The worst kept secret ever in MotoGP was finally revealed last night as Valentino Rossi’s press team announced that he had signed a 2 year deal with Ducati. The Italian web sites have gone into melt-down, some even crashing due to pressure of people trying to log on and catch the news. God help us if something REALLY important were to happen!!!
With the signing of Rossi to replace Stoner and Stoner to replace goodness knows who at Honda (though Dovi is looking increasingly shaky with poor performances and many unforced errors) the rest of the pieces should quickly fall into place. The sticking point for Honda is that Dovi has a clause in his contract that says that, if at the half-way point of the season, he is in the top five, it must be renewed. Talk is that Honda will try to hive him off to Gresini with factory support.
Capirossi is off to Pramac Ducati to replace the totally shattered Mika Kallio (both crashed out last night). Kallio is a beaten man, apparently, having lost his money, his wife and child to his manager earlier on in the year. He’s such a nice guy, hard to see how he could have deserved that.
Crutchlow will test for Tech III today and is certain to sign to replace Spies who is off to FIAT. Spies again failed to convert a good grid position to a good finish, fading in the middle stages as is his wont. I’ve made my feelings about the Crutchlow signing clear already. This is a bad move, based on Monster Energy’s desire to strengthen their advertising position and the BBC’s desire to have a British rider in MotoGP. I predict that Crutchlow will sink without a trace, weighed down, as so many before him have been, with the unbearable burden of trying to live up to the British press’s expectations and earn the “next Barry Sheene” mantle. Toseland was a proven winner and a vastly better talent than Crutchlow (can’t believe I said that) and he couldn’t cut it. History will repeat itself.
Edwards is widely tipped to retire or take a step back to WSBK. In any event it matters little; CE has been drawing a pay check under false pretences for a number of years now.
Marco Melandri is the centre of a wild rumour that he is off to WSBK next year to partner Troy Corser at BMW with a view to returning to MotoGP WITH BMW in 2012. Make of that what you will. If it were to happen, the RdP would seem to be the obvious choice to replace him at Gresini.
A rumour going around Brno last night says that Ducati is seriously considering quitting WSBK altogether next year unless the organisers grant them more concessions in the performance area. Believe that when and if you see it, but the threat should be enough for them to gain what they want and again skew the regulations to suit themselves.
