I'm putting all my marbles in a basket named Nori-chan. Except for an infraction in the year CE II won the title, which I still think was BS, he would have been the WSBK champion. I also, in watching him, don't think he is a win or bin rider. IMHO, I would compare him to Val in the desire, drive, and ambition to be the best. Since his time WSBK in the years after his season lost to CE II to a test he lost to a cold medication, he's been on inferior machines with motors prone to self-destructing. Put him on a factory machine with Yamaha and we will see the same kind of moves Duhamel et. al. put on Zemke this past AMA season done by Nori to Vermuellen. Nori-chan, despite my deep Ducati bias, is my favorite to win the WSBK title this year...and I think he deserves it!