2017 FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
P98
FEATURE
the Forward team, together again
with the promising Luca Marini,
Rossi's half-brother.
There are others hungry for race
wins. Takaaki Nakagami took his
first last year after some years of
being close, back with Idemitsu
Honda Team Asia, the confidence
boost should help with another
step. Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin
(Petronas Kalex) too often spoiled
his results with bad qualifying, but
there's nothing wrong with his race
speed or race craft.
Alex Marquez had a down-beat
second season last year, but the
EG-VDS team has kept faith and kept him on. AGR
meanwhile have replaced Folger with MotoGP
refugee Yonny Hernandez, returning to the class.
All of these ride Kalex; Speed Up's best chance
is in the hands of the constructor team's bruising
veteran Simone Corsi. The French Tech3, made
by the squad running satellite Yamahas in MotoGP,
has Australian Remy Gardner joining incum-
bent Xavi Vierge. Neither of these chassis has
achieved much glory in the past.
Things might be different for newcom-
ers KTM, if second-year Moto2 man Miguel
Oliveira's test times are anything to go by. He's
joined in the Ajo-run team (winners last year
with Zarco) by runaway 2016 Moto3 champion
Brad Binder, though the South African missed
early tests still recuperating from a post-season
test crash last year.
Binder tops the list of interesting rookies,
including up-and-down ex-Moto3 challengers
Jorge Navarro on a Gresini Kalex and Fabio
Quartararo, replacing Rins on the yellow Pagi-
nas Amarillas bike of Team Pons.
Look out also for Rossi's protégé Francesco
Bagnaia, up from Moto3 in Valentino's new
SKY-sponsored team alongside fellow-Italian
hot shot Stefano Manzi.
Moto2 offers a lively prospect, which has not
always been the case recently.
(Above) Moto3 World Champion Brad Binder broke
his arm at the first Moto2 test late last year but is
back on the bike, although not quite back to full
fitness. (Below) Yonny Hernandez returns to Moto2
after a few years in MotoGP. The Columbian knows
he's on career life support this year and must deliver.
