BOMBSHELL: Ducati to quit WSBK.

In what could be the death-knell of the production-based series, Ducati announced overnight that it is quitting WSBK efffective at the end of the season.

My readers will recall that I foreshadowed this development a few weeks ago, remarking that Ducati may threaten such a move in order to prise some more concessions from the organisers. Well, it seems that the threat was not successful so they have decided to take their bucket and spade and leave the sandbox altogether.

Ducati’s mealy-mouthed press release should cause all fair-thinking enthusiasts to choke on their Weet Bix this morning. I quote in part..”Recently the Superbike World Championship, according to the current regulations, has been interpreted as moving more towards competition between prototypes rather than for bikes derived from production machines. This has led to an increase in costs, both for the manufacturers and the teams participating in the championship.” To translate, “Aprilia is handing us our backsides on a plate with a legal bike and we’re pissed off that our bike, that has always enjoyed a technical advantage due to our intimate relationship with the organisers, can’t beat them, so we’ll say it’s someone else’s fault and leave.”

This is one of the most disgraceful pieces of duplicity that the sport has seen for a long while. As it has been remarked, I wonder how they reconcile the fact that, were if not for the abberation of Ben Spies winning the championship last year, Ducati would have wiped the floor with the WSBK title in 2009? Wow, their bike must be REALLY uncompetitive against the “prototype” bikes, mustn’t it? And I don’t suppose it has occurred to them that, if they had hired a couple of  “gun” riders, instead of a hot and cold Italian and a Japanese who entered the twilight of his career a couple of  years ago, they might have been closer to the front?

No, the Ducati way is much better. Browbeat the organisers into framing the technical regulations so that you have a technical and weight advantage over your competitors. Dominate the class for years through this favourable treatment and then, when they won’t allow the farce to continue, pull out and make it THEIR fault. Please, the hypocrisy is just too nauseating to endure.

Of course this move has NOTHING to do with WSBK and EVERYTHING to do with having to get enough money to pay Valentino Rossi’s exhorbitant salary in the MotoGP team. Ducati has announced as well that they will continue to support “private” teams, but that can be little consolation to the legion of fans and the handful of riders who have relied on Ducati to fly the flag. I bet Jakob Smrz is chuckling over his scrambled eggs this morning. He just switched from a private Ducati to an Aprilia!

In MotoGP news, Casey Stoner topped the time sheets in FP1 this morning, both Hayden and Spies having front-end crashes. And the FIM has announced a 1 year extension for the event at Indianapolis. Hardly a ringing endorsement and firming up the rumour that it’s on its way out.

Oh, and this gem turned up this morning.

How eloquently does this sum up just how important Nicky Hayden is in the MotoGP scene?