Yes, it’s that time of year again when we all decamp to some far flung track and spend two days living the life of Riley; burning fuel, razzing tyres, scuffing sliders and scoffing pizzas. From the moment the light goes green to the second the circuit switches it back to red, we’re out on track trying to understand which bike sits where in 2016’s pecking order. OK, it’s more hard work than it seems, sorting those bikes, prising on the Bridgestone control tyres, getting hold of the fuel and ferries – and people don’t magic themselves to Portimao – but we’ll not deny that it’s a highlight of our year. We’re not expecting to hear a symphony of violins just yet...
But why do we go to all that time and expense to test the ten best bikes on the planet (on one of the tracks that also deserves world’s best status)? Well, we like to be objective, offer a level playing field and learn everything we can about each machine. Every line-up has a natural order, and we want to be able to offer you the best test you’ll ever read so that you can buy the best in complete confidence in our report. Because this is our 12th year of doing this test, we have an unrivalled knowledge of the market and because we’re utterly unrestricted as to what we say we’re free to make calls that others can’t. We’ve not earned a penny from declaring the Aprilia the best bike of the year since 1947 – and there’s nothing that any manufacturer could do to sway it – apart from coming up with a better bike.