P112
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
T
he MotoGP World Cham-
pionship turns 70 this
year. The series is pretty
spry for a septuagenarian. Mo-
toGP's exuberance is a mea-
sure of its success: the grow-
ing pains of the last decade
and the ghastly proddie-based
CRT bikes now all but forgot-
ten. It is once again paradoxi-
cally youthful and renewed.
It is traditional at this pre-sea-
son point to look ahead with
optimism. This is, of course,
something those of us who love
racing can hardly avoid. But it's
not too much of a stretch: for
2018, there seems little need
to break out the happy pills
or contort the imagination in
the hope and expectation of
another fine and compelling
battle. Let the new Golden Age
continue.
Unless Honda and Marquez
spoil the party.
Of course, recent statistics
do suggest racing might have
become predictable. Marc
Marquez has been dominant,
winning four times in the past
five years, including the last
two years straight. But only
one of those titles was straight-
forward. Honda's endless and
obsessive quest for improve-
ment has led them into some
dark places, and he's really
had to work for it every year ex-
cept 2014. Last year the issue
remained open until the last of
18 races.
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
