk. He expects a tough challenge this season, but is looking forward to putting on a show for the crowd: “I always look forward to coming back to Silverstone, putting on the best show for MotoGP and for all the fans who turn up. Having Brits in all three categories is always good to give fans something to cheer about, and hopefully we can be up there too. I’ve had some good results here over my career but it’s not a circuit I like a lot – it’s bumpy, and I think I’d have to be very lucky on Sunday to overhaul these guys here. I think it will be a lot faster than last year but I look forward to being in the mix again and we’ll see what we can do.”

Compatriot Scott Redding also agrees it’s a great weekend for the home riders – and that track time is vital: “I always like to come back here to my home GP. I look forward to the weekend! From the first time out if the temperature comes up a bit or it rains…we have to use as much track time as we can. That’s the plan, just try and get everything dialed in and do the best we can, like always. It’s been a tough year but it kind of doesn’t show, I’ve put myself in good positions, we’ve struggled in some races but now we’ve been working differently – and I think that can help me in the next races.”

Finally, after announcing his move to MotoGP ™ with EG 0,0 Marc VDS next year, Tom Lüthi joined the Press Conference; full of excitement about moving up, but ready to fight the Championship fight in the intermediate class until the end of the year – against future premier class teammate Franco Morbidelli: “It’s great to sit here and next to all these guys, it’s like a dream come true. It’s amazing for me and I want to thank the team for giving me this chance! Now everything is fixed, the future is clear and I think it’s important to get it out my head again and focus on Moto2. Morbidelli isn’t unbeatable, so we have to keep it up, try and be in front for Valencia and the last race… and then start a new story!”

Silverstone is sure to write a new story in the tale of the incredible 2017 Championship, with track action beginning on Friday – and five riders still very much in contention for the title when the lights go out at 15:30 (GMT +1) on Sunday for the race.

Meet Marquez and Pedrosa at Misano, and support Nicky Hayden Memorial Fund

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[usamotorscycle-blog]

