When the race tracks are cold and empty, bench racing will have to do. A good place to start: Who will win the MotoGP title in 2017?
We can all speculate, but a good place to look for expert opinions are the U.K. betting houses. Walk into a Las Vegas casino and say you want to place a wager on Maverick Viñales, and I'll give you good odds on getting a blank stare. On the other side of the Atlantic, however, there are more than a dozen large betting firms where you can try to pick the 2017 MotoGP champion and win some pocket change.
With many riders on new equipment and working with new teams, most notably Jorge Lorenzo and Viñales among the top title contenders, there are many unknowns. So what do the odds say? I took a look at the two largest gambling companies to see the odds you can get currently.
Where would you put your money?
| 2017 MotoGP odds in the U.K. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rider | Ladbrokes | William Hill |
| Marc Márquez | 13/8 | 6/4 |
| Maverick Viñales | 9/4 | 23/10 |
| Jorge Lorenzo | 7/2 | 9/2 |
| Valentino Rossi | 5 | 9/2 |
| Dani Pedrosa | 16 | 14 |
| Andrea Dovizioso | 16 | 16 |
| Andrea Iannone | 33 | 25 |
| Cal Crutchlow | 33 | 33 |
| Alex Rins | 100 | 100 |
| Johann Zarco | 150 | 125 |
| Pol Espargaro | 150 | 200 |
| Danilo Petrucci | 200 | 300 |
| Jack Miller | 250 | 300 |
| Jonas Folger | 250 | 250 |
| Aleix Espargaro | 200 | 300 |
| Scott Redding | 200 | 300 |
| Álvaro Bautista | 250 | 250 |
| Héctor Bárbera | 300 | 300 |
| Esteve Rabat | 500 | 750 |
| Loris Baz | 500 | 750 |
| Sam Lowes | 500 | 750 |
| Karel Abraham | 1000 | 1000 |









