Rumours Mills 2008/09

[patnicholls]

Here's my provisional list for WSB at the minute - some of this is just this year's lineup cut-and-pasted in for now:

Xerox Ducati: Haga & Fabrizio
Sterilgarda Ducati: Alessandro Polita & Shakey Byrne
RG Ducati: Ben Bostrom(!)/Luca Scassa/Lorenzo Lanzi?
Guandalini/Boulder Ducati: J. Smrz & Jake Zemke
Ten Kate Honda: Kiyonari, C. Checa & Jonathan Rea
PBM (Vent-Axia) Kawasaki - Tamada & Broc Parkes
DFX Honda: Regis Laconi? & Lorenzo Lanzi?/Muggeridge?
Althea Honda: Tommy Hill & ?
Pro Race Honda: Lavilla
Stiggy Honda: Leon Haslam & Roby Rolfo
Yamaha Italia: Tom Sykes & Ben Spies
YZF Yamaha: Katsayuki Nagasuga (Japanese SBK champ; replaces Nakatomi)
GMT94 Yamaha: D. Checa & Gimbert?
Grillini Yamaha: Zaiser?
Alstare Suzuki: Neukirchner, Kagayama & Fonsi Nieto/Xavier Simeon?
PSG1 Ducati?: Badovini? & ?
Pedercini Kawasaki/Ducati?: Iannuzzo? & ?
Aprilia: Biaggi & Nakano
BMW: Xaus & Corser

If everyone listed above appears, plus the question marks get filled in, that could be about 38 regular riders!

Getting a point or two is already looking like a decent achievement!

[racer69]

Ben Bostrom on an RG Ducati, would be good to see

Much of a chance of happening?

[mx311]

I just thought I'd add my provisional lists for the MotoGP series in 2009.

MOTOGP
Fiat Yamaha Team - Valentino Rossi / Jorge Lorenzo
Repsol Honda Team - Dani Pedrosa / Andrea Dovizioso
Ducati Marlboro Team - Casey Stoner / Nicky Hayden
Tech 3 Yamaha - Colin Edwards / James Toseland
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP - Chris Vermuelen / Loris Capirossi
Monster Energy Kawasaki MotoGP - John Hopkins / Marco Melandri
Red Bull Ducati Team - Mika Kallio / Niccolo Canepa
San Carlo Gresini Team - Toni Elias / Alex de Angeles
Team Scot - Yuki Takahashi
LCR Honda MotoGP - Randy de Puniet
Onde 2000 Ducati - Sete Gibernau

250cc
Metis Gilera - Marco Simoncelli / [Roberto Locatelli]
Team Toth Aprilia - Imre Toth / [Mattia Pasini]
Emmi Caffe Latte Aprilia - Thomas Luthi / [Lukas Pesek]
Thai Honda PTT SAG - Rattapark Wilairot / [Hector Faubel]
Cardion AB Aprilia - Karel Abraham / [?]
Mapfre Aspar Aprilia - Alvaro Bautista / Mike di Meglio / [Alex Debon]
MOL Aspar Aprilia - Gabor Talmacsi
Pepephone Pons-WRB Aprilia - Hector Barbera / [Axel Pons]
Team Scot Honda - [Simone Corsi]
Team 48 Aprilia - [Aleix Espargaro] / [Joan Olive] / [Alex Debon]
Yamaha Pertamina Indonesia - Doni Tata Pradita / [?]
Racing Team Germany Honda - Toni Wirsing / Bastien Chesaux
Zongshen Team - Frederico Sandi / Ho Wan Chow
Diana Zschoch Racing Team - Stevie Bonsey / [Hector Faubel]
[Red Bull Kiefer Aprilia] - [Stefan Bradl]
[Repsol Team] - [Hiroshi Aoyama]

