with the early predictions of:

Nicky Hayden--Factory (we think) Honda

Kenny Roberts--Factory Suzuki

Colin Edwards--Factory Aprilia

John Hopkins--Factory Suzuki (since I can't imagine, anyone paying for them)

Which American will finish highest in the points? I think we can all agree it would take injury or a DAMN good rally offer to get Rossi, so I don't think you'll see an American win it all.

Note: This poll will close if there is different news on where everyone will be.

to me this is hard.

nicky will clearly be on the best bike (by miles). but i also think the middle hayden brother will end up with a lot of adjusting problems.

colin isn't a crasher. he has experience at a lot of the tracks. but the aprilia has no points as is. i'm not sure michelins and edwards can save the entire effort.

kenny roberts. it's the suzuki. it hasn't been fast since darryl beattie rode it. it wasn't even fast when roberts won his championship. the only reason he pulled it off was he was smart and rossi spent the first half of that season picking up his bike.

john hopkins. he had a great first year. but on a suzuki?!?! jeez, if a former champ can't win on it, imagine what the sophomore has to look forward to.



i'm going with colin, just because i don't think nicky will have a great season as a rookie (most don't). and i think aprilia could get better before suzuki.

This is a tough one! It would have been a serious toss-up between Hayden and Edwards if Colin hadn't signed w/ Aprilia. It's a beautiful bike...I just don't think it can contend w/ the Honda, even w/ Mr. Smooth riding it. So I'm gonna go w/ Hayden.

As for "the middle Hayden" I too predict a bumpy road and several crashed bikes, but in a couple years he's gonna be giving everybody a run for their money!!! That kid's super-smooth and as stylish and zen-like as Nicky. You watch, he's gonna be a champion one day.

I agree w/ Tony about the Suzuki. Until they get that bike sorted out I really don't know how they can expect to contend w/ anybody in GP regardless of who's riding it.

slaintedan--i love the auto-signature office space is awesome.

I'm going with Nicky. The bike's too good and Nicky is talented enough to bring it home. He, like Edwards, is very smooth and not a crasher.

Agree that this will be a tough one. Colin is the rider familiar with the circuits, smooth rider that rarely comes off, BUT the Aprilia will probably have teething problems.
Hayden has the almost perfect bike & unlimited money from the factory to make changes if necessary. The courses will be NEW to him & some feel the change from Dunlop to Mitchelin will be a problem, but in the latter I doubt it as he has this ability to be able to handle anything or any situation so well.
Problem is there is a good chance he will become homesick. After all his parents have been at all his races since early yrs & his home is with his parents & his brothers ----- this could be a deciding factory in how he rides. I hope I am WRONG, but feel he should have stuck with the AMA, his home land, his fun of flat tracing & TT racing that he did so good in.

It will likely be Nicky because of the bike with Roberts right on his heels. Roberts knows the GP tracks better than any of them. Hopkins will come in third and Colin fourth because of the bike. I imagine they will all be fairly close to one another though.

since hopkins has no votes, i just wanted to point out that he has been racing (according to suzuki) since 1978!!! this year will mark his 25th year racing. not bad considering he's about 19.

read the story here.

I gave Colin the nod...If Hopper was on a better bike, i.e. a faster bike, I'd have voted for him...

I think/hope Colin's crew finds a way to sort the priller...I don't see Nicky doing anything great this yr..but who knows..?

And the only way I'd pick Kenny, is if it rained every race..