According to German website Speedweek.
de Andrea Dovizioso has finally made up his mind and will be riding for Yamaha Tech3 next season, even in the final contract details have yet to be ironed out.
Dovizioso who has spent his entire career racing for Honda, will make the move to the satellite Yamaha team after Repsol Honda decided to cut their racing budget.
Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto wanted to keep the Italian and had offered him a full factory bike but riding for LCR’s Honda team, but apparently the Italian rider was not happy that rival Marco Simoncelli, who is behind him in the standings will be receiving the same preferential treatment and instead has opted for a one year contract with Herve Poncharal’s squad.
As Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies’ contracts expire at the end of 2012, Dovizioso is hoping that he can move up to the factory team.
With ‘Dovi’ to be teamed with Cal Crutchlow, Eugene Laverty who was also on Tech3’s short list will probably remain in World Superbikes, with several sources reporting that he has signed with Aprilia to partner Max Biaggi, while others are reporting that he’ll be in BMW Italia, while John Hopkins and Randy de Puniet are on Lucio Cecchinello’s shopping list in case the deal with Dovizioso fell through.