MOTOGP
2014 SEASON PREVIEW
PREVIEW
P40
• The ever-thwarted Repsol
Honda stalwart Dani Pedrosa, if
he finally gets a run of good luck
that lasts all the way through the
year.
That hinged on one proviso…
that Yamaha would be able to
manage further refinement to
their long-standing in-line-four
M1 design. By the end of last
year the design was looking to
be on its last legs – the price for
the wider engine and the greater
internal friction of the balance-
shaft, against the compact per-
fectly balanced 90-degree V-four
Honda. The sums paid are small,
but up front the margins are very
narrow.
The first tests of the season
at Sepang were dominated by
championship defender Mar-
quez, fastest on all three days,
with his usual rivals close enough
Valentino Rossi had plenty to
smile about after finishing last
week's Sepang test second
only to Marquez.
Jorge Lorenzo wasn't
overly stoked when he left
Sepang, but counting him
out would be a mistake of
epic proportions.
