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There's still a lot of Ten Kate seats to decide, Jonny Rea and Kenan are the only ones confirmed so far.
I'm still sitting in abject horror at the rumour that Carlos Checa will be getting one of the WSB seats. Although I'm a total hypocrite as I rate Alex Barros but not Checa, even though their career results have been about the same :p
Ill take a stab at what i think the Ten Kate lineup will look like:
WSBK: Rolfo - Checa
WSBK(Satellite): Sofuoglu - Kiyonari
WSS: Rea - Pitt
Well, I thought the Ten Kate rides are pretty much sorted unless money (or egos) become a problem?Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
Hannspree WSBK - Rolfo & Sofuolgu
HRC WSBK - Kiyonari & Checa or Barros or Nakano (HRC's choice)
Hannspree WSS - Rea & Charpentier or Muggeridge
Remember, Charpentier has been injured all year and I think it's a bit harsh if he's given the flick after one injury plagued year, he is still a two time WSS champ. Muggas is also well loved by Ten Kate and would be an instant title contender if he drops back down. I've heard Pitty is close to (or has) signed with someone else (I've heard Virgin Yamaha in BSB).
As for the PSG-1 ride, well Alex Barros, Alex Hofmann and Shinya Nakano have been mentioned if Fonsi leaves. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
MotoGP meanwhile, it seems that Jorge Martinez Aspar has turned down the chance to enter MotoGP with Yamaha and Dunlop. It seems that Yamaha offered Aspar a fifth M-1 for the 2008 season to be run on Dunlops (with Tech3 going to whatever tyre brand the factory team is on) but Aspar said 'thanks but no thanks'. Jorge bascially said that he wants at least a three year deal with a manufacturer and enough time to set the team up properly, something that wasn't there with the Yamaha deal.
Apparently Pitt is Ten Kate's favourite to partner Kiyo but HRC want Checa. Hopefully having given Kiyo a ride (almost certainly at HRC's request), Ten Kate will insist on hiring Pitt. Checa would be a backward step as would Barros.
Pitt knows the circuits and was looking good until he got shafted by Yamaha.
It appears that Rolfo will leave Ten Kate to ride an Altea Honda with Hannspree sponsorship
http://www.motogp.com/en/motogp/moto....htm?menu=news
the works yamaha team will be on michelin tyres next season, some good news for michelin
Agree that he's one of the top men in WSS, but he's been there an awfully long time now... as always, the balance must be found between experience and new blood.Quote:
Originally Posted by mx311
Any word on Curtain? It's fairly obvious he won't be back, but there's a lot of fans who'd just like to know that he's ok...
http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~6~id~154421.htm
Dunlop are trying to bring tyre deals to LCR, Team KR, and the Konica Minolta team, for next season
I see Lorenzo has been 100% confirmed as Valentino's team mate for next year......... errrghhhhhhh.
Yeehaa!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by osg
Hopefully Dunlop can find a couple of teams to team up with and remain in MotoGP. They are much improved this year and I hope they can continue that progression next year.
Word has it there will be an announcement on Monday confirming Alex de Angelis at Gresini in 2008.
Alex de Angelis has 125 race starts for 1 win!
Perhaps Fausto see's something I don't? However I think it is a good thing Gresini has not picked up one of the 'old guys' of GP.
I've read some stuff on here about Rossi not liking Horgay and trying to veto his move to Yam, but is there any truth in any of it? What has Horgay ever done to Vale?....er, about from rip off his post race ostentations.Quote:
Originally Posted by osg
Davies on the D'Antin for the remaining rounds after Hoffman does a DuHamel at Estoril????
Thoughts?
Well Hoffman has been offically sacked, so it will be either Davies or Silva for the remaining races...
So here's how MotoGP is shaping up for 2008
Bold = confirmed
Normal = very likely
Italic =rumored
??? = no idea
Team
Title sponsor -tyres
1st rider
2nd rider
Ducati
Ducati Corse
Marlboro - Bridgestone
Casey Stoner
Marco Melandri
d'Antin MotoGP
Pramac - Bridgstone
Sylvan Guintoli
Toni Elias
Yamaha
Yamaha Racing
FIAT, Fortuna - Michelin
Valentino Rossi
Jorge Lorenzo
Tech 3
??? - Michelin
James Toseland
Colin Edwards
Honda
Honda Racing Corporation
Repsol- Michelin
Nicky Hayden
Dani Pedrosa
Gresini Racing
??? - Bridgestone
Alex de Angelis
Shinya Nakano
Team LCR
??? - Michelin
Randy De Puniet
JiR
Scot Construction - ???
Andrea Dovizioso
Suzuki
Suzuki MotoGP
Rizla - Bridgestone
Chris Vermeulen
Loris Capirossi
Kawasaki
Kawasaki Racing
Monster- Bridgestone
John Hopkins
Anthony West
Team KR
??? -???
???
Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga confirmed at Yamaha Motor Italy
Ben Spies said he would be doing some wild card runs next year on Speed.
Pedrosa signed with Repsol Honda for 2 more seasons, no tyre confirmation yet.
http://www.crash.net/news_view.asp?cid=6&id=154712
Won't be bridgestone......... bridgestone themselves have ruled that out.
Kev Curtain will be riding for MV Agusta in ASBK for 2008..
shame his international career ended like this, around this time a year ago he looked certain to win the WSS championship
is the MV a private or a factory/dealer supported bike?
To link the Foggy 'not happening' news in with this thread, the story goes that Team Roberts will be coming to World Superbike next year to run the MVs. There is nothing to confirm this.
Eurosport's chat also suggested (as was rumoured here a couple of weeks ago) that Roby Rolfo will leave Ten Kate to go to Althea Honda, who will step up to WSB from WSS.