2017 MotoGP Season Preview

With the start of the 2017 MotoGP season only weeks away, we turn to our trusted MotoGP Correspondent, Bruce Allen, still foolishly bucking for promotion, for a look ahead at what will be on offer for racing fans this year. The racing begins on March 26 in Qatar. MotoGP is the fastest-growing motorsports flavor on earth. That it has virtually no presence or accessibility in the U.S. is a poor joke. It appears the safety-conscious American parents of today are reluctant to let their kids, most of them, anyway, learn to ride ATVs and motorbikes when they’re young. Series organizer Dorna has recognized that a country wishing to develop world-class riders needs to have a formal development program, one of which was implemented in Great Britain just this year. (Probably because of Cal Crutchlow, the Great English-As-A-First-Language Hope.) Such leagues have existed in Spain and Italy for decades. The fact is that the U.S., for its size, with expensive national marketing costs, doesn’t sell a lot of imported motorcycles, and it’s doubtful that showing more MotoGP races would change that. So most of us Americans miss out. Meanwhile the Aussies and Kiwis are all over this stuff, along with Europe and much of Asia. No more giving up calendar dates in favor of F1; MotoGP has MoMentum. No more five weeks off in the middle of the summer, either. Countries from Thailand and Indonesia to Hungary and Finland are clamoring to host races; pressure on the calendar, with four rounds still in Spain (quietly drumming my fingertips on the tabletop), is intense. Even money says the calendar goes to 20 dates within five years. And get rid of Aragon. Or Argentina. Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and the rest of the MotoGP grid took part in a test a few weeks ago at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. Overall, 2017 has the look of a great season. The Big Three factory teams of Yamaha, Honda and Ducati will dominate much of the action, as they are home to the Aliens, those riders whose balance and instincts are a step above the rest of the field – Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and new Alien on the block Maverick Vinales. Keeping them honest will be the likes of Lorenzo’s teammate and wingman Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow on the LCR Honda, and Andrea Iannone on the factory Suzuki. Alex Rins, on the second factory Suzuki, and Johann Zarco on a Tech 3 satellite Yamaha, are the Moto2 grads most likely to podium this year, with Rins looking, to me anyway, like the rookie of the year for 2017. Another Alien in the making. Due to last year’s amazing series of races which culminated in nine different riders standing on the top step of the podium, hope springs eternal for the riders and teams in the lower tranches. Pramac, Aspar and Reale Esponsorama get new old hardware, which could improve prospects for Hectic Hector Barbera and Alvaro Bautista. It would take another Assen-type miracle for either of the Marc VDS riders, Jack Miller and Tito Rabat, to win this year. (There are also rumblings that the team is planning to fold up its tent in the next year or two, possibly freeing up slots for a satellite Suzuki team.) Let’s just look at this thing team by team, in alphabetical order. We will wait until after the season opener to assign tranches to the various riders. Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Embed from Getty Images Sam Lowes Aleix Espargaro Sam and Aleix need to be prepared for a long season. Hard luck Espargaro, having lost out at Suzuki to Iannone and Rins, takes a step down to join the Aprilia factory effort, on the upswing but still learning their way around. The Aprilia and KTM projects are likely to be relatively underfunded for the foreseeable future, slowing their development, and reducing their prospects to those of satellite teams. For Lowes, somehow promoted from Moto2 despite world-class inconsistency, there will be a lot of badly scuffed leathers. Espargaro seems to be getting the hang of things more quickly. For Fausto Gresini, for whom the allure of the premier class is almost irresistible, 2017 will be like shooting 108 on the golf course – enough good shots to keep you coming back, but a vast majority of poor to terrible swings. Two unfamiliar riders and not-quite-competitive bike. Bring a book. Ducati Factory Team Embed from Getty Images Jorge Lorenzo Andrea Dovizioso Going into 2017, the factory Ducati team is the most interesting group on the lot. The Italians expect plenty, and soon, from their brand-new triple world champion. Jorge Lorenzo, in turn, suggested that the first real day of testing at Sepang was a bit terrifying, but with the help of Casey Stoner and Michele Pirro is adapting to the Desmosedici GP17. No more getting blitzed in the straights, but he needs to re-learn cornering if he is to avoid “pulling a Rossi” on the Ducati, which seems unlikely unless he finds himself unable to keep the bike upright. A win in Qatar would do a lot to build his confidence, although the same could be said for every rider on the grid. Nice writing. Consistent Andrea Dovizioso has been flying under the radar during the offseason, allowing the cameras to focus on Lorenzo while he plots his strategy to win the title himself. The latest iteration of the Desmosedici will probably be a great bike, and Dovi has four years in with the factory. Personally, I would love to see him fighting for a title with Vinales and Marquez. It could happen. I think the odds favor him to finish ahead of Lorenzo this season. Embed from Getty Images A recently-filed patent provides clues that the bulge under the tail may hide a variable exhaust nozzle that resembles ones used on jet engines. The Bologna bunch has recently received a patent for a new jet exhaust valve; don’t know what that’s for unless they’re interested in watching Lorenzo leaving Earth’s orbit. It has also installed what is said to be an anti-chatter box behind the rider and bent the exhaust pipes and stuff around it. They are keeping their 2017 fairing secret, but I expect it to resemble the new Yamaha innovation, with the interior wings in a laughable “bulge,” which is expressly forbidden under the rules yet permitted by some guy named Danny. “Y’see, it’s not so much of a “bulge” as it is a continuation of the radius… An’ that’s why they’ve blokes like me, to keep things strite, y’know. Yeah.” For me, the most interesting question is whether the big