WSBK silly season 2008 thread

[BootsOntheSide]

From Ten Kate's perspective (assuming they are keeping Rolfo) my first choice would be Barros, but I doubt he'd leave a fairly strong MotoGP ride. Hodgson is the best other option for developing the bike. If Kiyonari is really guaranteed a Honda WSBK ride, it might have to be Ten Kate, unless they put him with Fabrizio at DFXtreme or create another team (maybe the rumoured satellite Ten Kate bikes, perhaps he and Sofuoglu?)

[chunder]

Cant imagine Kiyo would even consider leaving a full factory HRC bike unless there were guarantess of the equipment he would get in WSBK, there is no way HRC will go to WSBK with the control tyre, they were the biggest dummy spitters of the lot!

And Ten Kate do teh vast majority of the work on those bikes, I they might use an HRC kit but then modify it considerably!

If Kiyo does do WSBK, it would only be on a basically HRC blessed Ten KAte bike I feel.

[Gerben24]

The Hodge has signed for Honda in the US according to MCN.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sp...a/?R=EPI-94247

That is one less rider to stand in line for the TK ride.

[Gerben24]

Laconi will continue to ride for Kawasaki PSG-1 team in 2008. I could post a Dutch link, but I have the impression you guys didn't pay attention during your Dutch lessons...

[Hazza]

Busted.

[racer69]

So hows this for a (very) rough list......

Ten Kate (3 bikes?) - Sofoglou, Kiyonari....?
Yamaha Italy - Corser and Haga again?
Yamaha France (sorry, Yamaha Team YZF) - Will they return to 2 bikes?
Ducati Xerox - Bayliss and..... Lanzi? Rea?
Sterilgarda Ducati - Xaus again....? Maybe a place for Lanzi....?
GSE/Airwaves Ducati - Will they step up with Lavilla & Haslam....?
PSG1 Kawasaki - Laconi and........Nieto? Checa? Roger Lee Hayden?
Suzuki - 3 bikes again with Biaggi, Kagayama & Max N?
MV Agusta - Will they even make it....? Who will ride, Martin? Scassa?

ie.... not very much is settled, as opposed to MotoGP where everything is almost set.

[Gerben24]

Start altering your list , cause Jonathan Rea will not be riding the Ducati, but the Ten Kate Honda. And NO, it will not be the superbike, but the supersport 600 bike!

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sp...rTenKateHonda/

Interesting move.

[Gerben24]

Broc Parkes and Fabien Foret will ride for the Yamaha World Supersport Team in 2008.

Foret is good, but a bit old. If the bike is as good in 2008 as it is now, he will be a championship contender.

I dont fully understand Yamaha signing Parkes again. He's a nice bloke and very quick, but he drops it too many times. The R6 is a really good bike and I think he should have challenged for the championship this year, instead, he is challenging for 3rd...

[agosling]

I'm still tipping Xaus to go to the factory Ducati, he has improved so much as both a racer and a tester, the only thing that may stop him going there is if Bayliss is reluctant to have a team mate who is capable of beating him on a regular basis.

Foret is a strange choice for Yamaha when there are so many talented young guys out there.

[ATF]

Jonathan Rea is moving to World Supersport with Ten Kate - and Kiyonari is expected to join him but in the Superbike team!

[jhansen]

I'd say that Rea is being pretty smart here. He can learn all the tracks in Supersport on the best equipment in that series and have a great shot at the title. Then he can move up to Superbike after the CBR1000RR has had a year of development. Not all bad if you ask me. But I bet that Xerox ride was tempting!

[racer69]

There must be something much bigger in the planning here, going from a factory HRC Superbike back to Supersport (admittedly on the world stage) just doesn't make sense on the face of it...... Tommy Hill was making similiar noises back at Brands....

Good to see Foret has a good ride for next year.... it also keeps up his record of being with a different team every season since his championship winning year in 2002!!!

More interesting is that it was between Charpentier and Foret for the seat.....

And does that confirm Kevin Curtain has called it quits (or at least returning to Australia?)


So presuming Ten Kate will be having 3 bikes, who does that leave for it? Surely they won't go for just Kiyo and Kenan?

[BootsOntheSide]

I assume Rea's retaining his full Honda links, and still hopes to be their coming man over time? That could be why he's chosen this deal over a Ducati ride?

[chunder]

Ok then interesting bit on Eurosport WSBK coverage, lots of great stuff from the boys

Basically Rea was pretty offered the Xeroz ride but turned it down coz Tardozzi couldnt be bothered to put a deal in writing so he took the Ten Kate WSS ride that leads into two years in SK with no performance realted clauses.

Kiyo looks to ahve signed a Ten KAte deal aswell which leaves Kenan eitehr defending his title or on a third WSBK .

Biaggi and Kagster to stay at Suzuki with Neukirchner or even Nieto in at the Deutchsland bike, coz Fonis not keen on staying with PSG.

Other Duke looks to be maybe Fabrizio as Lanzi to get farmed out to Sterilgarda. Possibly Haslam aswell, depends on what happens with GSE in UK. There is a possibility they will not be allowed to run teh 1200 Duke in BSB next year apparently.

[Gerben24]

Originally Posted by chunder

depends on what happens with GSE in UK. There is a possibility they will not be allowed to run teh 1200 Duke in BSB next year apparently.

