While there’s been plenty of talk of the lack of teams on the MotoGP grid, it’s probably time to look at just who the contenders are in those teams and whether the championship is suffering from a lack of talent.
We’ve talked of the end of the Valentino Rossi era and while it’s not here yet, it’s imminent.
In the twilight of his career, one of the greatest champions the world has ever seen, who will he leave behind?David Emmett writes on MotoMatters about the next one-year contract between Colin Edwards and Yamaha Tech3, saying that it was no surprise that Edwards signed again.
Not that this is what’s important, but that looking back on the difficulty of finding a replacement for Valentino Rossi when he was injured, and Edwards and Crutchlow both turning down the opportunity to put themselves in the seat, it seems that if Yamaha Tech3 wanted to keep two bikes on the grid it had to renew with Edwards because pretty much, there was no-one else to take his spot.
The one-year deal indicates it will probably be Edwards’ last season in MotoGP and while hardly a competitor for top spot, he’s proved a fast and consistent rider.
As noted by Edwards himself, part of his job next season will probably be to show Crutchlow the ropes.
Future contenders for the crown of the championship, though, at this stage are the usual suspects: Casey Stoner, who already has a championship under his belt, Jorge Lorenzo who has had a remarkable season and will be hoping it doesn’t fall apart towards the end, Dani Pedrosa who’s proved Honda is competitive and co.
Who are the new guys coming through though? Good rookie riders like Ben Spies are few and far between and with him and Cal Crutchlow coming across from Superbike, you might well wonder if Moto2 is doing its job as a breeding ground for new MotoGP riders.
Given the sport is probably not in the healthiest of financial situations at the moment, it’s also difficult to say how much investment will occur to bring on new riders.
Clearly it’s not a disaster at the moment, and some of the riders are certainly promising, Spies especially, but recent events show that the future for young riders in MotoGP is hardly guaranteed.