VOL. 56 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 15, 2019 P105
who are too scared to fit slicks
and wind it wide open.
Danilo Petrucci: To try to
see the funny side. Again. And
again, and again.
Maverick Vinales: Ditto.
Oh, hang on. There isn't a funny
side. This is the World Champi-
onship.
Alex Rins: To stop saying
"no?" at the end of every sen-
tence, no?
Johann Zarco: When I was
young, I always dreamed about
becoming a successful racer. I
would ride my bicycle, and in my
mind I could almost believe that
it was a powerful machine. Then
when I first went to school…
(Sorry, this had to be cut for
reasons of space.)
Andrea Iannone: Eh, why
you wanna ask me, eh? Waddya
think? I wanna race. Do my best.
To don't crash. Is what?
Pol Espargaro: To avoid
being on first-name terms with all
the medical staff.
Aleix Espargaro: To get
onto first-name terms with the
officials in parc ferme.
Franco Morbidelli: To get
a haircut. Or not. What does it
matter really? I just like doing
what I'm good at it. And trying to
do it better.
Hafizh Syahrin: Don't ask
me. I'm too busy wondering why
I haven't got a Yamaha anymore.
And whether I'd be better off on
a Triumph back in Moto2.
Scott Redding: To hope
that the guys in BSB aren't too
darned fast. There's a big point
to prove here.
Fabio Quartararo: Not
to expect too much too soon.
Already suffered from that in
Moto3 and Moto2.
Joan Mir: To ignore people
who call him, "The new Mar-
quez." Because one way or the
other they will be disappointed.
Especially if he turns out to be
better.
Ducati's Dall'Igna: To find
even more spectacular ways
around those restrictive aero-
bodywork rules, and make the
officials look even sillier than the
rules.
Aprilia: To find a way to be
taken seriously. Heck, the mar-
gins are small, they're not that far
behind. It's just that the others
are so far ahead.
KTM: To keep believing that
it's the other chassis designers
who have got it wrong. Steel
tubes forever!
Yamaha: To never need to
apologize again.
Honda: To continue to help
and advise our "rivals" how to
get the hell out of our way.
Suzuki: To keep a low pro-
file. Until race day, anyway.
Red Bull: To spend as much
as it takes. Then double it.
Dorna: To make superbikes
work as well as MotoGP. Without
becoming a threat. Successful,
but not too successful.
Dorna TV Commentators
(or at least one of them):
To learn how to pronounce LCR
team boss Lucio Cecchinello's
name.
And in other classes:
Brad Binder: To forget the
pain of having to defer to his
teammate all last year. And to
beat Luca Marini this year.
Dorna back-room statis-
tics boys: To remember that
Kork Ballington was not the
last South African intermediate-
class champion before Binder.
That was privateer Jon Ekerold,
350cc class champion in 1981,
one year later.
Triumph: To remain con-
fident that our new Moto2
engines will be at least half as
reliable as the Hondas.
Mattia Pasini: To find a ride.
Not ready to stop yet.
Romano Fenati: Not to roy-
ally stuff up his second chance
at a comeback from the (very)
naughty step.
Sete Gibernau: To roll back
the years, with battery power in
the all-new MotoE.
And all the fans: To make
the most of what looks like an-
other brilliant season. CN
