Cycle News

Cycle News 2022 Issue 45 November 8

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1483620

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to Hailwood's two. (Coincidental- ly, the same year Hailwood and Phil Read were equal on points in the 250 class, but Hailwood was crowned by virtue of better subsidiary results.) But does the best rider always win? Is the championship much more than a sometimes-cynical game of percentages, rewarding reliability and a knack of playing percentages as much as speed? And the lucky luxury of having the fastest bike? For the past three decades and more, I've had the (not self- appointed) task of picking the 10 best riders of the year, to be enshrined in the bookshelves of dedicated fans in the pages of the august annual Motocourse. It's sort of a privilege, but there are pitfalls. And it shouldn't be taken as much more than bar-stool expertise. But it looks important. Sometimes it's easy. Some- times agonizing, knowing that my flippant seat-of-pants views will upset riders who might (or might not) fall short in some areas compared with their rivals, A cliffhanger. A title go- ing to the wire. Not that unusual—in fact, in more than 70 years of GP racing there have been 19 occasions when the premier-class championship was decided at the last race, al- though only one occasion when two rivals ended the season equal on points. That was in 1967. MV versus Honda, Giacomo Agostini versus Mike Hailwood. Ago got the nod, because, though they were equal on five wins apiece, the Italian had three second places P126 CN III IN THE PADDOCK BY MICHAEL SCOTT THE TOP 10 TANGLE Will this year's MotoGP Championship actually produce the best racer? Bagnaia will most likely think so. PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE

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