In these post-GFC days (at least here in Australia) it’s tempting to think that the other nations have fared as well as we did. Sadly, this is not the case. Moto2 will look a little different this year, not just because of new teams and riders but because several teams have succumbed and won’t be returning in 2011. Likewise the MotoGP grids remain mired at 17 despite the addition of a new team. It seems everyone is feeling the pinch. Of course, getting reliable data is always difficult but the figure that is floating around at the moment is that, to “buy” a Moto2 ride, you’d need to stump up with something between $US200000 and $US300000. I’d have thought that was pretty cheap, actually. When Anthony West was contemplating his future a few years ago, he was told that he could rent a “works” Aprilia 250, with factory support if he wanted to. The catch was that he would have had to pay 1 MILLION Euros! Suffice it to say that there are many (an undisclosed number) of riders this year who are paying to be part of the show.
And what about the tracks? Well, I already flagged that Jerez is in financial trouble, though it has been confirmed that the April round is safe and will go ahead. Rumours flying around the blogosphere this morning suggest that the continuing political turmoil that is plaguing the middle east is about to boi over into some other autocracies in the area, most especially Qatar. Bloggers in that tiny state have apparently already been prosecuted for publishing anti-government comments on their sites and this may lead, as it has done in other ME states, to repression and revolution. Again, it looks as if the opening round of the championship is safe, but ME politics is a volatile thing and can flare up quickly and violently.
Despite very secure confidentiality agreements that DORNA has in place with the organisations which it needs to run its championship, word has leaked out about the financial arrangements between itself and the Aragon circuit in Spain. Having recently secured a MotoGp date till 2016, the owners are feeling pretty chuffed, but at what price? Well, it seems that the total figure is some 41 MILLION Euros!! That’s 6mil for this year, then 7 mil each year for the remaining years of the contract!! GFC? What GFC?
Money talks, they say. The Italian Piaggio concern announced last night that it was closing the plant that makes its Derbi-badged machines in Spain and relocating production back to Italy. This is sure to impact very unfavourably upon the local economy of the town where the factory is located and is being touted as a “cost cutting” exercise. Local Spanish media is suggesting the opposite, pointing to ongoing industrial unrest in Italy and suggesting that the move has a great deal more to do with placating Italy’s notoriously militant unions than it has to do with saving money. In any event, unemployment will rise in one locality and fall in another. In the end, it’s all about money.
Finally, a little gem that an old road racing acquaintance posted on his FB page this morning. I add the hasty disclaimer that it bears no relation to MY personal experience.
“Marriage is a little like a game of cards. In the beginning all you really need is 2 hearts and a diamond. In the end all you really want is a club and a spade.”