Surprise of 2017
Troy Bayliss and the late Nicky Hayden are at the forefront of our mindsMark Fattore: Bikesales Editor
It’s come at the death knell: Troy Bayliss announcing that he’s coming out of retirement to compete in the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship. Or perhaps it’s not such a bombshell, as Bayliss is a racer’s racer, keeps himself fit, already hangs around race tracks with his son Oli, and just loves riding. Okay, I've talked my myself out of it: it’s not a surprise at all, even though he's 48 years old! The inclusion of Bayliss should make for a cracking championship against the likes of Josh Waters, Wayne Maxwell, Troy Herfoss, Daniel Falzon and Bryan Staring.
Kellie Buckley: Bikesales freelancer
I know I shouldn’t be surprised that money talks, but Xavier Simeon’s inclusion in the 2018 entry list in the most competitive and coveted two-wheel championship in the world came as a bit of a surprise. In his eight years in the Moto2 category, the 28-year old Belgian has stood on the podium a total of four times and next year he’ll be lining up alongside Tito Rabat in the Reale Avintia Ducati squad. All of those recalls issued by BMW were hugely uncharacteristic, the demise of Zero Motorcycles in Australia in a time when emissions are high on the agenda was a bit left field, too, but nothing floored me more this year than the untimely death of Nicky Hayden — I still struggle to get my head around the fact he’s gone.
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