With Honda’s production racer and Yamaha engines set to debut next season in MotoGP and put many of the hated CRTs into mothballs, which MotoGP teams could be interested in the two different projects? Yamaha intends to lease YZR-M1 eninge for a cost of around 800,000 Euros, while HRC will offer only four production racers (with Nissin brakes, Showa suspensions and spring valves and no seamless gearbox) to buy for around 1.
000.
000 euros.
€200,000 is not a huge difference.
In one case you have to give back the engines at the end of the season but you still have to develop a chassis around it, while in the other case you get to keep bike and hope there are developments the following year – there will be an engine development freeze each season starting in 2014 .
According to InfomotoGP.
com at the present Gianni Cuzari of NGM Forward seems interested in the Yamaha four cyclinder engine and having it housed in an FTR frame as he told Italia 1 last weekend during the French GP, which would make Colin Edwards (if he continues to race, because he’ll turn 40 next year) happy as that is what he’s been hoping for ever since he switched to the CRT squad Moto2 teams Marc VDS and Team Pons are also thinking of moving up to MotoGP and have expressed interest in the two projects, while there is talk that Kalex is already preparing a frame to house the Yamaha M1 engine.
The Belgium team has often talked about moving into the premier class, with Marc VDS helping test the original, but ill-fated Suter-BMW CRT machine, but Marc VDS team jump to MotoGP would be oriented around Le Mans winner Scott Redding’s decision, and the British rider still seems to be on Ducati’s radar after he tested the GP machine and Hayden, Iannone and Spies all have contracts that expire at the end of the 2013 season.
For Sito Pons’ team it could be return to MotoGP, but we’re wondering if Pol Espargaro does get Cal Crutchlow’s ride would Sito Pons still be interested? Lucio Cecchinello could be finally expand his squad to two riders and purchase one of the Honda machines, while Fausto Gresini could be another customer of the production racer and get rid of their FTR Honda.
There’s still another small question however, will Carmelo Ezpeleta allow new teams on the MotoGP grid as he’s already said that it’s full? Suzuki has already been told that will have reach an agreement with an exsisting team in order to field their machine if they return.
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