red bikes are to be housed in Lorenzo’s Land or Gigi’s Garage. LCR Honda Embed from Getty Images Perpetually carrying a chip on his shoulder, Cal Crutchlow finally came through last year with a pair of race wins. Cal Crutchlow My personal favorite rider. To disparage, mock, call out and, ultimately, have to eat crow over. Crashlow won his first two premier class races in 2016 after years of making excuses and broadcasting blame for not having won earlier. He has burned bridges with Yamaha and Ducati, although he seems to be a fair-haired child for Honda as of late. Complaining a month ago that “Honda are on it’s back foot,” or some other foolish British verb conjugation, it seems the litany has resumed. With Vinales added to the mix at the top, I don’t expect Cal to win two races again this season. Marc VDS Racing Team NFL (Not For Long) Embed from Getty Images Jack Miller Tito Rabat The struggling #3 Honda team, at the end of the Sepang test in January, had neither rider fit to ride. Tito Rabat was a great rider in Moto2 but is proving to be a bust in MotoGP. Miller, tagged by HRC for greatness at a young age, is proving to be unable to keep the RC213V upright, piling up more serious injuries than The Black Night in the Monty Python classic, not to mention creating acres of shredded, brightly painted fiberglass. This team could be out of existence in a year or two, providing an opportunity for the moon, the sun and the stars to align in such a way that, as Dani Pedrosa’s contract on the factory Honda team expires, young Miller is standing at the door, kindly showing him the way out. A national day of celebration will follow in Australia, one in which Livio Suppo, team boss at Repsol Honda, having been out-voted by marketing folks seeking an Australian Alien, may not be participating. Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Embed from Getty Images Johann Zarco Jonas Folger Hmmm. Two freshmen on the satellite Yamaha team. Herve Poncharal, team boss, has a thing for Folger; perhaps he likes the cut of his jib, but I haven’t seen much in the way of dominating performances in Moto2 to justify a promotion. Zarco arrived on the strength of having become the only rider in Moto2 to title twice, consecutively, and is probably disappointed at not having a factory bike of some kind at his disposal. Both riders will be on steep learning curves this year, although Zarco fared surprisingly well at the Malaysia test. He and Alex Rins figure to battle it out for rookie of the year honors. MoviStar Yamaha Factory Team Embed from Getty Images Valentino Rossi Maverick Vinales Lin Jarvis’ factory Yamaha team enters the season with GOAT candidate Valentino Rossi and the heir apparent, the aptly-named Maverick Vinales, recently graduated from a two-year riding academy with the factory Suzuki team. During those two years, he figured out how to win (Silverstone 2016) on a relatively slow bike. Now that he has earned arguably the fastest complete bike on the grid, great expectations abound. His “win” at the Sepang test in January affirms those who expect him to title in his first Yamaha season. Marc Marquez, reigning and triple world champion, has been encouraging this thinking, talking publicly about how concerned he is with Vinales. Intentionally adding to the pressure, getting inside Vinales’ head. Rossi-like. Embed from Getty Images Rule changes prohibit the protruding winglets frequently seen on bikes last year. Yamaha’s solution is to move its downforce-generating surfaces inside the fairing. Rossi maintains his Alien status, but it will be tested again this year. (Dani Pedrosa is now an Alien Emeritus.) He still has the passion and the conditioning and the experience. But does he have the reflexes and balance he did when he was 28? I think not. I think he is also less of a risk taker now than he was a decade ago. He will undoubtedly win some races this year, but may lose the season contest with his teammate, effectively ending their friendship for all time. The intra-team competition could tighten significantly, however, if Vinales finds himself cartwheeling through a lot of gravel traps this spring. Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati Embed from Getty Images Danilo Petrucci (GP17) Cheesed Off Scott Redding (GP16) The #2 Ducati team. Danilo Petrucci, the burly ex-cop, may find himself in the mix once in a while (probably in the rain) this season onboard the GP17 he won fair and square in the intra-team competition with Scott Redding last year. Redding, sadly, will not be in the mix on his GP16, as he seems unable to get over the hump in the premier class after a glittering (?) run in Moto2. With three name sponsors, it seems likely the team will have plenty of frames and fairings to replace for Redding as he goes bumping around the tracks of the world, muttering about how it just isn’t fair. Pull & Bear Aspar Team Ducati Embed from Getty Images Alvaro Bautista GP16 Karel Abraham GP15 A satellite Ducati team with upset potential. Alvaro Bautista, like Barbera, has been a consistent underachiever in the premier class. His own high-water mark occurred in 2008, when he finished second in the 250cc class behind a guy named Simoncelli. In 2012 and 2013 he flogged Fausto Gresini’s close-to-factory-spec Honda to 5th and 6th place finishes, respectively. Meanwhile, enter Karel Abraham, previously employed by his dad before serving a one-year sentence in WSB last year. He’s back, for whatever reason, this time on a GP15. Bautista has, over the years, shown moments of great skill and moments of sheer stupidity. This year, again mimicking Barbera, he has a chance to peek at a podium or two after two grinding years with Aprilia. This may also be the best bike he has ever ridden, although the Honda back in 2012-2013 was badass. We will stick our necks out here and predict zero podiums for the Aspar team in 2017. Reale Esponsorama Racing (formerly Avintia) Embed from Getty Images Hector Barbera (GP16) Too-Tall Loris Baz (GP15) Another second-string Ducati team that could surprise, 2017 features Barbera on a GP16 and Baz on a GP15. Hectic Hector’s career saw its high-water mark in the 250cc class in 2009 when he finished second to Hiro Aoyama. Once he arrived in MotoGP, never having been the beneficiary of first-class equipment, his career has leveled off. He has battled slow bikes, injury, and a low racing IQ to a series of undistinguished finishes. Last year he showed some improvement which, if it continues this year, could actually make him a consistent top-10 finisher. He’ll have to overcome the initial setback of a broken collarbone, suffered last week in training. Barbera is expected to miss this weekend’s final test at Qatar in order to be ready for the March 26 season opener. Embed from Getty Images The long-of-limb Loris Baz is a rarity in MotoGP these days. Meanwhile, young Frenchman Loris Baz, who is, like, 6-foot-3-inches tall, had an up and down second MotoGP season. Three distinct episodes of “start slowly, improve, then crash” marked his year, including a fourth-place finish at Brno and a fifth at Sepang. Riding a Ducati at his lofty height suggests he’ll prefer the long flowing circuits over the tight squinchy ones. He will need to learn to keep the bike upright if he is to continue in MotoGP. