IN
THE
WIND
P26
MARQUEZ ENDS 2017 ON TOP
M
arc Marquez (Repsol Honda)
put an exclamation point on his
2017 title-winning season by going
fastest on the final day of testing at
Valencia, topping the timesheets with
a 1:30.033, four-tenths of a second
faster than teammate, Dani Pedrosa.
Honda were testing their 2018 bike as well as
the 2017 and both men put in a combined total of
over a 100 laps. LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow,
meanwhile, put in a mammoth 72 laps on day two
to go sixth fastest.
Third on the timesheets was Monster Energy
Tech3 Yamaha's Johann Zarco after completing
65 laps. The 2017 Rookie of the Year was test-
ing the 2017 M1, and was positive about the bike,
saying he feels more potential with it, a sentiment
echoed by the fastest rider on day one, Maverick
Vinales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Vinales was
fifth fastest after 66 laps, with teammate Valentino
Rossi taking P7 on the timesheets after 62 laps.
Jorge Lorenzo continued to impress on the fac-
tory Ducati, setting the fourth fastest time—0.501
seconds off Marquez. Jack Miller's impressive
adaption to the Pramac Ducati continued as the
Australian finished eighth fastest, with Suzuki's
Andrea Iannone and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro
rounding out the top 10. For the full test results,
click here. CN
Marquez's
season ended
in style,
topping the
timesheet at
Valencia's end-
of-season test.
SPIES SBK COMEBACK NOT CERTAIN, BUT OFF-ROAD IS
F
ormer three-time AMA
Superbike Cham-
pion Ben Spies' much-
publicized comeback to
professional road racing
is still up in the air, with
the Texan yet to confirm
his plans for 2018.
Spies is known to
have been trying to put
together a deal to race
in the MotoAmerica Su-
perbike Championship—
most likely on Ducati
machinery—for next year,
but he admits after four
and a half years away
from top-flight competi-
tion, it will be a tall order
to be competitive.
"I've been away for
four and a half years
now, so for something to
happen the way I want it
to happen, it is probably
difficult," Spies said to
Motorsport.com at the
EICMA Show in Milan.
"Being away for four
and a half years, if I was
to come back, it would
have to be the same
deals as what I left, or I
do not come back. That's
the problem. There is not
much money in racing
right now.
"We'll see, my door
is kind of open and we'll
see what happens, but I
think it's been a little bit
too late now, so it will be
tough."
But if MotoAmerica
falls through, Spies is still
planning a professional
racing return in off-road
competition. Spies
has been riding a KTM
competitively in Texas
enduro rounds, and is
contemplating making
the full-time switch to dirt
racing.
"Next year I am actu-
ally starting to plan to
race off-road, dirt bikes,
professionally," he
revealed. So, if I don't
come back on the road,
I'll be on the dirt in the
U.S." CN
Ben Spies will be racing
next year, it's just a matter
of what.
