This weekend’s Sachsenring GP has been pretty calm so far with no rider vs another (just Barbera and Hayden in qualifying ,with the Spaniard getting a €1000 euro fine for flipping a finger at the Ducatista), no sniping and the only topics worth talking about have been about Bridgestone’s tires and the fact they need to bring more, Valentino Rossi struggling more than ever on the GP11.
1, so some rumors and gossip have surfaced, so here they are.
HRC due the continuing economic crisis and the problems with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, have at the moment confirmed only two factory bikes next season, one for Casey Stoner and one for Dani Pedrosa, while Andrea Dovizioso who is currently third in the standings with all probability will be left without an official ride and end up in a satellite Honda team, and not even a factory bike to his name.
Marco Simoncelli currently rides a full blown RC212V factory bike, but will not have one next year unless team manager Fausto Gresini pulls out his own euros to pay for it, however Simoncelli is a big bleep on Ducati’s radar and his dad and ‘consultant’ Carlo Pernat are in talks with the Italian manufacturer, because it seems that Phillip Morris (Marlboro) is willing to dish out some big sponsorship money to give this popular Italian a third factory bike.
Valentino Rossi is performing very sub par so far this season, the situation has become dramatic with Ducati running around in circles, confused and despairing over what else that they can do; with a 9 times world champion who was supposed to be the Italian fairy tale, the marketing dream and with him the beginning of a new Renaissance era in MotoGP, which has now turned into the Dark Ages.
According to the rumors coming from Italy, Rossi may want out of his Ducati contract ahead of time.
Apparently his two year contract has an option for the second year, which on hindsight (and remembering Marco Melandri) may have been the right thing to do.
An option for the second year would allow him to wiggle out of things if they didn’t turn out well (and they definitely are not) but dropping Preziosi & Co after one season would mean leaving with a big egg on his face, his tail between his leathers and his reputation as an excellent development and feedback rider shot to high hell and leaving the big question of where someone like Mr.
MotoGP and his team could go after burning bridges with both Yamaha and Honda.
The Motegi round has been nixed again by the riders, with only Hiroshi Aoyama (obviously) and Karel Abraham agreeing go to Japan in October.
Apparently all the riders don’t give a damn about the independent review and whatever findings that Dorna throws at them and several (Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa) have confirmed they will not go to Japan, which will no doubt piss off their Japanese bosses, Dorna, and make a mockery of the “We are for Japan” t-shirt.
Moto2 and points leader Stefan Bradl, is almost sure to end up in Yamaha Tech3, but that leaves everyone’s favourite Colin Edwards short of a motorcycle, unless Yamaha USA steps up to bat for the Texas Tornado.