2015 Moto GP...

[formerf1champ]

Do you know what would be really funny? If Hayden and/or Dovizioso manage to jag a win next year.

[FAS33]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Do you know what would be really funny? If Hayden and/or Dovizioso manage to jag a win next year.

wont happen

[jhansen]

Confirmed, Dovi to Ducati. So a pure 250 rider on the Duc. Should be interesting.

[chunder]

Have to say thats a poor decision

He must be getting royally well paid to take that ride, makes you realise what makes the world go round when a guy that has that many podiums on a customer bike doesnt get the factory ride and a guy that has basically given up gets it.

Feel sorry for Dovi, but he didnt have to say yes

[gomick]

Keeps him in the premier class & ya never know. They could build a better bike & Dovi could be suited to it - fingers crossed anyway!
What does "pure 250 rider" mean? Most of the riders rode 250's...

[chunder]

there is really no such thing as a pure 250 rider anymore due to traction control and the like.

A pure 250 rider of the past would be a Biaggi or Cadalora, guys that pushed the front really hard and relied purely on corner speed and sweeping speed to win races.

This worked if the front was able to stick around, but once it went off they often struggled and couldnt adapt like a Doohan, Rossi or Rainey and spin the rear tyre to complete the turn.

Guys like Rossi and Mick used lots of corner speed too, as its the fastest way to ride a bike, but importably they were able to adaprt their style when the front went off or on corners and tracks where that style was not the quickest.

Others like Gibernau, Criville, Hayden etc were abloe to do this too, while even in the 4 strokes Biaggi, Barros, Checa were still mainly pushing the front.

With TC this was less of a problem and with insanely hard to ride on Bridgestone tyres this is less of a problem as the front tyre now rarely goes off.

You dont need to adapt your style now as the 800's were built for corner speed hence the bikes are able to corner with amazing lean angles and the tyres can take it, and with TC it doesnt matter how hard you push the front as you cna simply rely on Marelli to get you out of the bend.

It takes away the mastery of a genius, but it opens up the class to more riders who can't maybe change their style. Lorenzo is a classic example of a rider who if he was aorund in the early 90's against Gardner,Schwantz,Lawsona nd Rainey would not maybe have been as quick as he is now, whereas you feel Stoner and Rossi would still have been able to hustle a result.

[GORDON STREETER]

Next year Dorna are going to have to set their sights further than Southern Europe and head east to India/Asia to make the series work.
Being based in a part of the world in ressesion has got to alter and go global.
One of the big sponsors (Mapfre) although based in Spain is a multi million pound global company and sponsor all sorts of things around the world could pull out like others have.

[chunder]

I would agree with that Gordon

But they only seem interested in America for some reason.

Only one race in Japan is insane, especially at that dump Motegi! We should be having a race in maybe India, certainly China, (just not there!!) and maybe even somewhere like South America as part of that economy are booming and they also nearly all speak Spanish

No idea what the obsession is with Dorna and America, maybe sponsors, but bike racing is so small there unless Harley is involved, a bit like trying to mae touring car racing work in the US, utterly pointless

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Originally Posted by chunder

I would agree with that Gordon

But they only seem interested in America for some reason.

Only one race in Japan is insane, especially at that dump Motegi! We should be having a race in maybe India, certainly China, (just not there!!) and maybe even somewhere like South America as part of that economy are booming and they also nearly all speak Spanish

No idea what the obsession is with Dorna and America, maybe sponsors, but bike racing is so small there unless Harley is involved, a bit like trying to mae touring car racing work in the US, utterly pointless

I was at Barber last year and at a bike-centric circuit (that draws over 50k for Indycar) and the crowd was sparse for AMA, no real good trackside displays/promotions either. TV coverage for the American National Championship is crap and comes on SPEED in the late hours of night. It just isn't that big, Laguna is certainly a keeper but I don't see the need for two American rounds. Even though Britain is a nation of 62 million vs over 300 million in the US BSB got 55,000 at their last meeting in Brands Hatch. Half that number would be almost unheard of for AMA Superbike today.

[chunder]

I'm not sure why Dorna are so obsessed with America.

Maybe they are under pressure from Honda nad Yamaha t go there as it's a big market, even though it's not as big as some other places, the fact that you could still sell a lot of bikes there must be putting pressure on.

Ducati have a huge presence at GP level but nothing at AMA despite always having works teams in AMA in the past, AMA is a shadow of itself now with no Mladin and Spies. Hayes is a talent but was nothing against these two when they raced together. Such a shame

[Mr V]

I wonder what would have happened regarding Smith if neither Dovi or Cal hadn't wanted to go "backwards" to Duke?

