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/953622
27 last year. He had to fight hard for both of those titles. Last year, by midseason, he had managed just two wins and had crashed out twice. After that, he and his engineers finally got to grips with the bike's latest quirks, and it still took him until the 18th and final race before he was confirmed champion for a fourth time. For 2018, pre-season tests have sounded an ominous note for the opposition. This year's Honda appears to have fewer built-in quirks, and a significant power boost. Instead of strug- gling and crashing, Marquez and Pedrosa have made smooth and very rapid progress. Last year's opposition was from Ducati, where in its fifth year under ex-Aprilia engineer Gigi Dall'Igna, the Italians had done the opposite of Honda—at last finding a way to harness their desmodromic engine's class-leading horsepower in a chassis that was able to find its way around corners better than ever. For the first time since win- ning with Casey Stoner in 2008, in the experienced hands of Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati was a serious title threat. He was helped by a switch (by popular demand) to a harder front tire construction, leading directly to his first win of the year at Mugello. Twice he out-braved Marquez in last-corner shoot- outs, but the Ducati still strug- gled at tracks where sustained turning momentum was required, like Phillip Island, where a lowly 13th place lost him the champi- onship. New teammate Jorge Lorenzo proved a fast learner and made the podium three times; satellite rider Danilo Petrucci (on a fac- tory bike in Pramac colors) got four. Further improvements were obvious at this year's pre-season tests, and Lorenzo topped the timesheets at the first Sepang outing. More impressively, new Pramac recruit Jack Miller, on a 2017 bike, was right up with the fastest guys. The question that needs an- swering concerns race pace and consistency over different tracks. Only if the Duke is strong here can it pose a serious challenge to the mighty Hondas. And Yamaha? Last year, the traditional Honda rival stumbled. New recruit Maverick Vinales had dominated the tests and took the first two races, but took only one more win; Movi- star teammate Valentino Rossi also won only once, while class rookie Johann Zarco (up from winning the first double Moto2 crown) made hay on the 2016 bike. A winter of development was based on the 2016 chassis. But the early tests were not too promising. The factory riders both had problems with sus- tained runs, and (as last year) were complaining of different issues, adding to further confu- sion. And all the while Johann Zarco, who had elected to retain his 2016 bike, was going con- IN THE WIND P48 Johann Zarco has been a rockstar since joining MotoGP in 2017 and is likely to grab multiple podiums—if not a win or two— this year.