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Even though I'm 22 years old, my parents ask me to make a Christmas list around Thanksgiving, every year. And every year, for as long as I can remember, the list has been mostly comprised of motorcycle- and automotive-related things (and books about sharks when I was really young, but that that is relatively unrelated). There were always other things on my list, sometimes cynical or unrealistic ("being able to drive a car/ride a motorcycle" when I was too young, "a Ducati Superbike and the skills to ride it like Troy Bayliss," "for SpeedTV to show less NASCAR," "meeting Christina Aguilera," etc.), but mostly, they involved motorcycles. Toys when I was younger, books and experiences now that I am older. I would often wish for Ben Bostrom to do well, likewise Nori Haga and my other favorite riders, or for a marque or team to perform well ("I wish that 'INSERT PRIVATEER HERE' does well, etc). I would often wish to see at least a fleeting glimpse of a Britten in person, or a Supermono, or hear them for that matter. Some (read: most) of these wishes, I never wrote down on my list--most relatives who would read these lists would not have understood--but my dad heard my Christmas wishes, most more than once, and I think he could relate. I did not always get everything on my list, but I would often get a few surprises.

This year, as well as many years before, I have had many of my Christmas wishes granted. For one, I firmly believe that we live in some of the most dynamic times in roadracing history. Now, I know that I am too young to have lived through some of the greatest, most titanic battles of Hailwood, Roberts, Agostini, Read, Saarinen, Sheene, and the other giants of their day, and even some of the great GP and Superbike rivalries in the 80's, but I believe that, throughout national and international motorsports, we live in a time of significance, a time of greatness. I also see that some of these dynamic times are coming to an end. We have had Mat Mladin and Yoshimura dominate in AMA, we have had Doohan and later Rossi dominate in MotoGP, and we have had Schumacher (and "his" Ferrari team) dominate in Formula One. Having watched my favorite championships unfold on television, seen them in person, and read about them online and in magazines, I feel that I have been as informed as any roadracing enthusiast on the "outside" could be. For most of my childhood and short adult life, I have lived, breathed, and bled roadracing, undoubtedly like many of the readers who enjoy SuperbikePlanet.com and read this column. I have seen racers come and go, some fall (Doohan), and some unfortunately fall from grace (the truly amazing-on-the-brakes-at-Laguna Anthony Gobert). I think I have seen a trend forming on all fronts, a sort of changing of the guard. I know much has been said and written and re-written about the "Young Guns" on both the national and world stage, but I think it is true, to a degree. For some, it has been a long time coming, and for some it could not come soon enough.

The 2006 MotoGP championship was bloody incredible, to put it bluntly. The ups were very up, and the downs were very down (Dani Pedrosa at Estoril, the missed yellow-flag pass, the practice-grid fiasco at the Malaysian GP, and for some, Rossi's title-deciding lowside), and for both everyone involved and every fan watching, it was truly a stunner from start to finish. The huge first-corner accident at Barcelona affected Capirossi's challenge greatly, as well as scaring the crap out of my girlfriend and me, but something tells me the outcome would have been the same. I can say that I cried as if my cat died when I watched Nicky take the title, and my heart goes out to him and his lucky family. I have followed Nicky's career since his Hypercycle Suzuki and Erion days, and I have always been a fan and it has been great to see someone I have followed reach their dream. Never having met most of my favorite racers personally, it is odd to feel like you know someone and can relate just through their racing exploits and associated interviews and podium antics. At the same time, it doesn't feel odd that Nicky has done so well, only that it is overdue, like when one of your friends finally talks to that girl that he doesn't shut up about. It also feels good to have the good things happen to good people, as Nicky himself said, as well as a thumb in the eyeball of many who hated on Nicky from the start.

Yet, after several recent seasons of brilliant four-stroke action, the series has been changed--capacity downsized for "safety." They can say what they will, that it is "safer" and "limits speeds," but something tells me that it is meant to favor certain riders of the 250 GP background, and one of smaller stature in particular. This is how things work, I know--politics, some "money-makes-the-world-go-round"-type brouhaha--yet, it smells like two-week-old Chinese food to me. By all means, I have no problem with smaller bikes with more-peaky powerbands and higher corner speeds, but I feel that it is very weak to say that the changes were made entirely in the name of safety. I just hope that the monster doesn't feed itself too much until it pops. Things have grown so fast lately; I believe that some decisions have been made that are against the spirit of the sport. Formula One provides a good example of what too many hands in too much money is like.