I can't see how Bradley can warrent that ride, there are so many other riders in Moto2 worthy of it.

[gomick]

Hearing that Spies could be on a Pramac Ducati in 2013...

[chunder]

Dear Lord, surely its better to be unemployed?

For goodness sake, Pramac are not even going to exist next year apparently/

aybe this is why we have to go to America twice, because Dorna seem to think we need Americans in GP rqacing?

Pathetic, he should go to WSN where he belongs, not pick up a pay cheque wasting his career on that turd

[gomick]

Could be a factory spec bike & if Audi get the Dukes problems sorted

Are Suzuki back in 2014?

[W.A Trichlorostyrene]

On another topic... Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to the line-up if Stoner had stayed for another year.

Silly season would've looked totally different. Who would've taken the 2nd HRC seat - Pedroza or Marquez? If Marquez, where would've Pedroza ended up? etc.

[chunder]

Marques would have been on a Honda, a factory one in his own team I would imagine.

That is why the rookie rule was change in the first place. It just so happened Dorna didnt need to change the rule because thankfully Stoner made them all look stupid by retiring anyway, meaning Repsol and HRC didnt have to try and force the rule change in the first place.

Pedrosa was not going anywhere after this year. Marques would have either ridden his own team as I expect or perhaps taken his millions to Gresini or LCR.

[W.A Trichlorostyrene]

Originally Posted by chunder

Marques would have been on a Honda, a factory one in his own team I would imagine.

I see. So do you reckon that Honda would've asked Dorna to lift the 4 bikes per manufacturer rule aswell?

[chunder]

I think if Stoner was not retiring they would have managed something

But the rookie rule was an easy way out for all concerned.

To be honest I cant see the point in Honda only having 1 private bike when all the others are factory, seems totally pointless to me to build two specs of bike?

Typical Honda, you wil still be paying an extortionate lease fee anyway!

Yamaha have shown that running a very good lease private bike with Tech3 has been a huge bouns, they have outscored the factory Hondas and Yamahas on occasion.

Ducati I am sure would do the same if the bike wasnt such a dog!

[gomick]

So, Iannone & Spies get the Pramac Ducati's - i presume the same spec as the factory team?

[chunder]

I would imagine they will be certainly a spec behind the factory bikes

Not sure if them being a junior team might mean they ight get more help.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

So no Abraham on a Duc if the 4 bike limit still applies? And will there be 1 Gresini & 1 LCR, or 2 LCR?

[W.A Trichlorostyrene]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

So no Abraham on a Duc if the 4 bike limit still applies?

Cardion said a few months ago they weren't going to return with Ducati in 2013. They're rumoured to go to CRT land next year.

Originally Posted by Jimmy Magnusson

And will there be 1 Gresini & 1 LCR, or 2 LCR?

1 Gresini and 1 LCR it looks like.

[chunder]

To be honest, its probably a blessing for Cardion and Pramac to not run their bikes, they are a pile anyway and it would be cheaper, better long term and beter for riders to run a CRT bike. That way you dont have to pay huge wages and you dont have to run a pile of poo bike.

Pramac have proved they cant really run these bikes, and it might be better to run a CRT.

I think if given the chance CRT could be a decent idea, but noone is giving it a chance, I mean honestly, did anyone really think that a bitza bike was ever oging to compete with a factory machine developed over counltess years on largelt unlimited budgets?

And also rememebr the Aprilia's have sometimes beaten AND outqualified the Ducati's at times, which is a damn fine achievement.

And please also remember guys like Silva, Hernandez, Petruccia nd Ellison are not frontrunning GP riders, even Edwards and de Puniet are possible top6 contenders on factor bikes, not winners.

So, put a Lorenzo or Stoner on a sorted CRT and see how they go!

[jhansen]

Pramac will be running the Ducati Jr. team, that was in the press release. My guess is they will start with factory spec bikes, but how quickly they will get updates is the key.

Also announced that Cardion will run an Aprilia ART for Abraham next year.

[Frosty11]

Now that the prototype seats are done I think the CRT Seats will look like:

Cardion AB: Karel Abraham (Confirmed)

Ioda: Danilo Petrucci

Aspar: Randy De Puniet (Confirmed)
Aleix Espargaro (Confirmed)

Avintia Blusens: Hector Barbera (Confirmed)
Yonny Hernandez

Forward Racing: Colin Edwards (Confirmed)
Claudio Corti (Confirmed)

Paul Bird Motorsport: 2 riders:
James Ellison
Shane Bryne
Tommy Hill
Alex Lowes