Confirmation that last weekend’s rumours concerning the scrapping of the so-called “rookie rule” has helped to clarify the silly season situation just a little more. (it seems funny talking about 2013 when the 2012 season is barely six races old, but, that’s the way it happens these days).
The scrapping of the rule (at the manufacturer’s request) clears the way for Honda to replace Stoner with Marquez and for everyone else’s negotiations to proceed. The Americans are, as usual whining that the rookie rule now seems to have only been introduced to stop Ben Spies from going straight to the “works” Yamaha team which, of course, is arrant nonsense. Fact is that the two contracted Yamaha riders in the team had contracts till the end of the year thus preventing Spies from going straight to the team even if the rookie rule hadn’t been in place. And, whose to say that he’d have done any better than he’s doing now anyway, even if he could have gotten in? He’s certainly floundering at the moment and the media fixation on all the “positive” signs that were seen at Silverstone can’t alter the fact that he is a great qualifier and an ordinary racer. His continuing string of unforced errors point to a fragility when pushed and this is a fatal flaw at this level.
Speculation about Rossi’s future continues unabated. The GOAT is a poor shadow of his former greatness when the track is dry and only shows signs of resurgence when the track is wet, but he can’t hope to rely on that scenario for the rest of the season. Ever the diplomat, Rossi is clearly biting his tongue until it bleeds when interviewed, trying hard not to say what a pig of a bike the Ducati is and how he’d like to have a gallon of petrol and a match and a few spare moments with it behind the pits. The marriage of the century is plainly over with divorce papers being shuffled as we speak. But, if his professions about wanting to race on are correct, where can he go?
In his autobiography, Rossi bad-mouthed Honda and you can bet that the HRC executives won’t forget that in a hurry. After professing that he was a Yamaha man for life, Rossi jumped ship to Ducati and has been by no means complimentary about the way that went as well. Having burnt his bridges at the two major factories left in MotoGp, he is out of options.
AND, if the rumours coming out of Silverstone on the weekend prove to be true, Rossi has even less choice than what it might appear. Suggestions are that PRAMAC will pull the pin at the end of 2012 (funding issues) and that Karel Abraham, increasingly disenchanted with the “deal” that AB Karbon has with Ducati, is also planning on dumping the Bologna bike at the end of the season.
The major manufacturers are mandated to providing 4 bikes so Honda and Yamaha don’t have a spare bike that they can lease to Rossi even if he wanted to start his own team (something that he would be most reluctant to to at this late stage in his career – the track record of ex-world champions running teams is not good). Caramello Koala said on the weekend that he is expecting 24-bike grids in 2012 but, if the present situation continues, that would mean nearly half the grid will be also-ran bikes.
And who would replace Rossi at Ducati if (when) he goes? Who would want the poisoned chalice? Well, strangely, the name Crutchlow keeps cropping up. Cal has said that he’s not scared of the Ducati ( a worrying sign since even the greatest of all Ducati riders, Casey Stoner, said that the bike scared him) and that he thinks that his riding style should suit the bike. The line to the left of riders who thought that and who have been pummelled into submission by the unfriendly red beast is long and sad. Still, if he does go, it could solve another potentially difficult problem elsewhere.
As already noted, I expect either Crutchlow or Dovizioso (probably CC if the Ducati thing doesn’t happen) to be elevated to the Yamaha “works” squad and Spies to be back-squadded to the TechIII team. Whether the proud American will accept the decision and stay or whether he and his notoriously difficult mother will take their bat and ball and go back home is another matter. You can bet that, just like CEII has been gifted with rides when he is long past his use-by date because he IS an American and the Japanese factories need the American market, Spies will be encouraged to stay on and fly the starts and stripes. However, this will not solve the problem that TechIII has with THREE riders and only two bikes.
You see, back in 2011, Herve Poncheral, boss of TechIII, made what many, myself included, thought was a very strange decision. He signed the TechIII Moto2 rider, Bradley Smith, to a contract to join the TechIII MotoGp squad in 2013. Now Smith’s performance in the Moto2 championship has so far been distinctly underwhelming (apart from last weekend where, as usual, the British riders exhibited their one and only good ride of the year in front of their home crowd). Should Poncheral be forced to honour that contract in 2013, one of the existing T3 riders will have to be dropped. But who DO you drop when Dovi and CC have been performing so brilliantly all season?
Something that may change the situation, and possibly dramatically, is if the new Ducati engine, due to be debuted after the mid-season break, actually works. Rumours are flying thick and fast that it will be a 75 degree V4 rather than the existing “L” 4 engine and that it will have a much less aggressive and less tyre-shredding power delivery. If that is the case, the Ducati could yet become a competitive bike again and all the talk about Rossi become just smoke and mirrors.
One thing is for sure, the wheeling and dealing will only intensify in the coming months.
You wouldn’t believe it, would you? Just after I closed and published this article this morning, this popped up…
Honda to build a “production” GP racer.
Thanks to the always interesting asphalt and rubber for this link.
Now this could be VERY interesting. If Honda do this “soon” (read, “ready for 2013”) then Yamaha will be forced to do the same. Suzuki are known to be working on a 1000cc MotoGp bike and Kawasaki could even get involved. We could ditch the whole ludicrous CRT concept and get back to full grids with real racing bikes. Bring it on, I say.
Oh, and, just when you’d gotten tired of the continuing Horex drama, this…
Another new V6 bike from Eastern Europe 🙂