The current changing state of the AMA is hard to read, yet, I think that things can only get better. Switching the Daytona 200 to Formula Extreme and the Mid-Ohio "Shoot Out" happenings this year, as well as certain bikes of questionable legality being allowed to race, are a few of many problems in the series. Too many similar classes conflicts the fans and riders alike ("What is the headline class and which are the support classes?"). The loss of a title sponsor for the series has hurt badly, yet some of these decisions seem like they were made with zero forethought, being knee-jerk reactions to heady issues that set a long-term precedent. At the same time, issues that don't need to be addressed are focused on.

Yet, with all of this going on in the background, the racing on track was stellar. Miller Motorsports Park looked beautiful, and from what I've read, the rider's liked it, too. Other issues seemed less openly addressed. Sure, traction control was introduced (accepted?) as legal in the middle of the season before Laguna Seca, but it was going to happen sooner or later. It would make sense to me that each major national series should have the same technical rules as World Superbike, with the implicit notion that all of the Japanese and European manufacturer's agreed and committed on those rules, with the knowledge that the national series will follow suit, and then, perhaps most importantly, maintain the stability of those rules.

Speaking of which, Ducati has confused me as of late. I have loved the motorcycles created by Dr. T and Tamburini and Terblanche, yet, recently, I feel very conflicted regarding Ducati's racing policies. The 916 generation WAS Ducati to some, and it dominated WSBK for the greater part of the 90's, with great teams and riders, and some displacement "advantage" from the rulebook. Now, from the preliminary road tests and riding impressions that I have read, it sounds like Ducati has built an absolute stunner with the 1098. This time, Ducati builds the bike, and lets the rulebook come to it, with World Superbike releasing that it believes that the series should race what the manufacturers sell. Most engineers can agree that there is an advantage for four-cylinder bikes versus twin-cylinder bikes of the same capacity, and it is hard to believe that the rules will not be changed for the 2008 championship. Once again, it does not make sense for each manufacturer to have to develop two different spec bikes for different racing series, so Ducati will not race in the AMA (I feel for Neil) and will field the 999 for the last year in the world championship. Sort of like Ferrari in F1, what Ducati wants, Ducati will get, although with regard to a capacity increase, it most definitely seems warranted--even though Troy Bayliss blitzed the field this year on a "disadvantaged" 999. I see their point, and they have argued and sold it logically, but it has left me conflicted nonetheless.

On a side note, here are some thoughts regarding Ducati's road bikes. When it came time to replace the 998, Ducati produced a symbolic little "Final Edition" model, and gave it a warm, well-deserved sort of retirement. With the 999, the day that the 1098 was officially unveiled, the 999 was removed from the Web site, with the acknowledgement that it will be raced "against their wishes" in the world championship. Now I know, "out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new," and that the 999 never produced the following of the 916-generation due to its drastically different aesthetic, yet it still proved successful in various forms of racing (more so outside of the US, although E-Boz was stellar at Pikes Peak and elsewhere, and Neil and Ben did their best this year), and is still a phenomenal motorcycle. I, for one, admired Ducati for building a more functional, purposeful motorcycle, with a look that proved that being a Ducati is not necessarily being the typical and the expected, but innovating on the solid tradition that Ducati has established. When I first saw the official photos of the 999, I thought, "Now that is what I had in mind." Perhaps my father said it most poignantly (with a hint of distaste, too): "they turned it into something from the future, something from Hollywood." Then I saw it in the flesh, and I was captivated by it. It was so crisp, sharp, purposeful, and absolutely brutal, as if it was carved from bone. Unlike many things in design, it appeared as if it were designed by one person, or a small group, instead of by a large committee. It could not have been more different from the sensual, feline 916 generation of bikes, but to me, this step was and is Ducati. Terblanche could never have made another 916, no one will ever make another 916, and instead, I feel that it was perfectly in line with the Ducati ethos of evolution. And, once that line has been broken, you can't go back. The 1098 looks more a Ducati to some, and will really move (out of the showroom at the going price, and on the track) but I feel that by introducing it in the way that they have, it has divided many Ducatisti. The same was said when the 999 was introduced, but I feel that the 1098 almost denies the impressive, unique past of the 999. Some will say that it is the bike the 999 should have been, but I say that it is the bike that comes after the 999 in the Ducati experience.

This year, my Christmas list will be more of the same. A new pair of all-weather boots to ride in everyday, the 2006 Isle of Man video, the Kato tribute book, and for the Blues Brothers to kick ass at Yamaha. There are also many things in the racing world that I would put on my Christmas list that I feel are in need of change-but, in a way, I feel lucky just to live in these dynamic times in road racing. Maybe I don't need to ask for anything more.

Drew Miller is an avid roadracing fan and a Mechanical Engineering student at North Carolina State University. He rides his 2003 Yamaha YZF600R to campus everyday, and can be seen exploring the incredible mountain roads of North Carolina and elsewhere.