As Honda continues to dominate MotoGP this season, one is tempted to look ahead to the 2003 MotoGP season and the arrival of Ducati. Ducati, of course, is the most successful four-stroke motorcycle roadracing manufacturer of the last decade — having dominated World Superbike and other regional superbike competitions. Ducati knows four-strokes, and one can expect Ducati to be competitive almost immediately in MotoGP when it arrives at Suzuka for the first round next year.
With Troy Bayliss on the MotoGP Ducati, it becomes all the more interesting. With Bayliss simply destroying the WSB competition this year (competition that includes some very exceptional riders on some very exceptional machinery, such as Colin Edwards on a Honda, Noriyuki Haga on an Aprilia, and Troy’s teammates, Ben Bostrom and Ruben Xaus), we can anxiously anticipate whether Bayliss can give Valentino Rossi a run for his money.