250cc – What 2007 holds for us

For 2007cc, 250 is a year with different facets: the 16-race rematch between Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, the interest in the debut of the talented Kallio, Bautista, Luthi and Simon, the world championship ambitions of Barbera, De Angelis, Aoyama and Locatelli. Enough to offer a colorful and competitive lineup that recalls the 250 of the mid-90s, when with Biaggi, Harada, Capirossi, Romboni and Waldmann it represented (perhaps) the true premier class. 2007 also decisively brought back the interest of the manufacturers, represented by the Piaggio Group (Aprilia and Gilera brands), Honda and KTM.

In Noale they are revolutionizing the RSW project according to the thoughts of Engineer Dall'Igna. New chassis (already seen in the Valencia and Jerez tests with Alex De Angelis), engine developments with different arrangement of the rotating disc. Honda has confirmed publicly (but especially to Dovizioso) its dedication to the 250cc program: improvements everywhere, with the 2007 bike that we will see on January 20th in Jerez. Having said that, KTM cannot be underestimated: having dumped Poggiali (a sabbatical for him), everything is focused on the certainty of Hiroshi Aoyama and the talent of Mika Kallio. The bike showed its competitiveness in 2006, and in the last tests of the year in Andalusia “Hiro Hero” was consistently the fastest…

It's difficult to pick out a favorite to win the championship. Playing it safe, Jorge Lorenzo seems to have that something extra that his opponents still lack...

Alessio Piana