Did they say why? Is BSB not going to follow the WSBK rules?

[Gerben24]

Sofuoglu has signed a 3 year deal for a superbike ride with Ten Kate.

http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~5~id~154215.htm

Two more Ten Kate rides to be confirmed.

[racer69]

Originally Posted by Gerben24

Did they say why? Is BSB not going to follow the WSBK rules?

It was announced a while back that BSB were changing their rules, to something more like Supersport regs (but for 1000s obviously, not 600s). Interestingly i thought it was mentioned when these rules were announced that the Ducati 1098's were allowed......

But anyway i thought it was a given that GSE were at least preferring to go to WSBK rather than stay in BSB, it just depended on sponsorship.

Originally Posted by chunder

Ok then interesting bit on Eurosport WSBK coverage, lots of great stuff from the boys

Basically Rea was pretty offered the Xeroz ride but turned it down coz Tardozzi couldnt be bothered to put a deal in writing so he took the Ten Kate WSS ride that leads into two years in SK with no performance realted clauses.

Kiyo looks to ahve signed a Ten KAte deal aswell which leaves Kenan eitehr defending his title or on a third WSBK .

Biaggi and Kagster to stay at Suzuki with Neukirchner or even Nieto in at the Deutchsland bike, coz Fonis not keen on staying with PSG.

Other Duke looks to be maybe Fabrizio as Lanzi to get farmed out to Sterilgarda. Possibly Haslam aswell, depends on what happens with GSE in UK. There is a possibility they will not be allowed to run teh 1200 Duke in BSB next year apparently.

As always differing rumours from different broadcastors, on the WSB World Feed featuring Jonathan Green & Scott Smart that we get in Oz....

- Fabrizio definatly at Xerox Ducati (Australian presenters Kevin Magee & David Murdoch were saying similiar)

- Suzuki Germany team potentially to be disbanded, with the works Alstare team running 3 official bikes for Biaggi, Yukio & Max N

- They were talking 4 Ten Kate bikes for Checa, Kiyonari, Rolfo & Kenan

- Corser not a definate at Yamaha Italia

- Nieto holding out to see how much Kawasaki involvement there will be at PSG-1 next year, basically he didn't want to stay if things didn't change.

- Karl Muggeridge possibly back to Supersport with Ten Kate alongside Charpentier. Craig Jones perhaps in the mix there too.

- Xaus staying at Sterilgarda with 999 FO7's, in contrast to what i'd read previously that the team was getting a pair of 1098's for next year (apparently apart from Xerox obviously, GSE & Sterilgarda were going to get access to them for next year)

- Tommy Hill p!ssed at not getting the Yamaha Germany ride alongside Broc Parkes.

- No official word on whats happening with Kevin Curtain


And something Scott Smart mentioned during the Race 1 battle between Corser and Biaggi....

Alstare Suzuki's plan for this year originally was based around 3 works bikes for Corser, Yukio & Biaggi (they really wanted Biaggi because he was quick, and also would be a good gain for the series). It was all good, but Suzuki wouldn't supply them with enough K7 bikes (hence why Max N rides an K6 bike), saying they were busy with the MotoGP 800cc bike. Basically he was saying them team still wanted Troy, and there was no 'falling out' when he left.


PS....what is the Eurosport coverage like? The World Feed is rubbish at times.... i even find myself preferring the calls of 2000/01 Leigh Diffey (letalone pining for a return of Keith & Julian )

[Hazza]

Keith and Julian.

My god man, thanks for ruining my day.

I remembered what a proper WSBK coverage was meant to sound like.




Anyways, talk was, afaik that Kev might have to hang up the boots.

[chunder]

Exactly, I dont mind James and Jack but they are SOOO Brit focussed, the WSS rae was just all about Jones and Hill, and yes they rode well byt the transmission is so biased.

[Gerben24]

Fabrizio to partner Troy Bayliss at Ducati:

http://www.ducati.com/racing/home_ne...l?newsId=37816

Good move by Ducati! I think this boy has talent, but he still has a lot to learn, therefore Troy is the best teammate for him!

[chunder]

oh dear, have to say Fabri has come on a bit more this year than last, last year he only had a couple of good rides and otherwise was no better than Lanzi, totaly nondescript!!

Just hope they know what they are doing when many other riders could have had that ride.

Tardozzi is hopelessly emotional with rider choice!

[BootsOntheSide]

I think Fabrizio is the right man for the team, he's showed a lot of potential. Still, Bayliss didn't really help Xaus or Lanzi to lose their erratic streak - Ruben looks a much more rounded rider after 2 years of leading a team. Maybe Tardozzi isn't the best manager for a young rider?

Equal equipment for Max N at Suzuki would be good, he seems to be improving. Does Smrz have anything on the table?

[jhansen]

Rumors that Biaggi is not signed?

http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~5~id~154417.htm

[Gerben24]

http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~6~id~154532.htm

According to this article at crash.net Checa will sign with Ten Kate today. It is also said that Ten Kate will enter 3 bikes in 2008, Kiyonari and Sofuogluo being the other 2 riders. I heard rumours this would happen, but has it been confirmed before???

[jhansen]

Would anyone in WSBK take the unmotivated Hoffman?