WINTER WONDERLAND
Jeez, I can’t get over how quickly 2019 has come around. But then again for the BSB pilots even that’s not enough, as thanks to a testing ban from January 1 no one’s allowed to swing a leg over their machinery until the official test in March, which is why you’ve seen so many riders out before the New Year has even begun.
And it’s been busy; Be Wiser Ducati, Buildbase Suzuki, McAMS Yamaha, Honda Racing, OMG Suzuki and EHA Racing with new boy David Allingham have all been out lapping up the Spanish sunshine, and getting a first taste of testing before the teams all come together in March... so what’s going on?
Well the answer is, a lot. First up is the Ducati duo; both the BeWiser Ducati boys were incredibly impressed with their first sampling of the V4R, especially with Redding riding it straight out the box. Yeah, they might not have been full fat BSB-spec machines, but it bodes well for a strong championship challenge. They’re both excellent development riders with a plethora of experience, so by the middle of the season I fully expect both Brookes and Redding to be at the sharp end.
But who will they be fighting with? I’d bet the McAMS Yamaha duo will be up there. With Taz Mac ending the year on an undeniable high, he’s being tipped as a favourite for the season straight away. He was going well in testing but the biggest surprise for me was O’Halloran; having spent what seems like his career at Honda, he jumped straight onto the Yamaha and instantly clicked. He was only two tenths off his teammate and will only get quicker as the year goes on; that duo will be a force to be reckoned with.
And talking of the O’Show, it’s about time his ex-employer, Honda Racing, put in a serious title bid; things have been difficult for the Louth-based squad thanks to a whole host of reasons, but this year is their first full squad shake up since the early 2000s… and team manager Harv wouldn’t have taken that decision lightly. There’s pressure on those guys to deliver, and having an incredibly experienced Xavi Fores on board is only going to help Andrew Irwin mature into a strong front runner; okay, maybe not this season, but certainly next. Those two get on well and share data, and as they’ve both come from riding a Ducati, rumour has it they’ve taken the Fireblade development into a very different direction for ’19. Maybe just what it needs.
Now it’s a countdown to the first test. Yep, the new season is almost upon us…