With the production rule a way of life in the United States, to uncover future models we rely more and more heavily on racing in Japan and Europe, where prototype/production models are racing today. But our sources report that secrets at the Japan National MX opener were jealously guarded and photographers were not allowed the access they had enjoyed in the past. Nevertheless, what photos we could get from the 2006 opener are illuminating. Rumors of other Japanese exotica were not evident at the race, so we approached illustrator Damon Moran and asked him to look into his crystal ball and predict what these new models might look like. On the Euro front, the most revealing bike is the number 7 KTM 450 SX ridden by Jonathan Barragan. KTM Austria has confirmed the machine is actually the '07 preproduction machine with a works suspension. Shortly thereafter, KTM parked a full production bike with Tortelli graphics outside its pit area!