There was also a possiblity mentioned of Martial Garcia's Yamaha team running a second superbike next year again (they run Shinichi Nakatomi - who may be retained - and David Checa and Sebastien Gimbert in WSS under the GMT94 banner).
Also, Triumph have confirmed their entrance into World Supersport with the Caracchi Scuderia SC (?) team. I think I read it will be a two rider team with a Brit and Italian rider likely. Hopefully it is as good a racebike as it is a roadbike.
Source: http://www.mcnews.com.auQuote:
Originally Posted by ChrisS
After months of speculation, multiple Australian Champion and world no 2 Kevin Curtain has signed a 2 year contract with (TBR) Trinder Brothers Racing to contest the Australian Superbike Championship for MV Agusta Racing. After contesting the highly competitive World Supersport Championship for the last 4 seasons in which he finished an amazing 2nd in the championship twice, Kev has decided to concentrate his efforts with TBR aboard an MV Agusta for the Australian Superbike Championship and possibly much more.
After speaking to Team Manager Steve Trinder this week regarding the teams future plans, it was revealed there are a lot of developments in progress.
“Craig (Trinder), Paul Feeney & I are off to Italy in November to sit down with the factory and discuss Kevin’s role with MV Agusta internationally, however our plan is to win the Australian Superbike Championship first and foremost. We also plan to have a world spec bike here for Kev to wild card the WSK race at Phillip Island to coincide with the world wide launch of MV Agusta back into world Championship racing”.
An all out assault on the Australian Championships with factory backing from the Italian MV Agusta headquarters, MV Agusta and Kevin will be a championship favourite right from the first round.
“One of the reason’s I signed is I have a great relationship with the TBR team, We know how to win together, and with the MV Agusta connection I will still be able to give the world championship regulars a hurry up, but this time in Superbike”.
Trinder said, “We have been talking to Kevin about this possibility for sometime, however the fact that Kevin could still have an international career through TBR and MV Agusta was a definite factor in gaining his signature”.
“The year Kevin last rode for us, our riders struggled for speed and handling on the brand we were using compared with the Suzuki’s and we still won 3 out of 4 championships. Even though the Japanese manufacturers are a lot more even these days, we won’t have those same problems again now with MV Agusta. We are really looking forward to next year, it’s exciting,” commented Trinder.
The first hit out for Curtain and his new team will be the WPS Queensland Championships, which the team is using for Kev to get acquainted with the new MVF41000.
Although it would be great to see Curtain continue on the world stage, he is not a young man anymore. He'll do great things with the MV in Aus SBK, and might surprise the WSB regulars at PI if the bike is sorted. He may even get a leg-up into a Team Roberts MV squad if that comes together - he's no stranger to contesting Australian and World series at the same time!
http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~6~id~155340.htm
team kr may not be on Honda engines next season, or on michelin niether, they more or likely on dunlop two team, also, Not going to WSBK with MV Agusta thankfully
Could it be the "KR Ilmor Dunlop Team" with Kurtis Roberts as the rider ? May as well just get yourself neutered and take up ballet :laugh:
KR Dunlop could be right! Ive heard a rumour that KR may run a two bike outfit with 07 spec Ducati engines next year, majority of their funding coming from, yep you guessed it, Dunlop.. Also heard they've offered Elias a ride.. Time will tell..
so.. what do you think about the new 2008 lineup?
any guess who will be the second dantin rider?
where will de puniet be next year?
will elias stay at gresini?
1
any bets??
no2 in gresini(elias,nakano,de puniet)
no2 in dantin(baros)
lcr?
konicaminolta honda?
third kawasaki
if anyone has ideas ?? answer please.
tanxx
Most of this has been answered previously in this very thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by b_king
DePuniet has signed with LCR.
Only chance of thrid Kwak appears to be if Nakano brings Konica Minolta money. Seems unlikely.
Dovizioso has signed with Honda, likely his 250 team will merge with JiR team.
I think Nakkers will go to Gresini and Elias to D'Antin and perhaps Barros to KR.
An article of complete speculation on the 2008 BSB field, some may be of interest:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sp...swherepart253/
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EDIT: the whole BSB rumour mill has been turned upside down after GSE revealed that they've pulled out as of today (October 14th). So everything's completely up in the air.
Whether GSE will come to WSB is also highly uncertain.
Can someone gimme a quick summary of who is going where next season. We were sitting discussing the AUS race and we could not remember who is teamed with Rossi on the factory Yamaha team. Edwards is going to Tech 3, right?
THX
Hi there edlalu, you will find a list of teams and most riders on page 13 of the rumor mill thread. Hope that helps you.Quote:
Originally Posted by edlalu
Yes that helps. There is no way I wanted to sift through all that just to find that entry.
THX!
Once we get to New Year time and a few more things are confirmed, we'll start up the MotoGP 2008, WSB 2008, etc threads. For now aside from MotoGP everything's a bit sketchy
According to MCN and crash.net Team GSE have withdrawn from the BSB series and have no plans to go racing in WSBK.. A real shame for a very professional outfit.. To cut a long story short, it comes down to a disagreement between GSE and Ducati concerning piston use, trivial really..
This will kick the BSB and even the WSBK silly season into gear, big time..
Actually I think the disagreement is between BSB & GSE/Ducati regarding oversized pistons.Quote:
Originally Posted by tha_jackal
Well done BSB, don't let any manufacturer dictate terms.
The problem is that Ducati asked to use racing pistons but didnt say why they need to use them.
If they could show it was for safety BSB would allow it
KR and Ilmor to team up in 2008? Sorta makes sense and stranger things have happened..
http://blogger.xs4all.nl/daisy/archi...17/305842.aspx