as fast as in the days of Michelin domination. Which is something those expecting impressive SBK lap times should remember before 2005 unfolds. Making so many tyres to take to races means that Pirelli cannot supply special tyres to individual riders

, Troy may be the even bigger gamble. No fewer than 18 pins in a recent arm injury, a dreadful '05 MotoGP season on a Honda and Michelins, a finicky 999 instead of sublime 998, and a changed SBK scene will count against him in '06. On a purely factual

.What Bayliss makes of the often-fickle 999, given his memories of the more predictable 998 factory bike (arguably the best Superbike ever made) is yet to be seen. What he makes of the change from MotoGP Michelins to mass-produced, conservatively specified SBK

the one-make tyre series shackles, as some of them beat old qualifying and lap records. You know, the ones from the years when Michelin had only two or three riders to look after, with their clearly superior race and qualifying tyres determining all

everything Neil's got to beat him, and even then only if his Ducati's got what it takes as well. And everything Michelin has in the truck.So, Neil's gone west (if you take the drift), James rides with a throne on his 999 in SBK and Laconi should make a fine

and repeatability issues were most noticeable by their absence. Compared to the wails of Brno, it was silent rubber running. Indeed the keenness of race times, lap times and qualifying times were the closest to the previous Michelin and Dunlop records that they have