Close season?

Comment that I read last year suggested that the engine capacity
change could lead to this season being quite uneven. With Honda in
particular with its engine designing experience and resources being
advantaged in comparison to its competitors. But so far in testing
things look quite close. I've just been reading an article about
Suzuki, where they were predicting that they'd be "fighting for
victory" this year. Apart from Roberts' money woes, all of the major
teams seem in reasonable shape, maybe Ducati is a bit slower than I
expected but I haven't seen all testing times so perhaps they were
fast on some tracks?

 

The lap times today at Valencia show at least 3 teams to be close, Honda,
Yamaha and Ducati,
Kawasaki aren't looking too hot yet and Suzuki semed to have faded from good
early form, although to be fair John Hopkins isn't here this weekend and he
is the top rider.

It's all hard to tell though, one fast lap doesn't win a race, untill the
green flag drops and they go head to head full race we won't really know.

The guys I think will be fast this year are Rossi, Pedrosa, Stoner,
Capirossi and possibly / probably Melandri and Hayden, I'm cautious with
Hayden as I don't know if he'll like or adapt to the 800 but we will see.

Paul