Is it any surprise that the two largest manufacturers, with the two largest race budgets, have a huge head start in development and testing of their MotoGP four-stroke race bikes? Probably not, but the advantage Honda and Yamaha have over their four-stroke rivals becomes clearer as the new year approaches.
While both of the big boys have been testing and dialing in their machines for months, Suzuki and Aprilia are just getting started with their four-stroke programs (at least, from a road testing perspective). It will be hard enough for Yamaha and Honda to be ready for the opening round in a few months, but nearly impossible for Suzuki and Aprilia.
If the two-strokes don’t stand a chance (as more and more observers expect), we could have the same battle as last season, i.e., Rossi vs. Biaggi, but on brand new machinery. If everyone else, save their teammates, is left for dead, it could make the opening season of MotoGP a bit less interesting than we had hoped.
