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Win COTA MotoGP Tickets From KTM

Dear MOby,

In a perfect world, Maverick Viñales and Marc Marquez, the two brightest young stars in the MotoGP firmament, would have squared off for a thrilling fight to the flag here at the Middle of Nowhere Grand Prix. Marquez, starting from pole, took the hole shot and led the field by almost two seconds when he carelessly lost the front in Turn 2 of Lap 4. Viñales, running second at the time, assumed the lead, laid down 21 1:40 or better laps, and won easily, hardly breaking a sweat.

Having left the wide-open spaces of the Persian Gulf, The Greatest Show on Two Wheels heads south of the equator to Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina. Round Two of the tantalizing 2017 season, The Gran Premio Motul de la República Argentina, promises to answer a few questions that popped up in the desert two weeks ago. The various and sundry Honda teams, especially, have a few things to prove at this very RC213V-friendly circuit. But is the 2017 bike up to it?

Movistar Yamaha’s new kid on the block, Maverick Viñales, did to the field of the 2017 Grand Prix of Qatar what he’s done ever since he first placed his bum on the saddle of the YZR-M1 last November. He ended the day at the top of the timesheets, having outdueled factory Ducati #1 Andrea Dovizioso over the last eight laps of the race. In the process, he took the lead in the 2017 championship and initiated what is likely to become known as The Viñales Years.

Welcome, everyone, to the 2017 presentation of MotoGP, The Greatest Show on Earth now that the circus has folded. The first year of six manufacturers, three of which have an honest shot at the title. And the year fans will likely remember not for the debut of an upstart KTM team, but for the introduction of Yamaha’s Apparent Next Great Modern Rider, Maverick Viñales, to polite society.

Farewell, from one legend to another. Fast Freddie Spencer shares a memory of when he found inspiration from the late John Surtees. —Ed.

The motorsports community is saddened today by the loss of one of the true legends of motorcycle racing. John Surtees, winner of four world championships in Grand Prix racing’s premier class, passed away at the age of 83.

With the start of the 2017 MotoGP season only weeks away, we turn to our trusted MotoGP Correspondent, Bruce Allen, still foolishly bucking for promotion, for a look ahead at what will be on offer for racing fans this year. The racing begins on March 26 in Qatar.

The BMW GS line basically owned the Adventure-Touring category before such a term even existed. But that doesn’t mean competition didn’t exist. Such a competitor came from Aprilia, as it tried its hand at something resembling a GS competitor. The year was 2001 and the bike was the 2002 Aprilia ETV 1000 Caponord; the precursor, of course, to the Caponords that would come more than a decade later. History clearly doesn’t look too fondly at the old Capo being any bit of a threat to BMW, but what did the MO gang of 2001 think of the bike? Read on to find out.

We all know what school self-taught motorcyclists end up attending: The School of Really Hard Knocks. Really hard. Since we think that MO readers are somewhat more intelligent and skillful than your garden variety motorcyclist, we thought we’d ask about your level of moto-education. What categories of riding schools have you attended? Have you stayed with street only, or maybe dirt only. Did you move up to performance riding? Perhaps even racing?

No, it’s not quite a full factory effort again, but the fact the surprise announcement took place in the hallowed halls of American Honda’s old race shop behind Door #10 in Torrance shows Big Red is back and seriously behind the effort.

We keep saying that today’s modern sportbikes are becoming more and more like computers with wheels, with all of their sophisticated electronics. Well, if you’re Asia Road Racing competitor Galang Hendra, your motorcycle is a computer! Here he is, piloting a simulator for practice, but man, it sure appears awfully realistic. Lean angles correspond to the track he’s riding, as do throttle and shift inputs.

The third round of the 2017 AMA Supercross series gets underway this weekend, as the riders and teams make their way back to Anaheim, California – site of the season-opening round of the series – for what’s better known as Anaheim 2. As we await the best Supercross riders in the world to line up this weekend, let’s go back and revisit the Geneva round of the 2016 European SX series.

Yamaha officially presented its 2017 factory MotoGP team, introducing riders Maverick Vinales, Valentino Rossi and the updated livery for the YZR-M1.