Sheesh, turn you back for a second and they all change chairs. Let’s see what’s happened in the last 24 hours.
1. Alvaro Bautista has split with Rizla Suzuki after 2 years which saw the bike improve considerably but still not threaten the podium. The usual platitudes were published.
2. Bautista signs with Gresini Honda to replace the late Marco Simoncelli (that was the first surprise.) He tested with the team yesterday and did well. (see test times below)
3. Randy de Puniet, after splitting with PRAMAC Ducati, turned up at Valencia on Monday doing a supposed “guest ride” on the Suzuki. The “guest” bit got a bit less believable when he tested again yesterday. Opinion is divided as to whether this signals a continuation of Suzuki’s involvement in MotoGp or not. In any event, the FIM has given them till Friday to make their intentions clear. Should they stay (many now expect they will), expect them to at least start the season on existing 800cc machinery and with RdP and one other rider, or perhaps they will continue as a 1-bike team.
4. Kenan Sofoglu, 2 times WSS champion also announced overnight that he will be leaving Moto2 and heading back to WSS, heading up a Kawasaki team that may, or may not, include Aussie Broc Parkes.
In other testing news, Ducati continued to struggle despite trying out the “experimental” dual-spar aluminium frame on both test days. Rossi was still over a second off the pace of the Hondas. Battaini subbed for the injured Nicky Hayden who has been diagnosed with a broken scaphoid (ouch) after his T1 off at Valencia. Lorenzo also didn’t test.
This was the last test for the year and leaves the engineers and teams a big time frame now to sort things out before the first test of 2012. Notably, the CRT bikes taking past in the test were awfully slow.
Tuesday times.
1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1’31.807
2. Casey Stoner (Honda) 1’31.968
3. Ben Spies (Yamaha) 1’32.338
4. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha) 1’32.550
5. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) 1’33.256
6. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1’33.332
7. Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 1’33.433
8. Hector Barbera Pramac Racing Team 1’33.648
9. Alvaro Bautista (Honda) 1’33.814
10. Stefan Bradl (Honda) 1’34.142
11. Kousuke Akiyoshi (Honda) 1’34.546
12. Franco Battaini (Ducati) 1’34.840
13. Carmelo Morales (TeamLaglisse) 1’35.911
14. Ivan Silva (BQR Inmotec) 1’36.695
15. Yonny Hernandez (BQR FTR) 1’37.279
16. Federico Sandi (Grillini Team) 1’38.680
On a non-bike riding front I had what turned out to be my last visit to the Fracture Clinic at Wollongong Hospital yesterday. The doctor was happy that the X-ray shows the femur healing really well with more than half of the bone now joined up completely and indications that the healing is creeping around to the other side of the bone. So, they don’t want to see me any more. A huge relief and another return to normality (well, as normal as I can get – it never is COMPLETELY normal nor was it EVER)
Speedway kicks off this weekend with yours truly doing the microphone duties at Nowra Speedway. It’s been a long off-season and I can’t wait to get back into it. www.nowraspeedway.com