125cc
Belson Derbi - Pol Espargaro [F] / [Joan Olive] [F]
Ajo Motorsports Derbi - Dominique Aegerter [F] / Sandro Cortese [F]
Blusens Aprilia - Scott Redding [F] / Tito Rabat
Red Bull Kiefer Aprilia - Robin Lasser / Robert Muresan / Marvin Fritz / [Stefan Bradl] [F]
Pons-WRB Aprilia - Nico Terol [F] / [Axel Pons]
IC Team Aprilia - Andrea Iannone [F] / Lorenzo Salvadori / [Takaagi Nakagami] [F]
Degraaf Aprilia - Randy Krummenacher [F] / Danny Webb
Bancaja Aspar Aprilia - Bradley Smith [F] / Julito Simon [F] / [Sergio Gadea] / [Adrian Martin]
Maxtra Team - Michael Ranseder / [Matthew Hoyle]
KTM Racing - Marc Marquez / Cameron Beaubier / [Tomoyoshi Koyama] / [Jonas Folger]
[Racing Team Germany Honda] - [Marcel Schrotter] / [Jonas Folger]

* - [brackets] means not confirmed, [F] means factory bike from Aprilia, ie the RSA.

The big news within the 125/250 ranks is the 'retirement' of Dani Amatriain. Both Delson Derbi and the team that was known as Lotus Aprilia will continue. Lotus Aprilia will now be known as Team 48 (they are hoping to resign Lotus Watches) and the team is now owned by the team members themselves. The retirement of Amatriain many link to his bust up with former protege Jorge Lorenzo, that's also the reason Jorge is on the lookout for a new racing number, (I hear he wanted #0 but Dorna said no so he has reserved #23 and #99).

[patnicholls]

Those are some pretty interesting lists so far Matt.

It's good to see the Pons WRB team expanding to 250s with Hector Barbera, they did a great job last year in 125s (I notice Nico Terol won 'privateer of the year' which meant Corsi must've had a factory bike within that same team, in which case Terol's results were even more remarkable to take 5th overall). Also looking good with Aspar running three 250s hopefully. Do you know if we're expecting Campetella's team back? They always brighten up the grid even if the results have gone south recently.

In terms of 125s, do you know much about satellite KTMs? It was a bit of a sloppy effort from them this time round - Tomi Koyama won't be remembering 2008 fondly after winning a race and finishing third in 2007, and Randy Krummenacher struggled with illness throughout after his emergency spleen trouble. Any news on Onde 2000 continuing a 125 effort?

[axxexs]

Keifer will probebly run Honda next year. Not confirmed or any paper signed with Honda or the new sponsor yet. Will hopfully be in some day's time. It depends on if the team gets factory 2009 Honda and that Aoyama is ok for them to have as a rider (He did leave Honda once for going to KTM,,)

So my tip is: Red Bull Keifer Honda with Stefan Bradl and Hiro Aoyama as riders in 250GP.

Ben Bostrom on an RG Ducati, would be good to see

Much of a chance of happening?

It would be great to see Ben back, especially on a competitive bike. I've been waiting to see if the rumour becomes fact but nothing definite yet.

[patnicholls]

Ben Bostrom on an RG Ducati, would be good to see

Much of a chance of happening?

It was one I heard a while ago and has now gone quiet - as have RG entirely as they weren't at Portimao. They has a reasonable season with Lanzi aboard (including a fortuituous win at Valencia when Carlos Checa brought down Max Neukirchner at the final corner) so with someone...ahem...a bit better than Lanzi - who only seems to have pace at tight twisty tracks - aboard they could do well.

[jonny hurlock]

Ben Bostrom on an RG Ducati, would be good to see

Much of a chance of happening?

great in 2001, what the hell happen to ben, I remember he did a season in 2005 with renegade, which wasn't so well.

some news for wss

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/wsbk...,_lagrive.html

[NinjaMaster]

No Ben Boz for WSB. He has signed to ride for Yamaha Superbike AMA alongside Josh Hayes.

oh well, at least I won't have a conflict of favourite riders in WSBK.