Moto2 2011 Pre/Silly Season

[ghinzani]

Not sure if this is worthy of a seperate thread to Moto GP moves but as they are all now complete I thought Id stick it here.

Seems like a few from Moto2 may be dropping down to 125 for the last season.
Sergio Gadea who finished a good 8th today and has one podium I believe will drop down to the Bluesens 125 team - shame because he seemed like he was in 125 for ever anyway when he left.
Similary Hector Faubel has apparently applied for dispensation to race 125 again, having had a torried year as Scott Readings team-mate - hes not 28 until August 2011 so should be fine.
Tommy Koyama has also asked for dispensation, his birthdays the day after the first round apparently! Lets hope it doesnt get volcanoe delayed...
Aspar has Terol re-signed, but theres rumour of Danny Webb as a team-mate (2 year deal), altho Bancaja would prefer a Spaniard.
Danny Kent is supposedly going to be on a 'good' Aprilia according to his Manager Roger Hair net.

In Moto2 De Angelis apparently turned down a move to VDS to be Scotts team mate to stay loyal to JIR.
Corti and Pasini are riding for a new team set up by Giampiero Saachi, Piaggio racing boss no less!!...
VDS have instead signed Mika Kallio - a good rider who should find his feet again quickly.
Superglue turned down the offer of Elias seat to stay with Technomag - hopefully they have a bit more money because I know it was said they didnt have a lot to go testing with Shoya earlier in the year.
De Meglio and Smith are signed for Tech3. No word on their riders, Takahashi and De Rosa - shame for Yuki as hes been good when the bikes allowed him, altho a bit anxious which has led to spills.
Iannones looks like hes leaving Speed-up which is strange considering the good bike they have given him this year, but he is bound for a new team started by Rossi pal Ucchio (?). Pol Espargaro has apparently signed for them in Moto2, which is even stranger considering their present rider Iannone head butted him at the end of 2009!
Bradls re-signed with Weissman Keifer.
Noyes is staying with Banderas but they are dropping the British Harris chassis.
Bluesens are promoting Esteve Rabat to their Moto2 team.
Max Neukirchner has signed for MZ, their 2nd seat has been offered to current incumbent Westy but he's considering options.
Pons have dropped Gadea as detailed in the 125s, and have instead signed Aleix Espargaro to ride alongside Axel Pons presumably.

So at the moment good seats remain at Gresisni, Aspar (1) and Speed Up (1). Lets hope the likes of Talmasci, Hernandez, Takahashi and Agerter get a 2nd chance.

[N.A-D.R]

It starts today. A lot of teams and riders have been confirmed in the last few days in order for the tests that start today. Obviously the teams were announced a little while ago but now it's really the riders starting to be confirmed. (*Anyone with info from the tests today or anyone with info of rumours or anything to do with 2011 would be great to contribute)

From what i've seen on websites and so on. Here's what I've got out of it.

Forward Racing: Jules Cluzel? Anthony West?

G22 Racing Team: Fonsi Nieto? Raffaele de Rosa?

Gresini Racing: Yuki Takahashi Michele Pirro

Holiday Gym Racing: Yannick Guerra/Xavier Simeon?

Interwetten: Thomas Luthi

Ioda Racing Project: Simone Corsi Mattia Pasini?

Italtrans Racing Team: Roby Rolfo ???

Jack & Jones by A. Banderas: Kenny Noyes Hiroshi Aoyama?

JIR Moto2: ??? Alex de Angelis

Mapfre Aspar Team: Julian Simon ???

Marc VDS Racing: Scott Redding Mika Kallio

Monlau Competicion: Marc Marquez

MZ Motor: Max Neukirchner Anthony West?

QMMF Racing Team: Mashel al Naimi ???

Racing Team By Quereseno: Esteve Rabat? Yonny Hernandez?

Stop and Go Racing Team: Ratthapark Wilairot? Lukas Pasek?

Tech 3 Racing: Bradley Smith Mike Di Meglio

Technomag CIP: Kenan Sofuoglu Dominique Aegerter

Tenerife 40 Pons: Axel Pons Aleix Espargaro

Tuenti Speed Up: Pol Espargaro ???

Viessman Kiefer Racing: Stefan Bradl Randy Krummenacher?/Leonov?

WTR/Speed Master Team: Andrea Iannone


Basically all in the air. I can't find a solid platform on what's what for 2011.

[ghinzani]

Pirro and Takahashi signed for Gresini in place of Elias and Ivanov. Presumably the Crimea sponsorship goes with Ivanov.

[gomick]

Any Valencia testing times yet?

[N.A-D.R]

I'm just wondering if anyone knows where Wilairot will end up for 2011? I read somewhere hes in talks with JIR for the 2nd seat? He deserves a chance he had to race around with a Bimota which quite frankly can't hack it with the top bikes in moto2. He did show some flashes of pure speed on the bike with qualifying 2nd at Assen and finishing just off the podium in 4th. Plus 8th at Barcelona and 6th at Indianapolis in Qualifying. I think he deserves a chance on a better bike, hes only young aswell, 22. If anyone has read or seen anything about him for 2011 would be awesome cause i can't find anything solid.

[chunder]

I subscribed to the GP website yesterday, 17 Euris for all the test footage form now until February

So should get a better insight

Not sure about Ratthapak, he will I am sure be in Moto2, he has good backers.