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Embed from Getty Images Bradley Smith Pol Espargaro Teammates on the Tech 3 Yamaha for the past two seasons, these two get factory rides with the rookie KTM factory team. The Austrians have enjoyed decades of success elsewhere and feel it is but a matter of time before they start winning in MotoGP. Years, perhaps many, in my opinion, but what do I know? Of the two riders, I prefer Espargaro, a year younger, with a title under his belt in Moto2. Smith seems like a nice guy, but appears snake bit. It’s always something with Bradley – an injury, a mechanical issue, a head cold. Whatever. I will gladly back Espargaro this year in the intra-team rivalry, the only competition that will mean much of anything to this group. Embed from Getty Images Not his first rodeo, Pol Espargaro is ready to ride this (Red) Bull. The official factory rollout of the KTM entries in all three classes included words from the Chief Cheddar at KTM Itself, Stefan Pierer, announcing his intention to fight with Honda for a MotoGP world championship in the not-too-distant future. Patience, grasshopper. Repsol Honda Team Embed from Getty Images Dani Pedrosa Marc Marquez Along with the factory Yamaha and Ducati teams, HRC is royalty in the world of grand prix motorcycle racing. Repsol Hondas have been ridden by world champions Freddie Spencer, Eddie Lawson, Mick Doohan, Àlex Crivillé, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez. Its prospects are decidedly mixed heading into 2017. With several new engines to figure out, the Sepang test was a bit of a struggle, with Marquez working hard to finish second behind Vinales, but able to deliver several impressive 20-lap race simulations. Appears to be another year in which Marquez will have to manage an inferior bike to battle for the title with the other Aliens. He did it last year. I believe Vinales will collect a number of wins and an equal number of DNFs on the factory Yamaha, allowing a mature Marquez to slug it out with Jorge, Dovi and Vale again this year. With two new riders, Suzuki Ecstar will not threaten. Iannone? Dovizioso? I think not. Embed from Getty Images Marc Marquez reportedly dislocated his shoulder in a private test at Jerez but he is expected to be ready for the start of the season. As for Dani Pedrosa, I look for him to finish seventh or eighth this season, as he has clearly lost a step since his prime in 2012. Whether he’s interested in serving as Marquez’ wingman in 2017 is problematic. If he slips out of the top 10, Honda may buy out his last year and bring Miller or, more likely, Crutchlow onto the factory team in 2018. Miller may blossom this year. Probably not. Team Suzuki Ecstar Embed from Getty Images Andrea Iannone Alex Rins The second most interesting team on the grid, a rapidly improving Suzuki will have two new riders in 2017. Andrea Iannone worked himself out of a job on the factory Ducati last season and landed with Suzuki, which may be a piece of good luck for both parties. Thus far in his premier-class career, Iannone has been unable to harness his impossible speed, his temperament and aggressiveness often getting the better of him. It would be loads of fun to see him battle with the front group this season, and it could happen. Unless The Maniac is still, well, a maniac. Alex Rins has had Alien written all over him since he was about 15. Although he never titled in the lower MotoGP classes, he recorded two seconds and two thirds in three Moto3 and two Moto2 seasons. The Rins and Marquez families do not exchange Christmas cards, setting up a new rivalry for the next few years while Rins earns his whiskers. He figures to become a problem for both Marquez and Vinales in that time. Definite Alien potential here. Embed from Getty Images Alex Rins is a strong candidate for rookie of the year honors. I see a couple of podiums in store for Suzuki in 2017, perhaps a handful. Unless the bike is greatly improved they may not compete for a win, but the Suzuki program seems to be progressing nicely. Perhaps 2018 will be their year. Phillip Island Test Three productive days of testing at Phillip Island in early February taught us little we did not already know. Marquez and Vinales seem to be running in a league of their own. Dani Pedrosa still has some juice left in the tank. And rookie Jonas Folger can coax at least one fast lap per day out of his Tech 3 Yamaha. Embed from Getty Images Maverick Vinales topped the time sheets at Phillip Island. Cal Crutchlow and rookie Alex Rins ran almost identical fast laps on Friday. Dovizioso and Lorenzo were running neck and neck for seventh and eighth places, respectively. Jack Miller, Aleix Espargaro and Alvaro Bautista finished ahead of Valentino Rossi, something you don’t get to report every day. And lots of disappointed Ducati riders (six of the bottom nine) muttering to themselves farther back in the dust. Not a great three days for Ducati Corse. Vinales is making it hard not to envision him clutching a world championship trophy in his first premier-class season. If he can stay within himself and not get overly excited, it could happen this year. Then, when Rins joins the fray in 2019… There you have it. Due to incessant demand, and for those of you interested in going into debt with your bookies, here’s my prediction for the Top 10 finishers, in order, for the 2017 season. Bookmark this article so you can rub it in my face in November. Expect a “404 Error Page Not Found” at that time, especially if I’m way off: Marc Marquez Maverick Vinales Valentino Rossi Andrea Dovizioso Cal Crutchlow Jorge Lorenzo Dani Pedrosa Alex Rins Andrea Iannone Alvaro Bautista Click to Post