How do you stop a sequel becoming formulaic? It’s a challenge that Hollywood as faced, and failed, far too many times but the 2016 MotoGP season could be the rare example of proving even more excitement and drama than the previous year. What’s the main reason to look forward to MotoGP in the coming year?

Is it the scrap that we can expect to see at the front? The prospect of Ducati getting back to winning ways in the premier class for the first time since 2010? The return of Michelin to the Grand Prix fold? The first time that there is a level playing field in MotoGP since 2012? They’re all good reasons for believing that 2016 could be the greatest season in Grand Prix history but the single biggest reason for being excited about next year is the continuance of the Rossi and Marquez rivalry.

1 Rossi and Marquez continue to scrap it out

Time apparently heals all wounds but it certainly hasn’t worked its magic yet between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez. The festering wound between the biggest names in motorcycle racing has turned septic at this point and there’s little reason to expect it improve any time soon.

Whichever side of the Rossi/Marquez divide fans sit on the one thing that they can both agree on is that they can’t wait for the season to start and for the rivalry to return to its natural habitat of the race track. With Marquez having cancelled his contract with VR46 merchandise the professional side of their relationship has fallen apart with not even the promise of financial gain for both parties enough to keep things cordial between the pair.

“I have always said that Valentino was my hero and my reference,” explained Marquez over the winter. “But like I said, he was that reference for me but now, with everything that happened, he has my respect because he’s one of the strongest riders in history but I want to follow my own way.”

Following his own path should mean that the tension that has filled MotoGP since the now infamous Sepang press conference will continue to grow. The golden era of Grand Prix racing saw the visceral hatred of Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz constantly bubble on the surface. Winning the race or setting pole position wasn’t what mattered most to either rider…beating the other was.

Hollywood has struggled with creating new ideas but Rossi and Marquez should offer a modern reboot of the tried and tested model of racing rivalries.

2 Adapting to Michelin tyres

The switch to Michelin as the control tyre supplier for MotoGP throws a substantial wildcard into the deck for the coming season. Testing last year was filled with crashes as riders struggled to adapt to a much weaker front tyre than what they had grown accustomed in recent years from Bridgetstone….

To read the rest of the article simply click on the link to see it in OTOR #122 HERE