Cant believe Gresini have gone for Pirro, this guys keeps getting decent rides and does nothing? Was on TKR Honda in WSS and did very little

[gomick]

RE Pirro - sometimes it makes you wonder WHY certain riders get good rides when they dont perform on good bikes!

[chunder]

To be fair to him he was quick on Monday

Further proof that it seems you can jump from a WSS bike and be only half quick there and be on the pace on a M2 bike? Remember Kenan has been awesome since jumping on board

Yet further proof that in my eyes Lascorz and Laverty have made grave errors of judgement.

But we will see

[ghinzani]

Some more on Bartols 125 KTM derived project http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2010/n...ject+of+Bartol

Link to the full Moto2 times too - bit of team swapping there! http://www.motogp.com/es/TestResults...ncia+Test+2011

[chunder]

Was listening to Edwards talking on motogp about his ride on a 2 bike.

He was saying they are great on the front end and on the power, but because of the lack of electronics the back torque and wheel locking is a huge problem.

That is why so many peopel are suffering I think and why you see so many different ways to get into the bends.

It also shows how cosseted GP riders are! They have all this technology on their bikes they are totally un-used to dealing with regular on-bike issues any other racer deals with!

Why it should all be banned!!!

My worry is that a 250 single cylinder is going to have immense back tourque, somehting any minibike or 125 rider will never, ever have experinced, and may cause a host of crashes!

[N.A-D.R]

Xavi Fores has been confirmed to race alongside Julian Simon in the Aspar Team for 2011.

http://www.vroom-magazine.com/2010/1...aubel-in-2011/

[ghinzani]

Kev Coghlans going to ride for Alex Debon Aeroporto Castillo outfit. Could be a very good combo - great news for the talented Scotsman.

[gomick]

He did good in the Spanish series this year so he know's the bikes - and Spanish tracks

[djb]

Originally Posted by chunder

Was listening to Edwards talking on motogp about his ride on a 2 bike.

He was saying they are great on the front end and on the power, but because of the lack of electronics the back torque and wheel locking is a huge problem.

That is why so many peopel are suffering I think and why you see so many different ways to get into the bends.

It also shows how cosseted GP riders are! They have all this technology on their bikes they are totally un-used to dealing with regular on-bike issues any other racer deals with!

Why it should all be banned!!!

My worry is that a 250 single cylinder is going to have immense back tourque, somehting any minibike or 125 rider will never, ever have experinced, and may cause a host of crashes!

interesting, the Edwards comments.

as for a 250 single, heck, I figure that anyone who is good will adapt. I have only been on track on a four cylinder 550 and a 350 twin two stroke, so can relate to those diffs, but I do remember riding an old Suzuki single four stroke 370cc and it had a hell of a lotof engine braking. A Honda RC51 has a hell of a lot too, took me a while to get used to it the few hours I rode it on the street, but in the end, you adapt.

I really do figure that a good rider will adapt to whatever they are on. Look at someone like Kenny Robert who flatracked a Harley with no front brakes sideways at 100mph and then could get on a 750 two stroke monster at Daytona.

[chunder]

Erm Kenny even rode a 750 s stroke monster on the dirt!! And won!!

[djb]

ya I know, I was going to add that at the end but wasnt sure if you guys knew. If I remember from what I saw of that, it was banned afterwards because it was so fricking fracking more powerful than teh Harleys.......
When I raced production that little bit, there was a nice guy who owned a bike shop in Ottawa and he had a Yammy 750 two stroke that he took to Daytona. I always remember looking at it in awe in teh back of his shop, asking him about going at high speeds (I had only been up to about 120 by then), and remember him saying that up to 150mph it wasnt too impressive, but after that it really starts to get interesting......years later when I got to a bit over 160 I got an inkling of what he had said 25 years or so earlier. Guess it would have been a TZ750, dont recall.

[chunder]

THe problem was with those old strokers that 2 stroke tech was not as good as it was later on, so the damne things seized all the time when they were tuned up! THis is why guys liek Carruthers, Vukmanovich and Kanemoto were so famous!!

I recall stories from Sheene, Ballington and especially the Kawasaki guys like Grant Smart and Duhamel about those things seizing at high speed!

Roberts ran the 750 again last year on the Indy mile mate, have a look on Youtube? There is a clip posted by Yamaha USA and he gets a little cut up at the end of it, really quite touching from the
old grinder!

And, I'll tell you what, he gives it the berries as you would expect King Kenny too!

[djb]

saw the clip chund, wicked sounding sucker isnt it?
Are you old enough to remember the Kawasaki KH triple two strokes? They had a very cool sound, I also remember air cooled rd350s that were tuned to an inch of seizing that made cool sounds too.

ahh, the ol two stroke days. fun as hell to ride. My RD350LC wasnt too peaky and handled great (for its day)

[chunder]

I cant remember seeing them race as factory bikes sadly.

The bikes that Ballington and Mang rode were very cleverly engineered and totally different to the old triples!

IN the UK the RD400 was the way to go before the LC, a load of them and X7's sounded great!

Then we turned into 4 stroke lovers and lost the way with 2 stroke machines, also thereby not having any decent 2 stroke riders for years apart from Mackenzie, Haslam and Mcleod

[ghinzani]

Dang!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/031220...withdraws.html