Rumours and conjecture for the coming season to go in here...
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Rumours and conjecture for the coming season to go in here...
Since no one else has posted anything here I'll go first. (remember it's early in the year so not too much happening).
- Red Bull are rumoured to be looking at buying the World Superbike championship. F1 czar Bernie Ecclestone also rumoured to be interested.
- Troy Bayliss has been linked to a new factory Ducati team in the Australian Superbike series in 2008. It's rumoured that Bayliss will retire at seasons end before heading home to be team owner/manager of the new Oz Duke squad.
- Neil Hodgson linked to Yamaha France WSBK (already mentioned elsewhere).
- Honda are rumoured to be building a 4-stroke 250cc bike to try and pressure the FIM to reform the 125 and 250 rules for 2008/09. Honda and Yamaha have both stated that they'd like 250 4-strokes to replace the current 125's and 450 4-strokes to replace the current 250's, the same as what happened in motocross racing.
- The MotoGP to Indy thing seems legit. The rumour is the bikes will race the opposite way around the circuit to the F1 cars with the Turn 1 banking bypassed in favour of the pitlane warmup lane. A chicane in between oval turns 1 and 2 would slow bikes down before entering the road course. The rest of the track would be the same but backwards except for the last turn (back onto the front straight) which would be made tighter to keep bikes away from the outside wall. There have been other venues mentioned though, including Miami-Homestead and Mexico City.
If Bayliss is to retire, it would be great to see him still involved with racing, as he is such a good bloke. If he does manage/own a team, all the best to him, I think he deserves it :up:
well anticlockwise @ indy doesn't seem so bad,esp if the turn 13 in f1) is taken care of....
yea,heard about the 250cc 4 strokes rule,will the 125cc be the same then cause there is no point trying to run 250cc 4 strokes and the 125cc two strokes
I am excited by this news, as I think the bikes should be all 4 strokes. It makes you wonder though, as Honda has just launched their "World" Honda F1 car, and California does not allow 2 strokes to race due to emission regs ? It all adds up IMO. I would love to see 4 stroke 250's and 400/450's. :up:
4 stroke 400/450s would be excellent. I would love to have a little 450cc sport bike to ride around on.
I heard about Bernie buying WSBK elsewhere too, but it seems every time a racing series is up for sale, Bernie's name pops up so I have my doubts.Quote:
Originally Posted by mx311
I don't think it would be good for the sport if Bernie stuck his big snoz into it. He would turn it into a circus.
Bernie Ecclestone buying SBK would be the worst thing to happen,i'd rather have Dorna buying SBK
Dont be so quick to contempt Bernie guys, he may be a money hungry old man but he has great power and connections that could benefit WSBK
Just the contacts he has with racing circuits around the world could mean he could set up a killer WSBK calendar. I mean if he approached an F1 circuit and told them to give him a superbike race or risk losing F1 would they say no?
and he also has connections with TV broadcasters, sponsors etc...
of course if Bernie is indeed interested in buying WSBK then I believe it would be to take it, set it up and sell it for a huge profit.
I just can't see Bayliss retiring at the end of this year. He just signed a 2-year deal with Ducati and with the state of competition at the moment, it is just perfect for him and he enjoys it so much. Can certainly see him taking up suck a post for 09 tho.
This is interesting, currently Yamaha is focussing to the premiere class motogp, initiation of this new project would be positive step they will take part again fully in the smaller classes.Quote:
Originally Posted by mx311
My the only one rider, Doni who usually plays wildcard at Sepang likely will not race 125 this season, Yamaha has stopped 2 stroke bike development and therefore They will give him chance to try 250 class :)
btw, the only thing rumour untouchable by media is official sponsor of Yamaha, FIM has listed them as Yamaha Factory Racing Team :?:
I came across these pics of what supposedly was HRC's 250cc 4stroke prototype.
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/8...5052ya7.th.jpghttp://img157.imageshack.us/img157/6...4534mh3.th.jpghttp://img157.imageshack.us/img157/1...0368ny2.th.jpghttp://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2...8988ck0.th.jpghttp://img157.imageshack.us/img157/6...3039ko6.th.jpg
I googled GPMR250X and from what I found its actually an RS125 chassis with a CRF250 engine made for GP-Mono class racing by Harc-Pro
Moriwaki also offer their own 125 chassis with several 250cc engine choices (Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki)
http://www.moriwaki.co.jp/top_news/gp-mono-eng.pdf
so these arent the bikes that will replace the 125cc 4-strokes but I think they give as a first look on what to expect if GP switches from 125 and 250 2-stroke to 250 and 450 4-stroke
I read that Benelli are set to return to World Superbike in 2009 with a 1000cc V6! That would be sensational! I don't know what the regs say about 6cylinder bikes in WSB but that would certainly add some variety. They are also said to be developing a 600 supersport as well so good luck to 'em. Hope they can get back to racing and in a competitive form this time.
Benelli back to racing, sounds good in theory, but, they will most likely turn up with an uncompetitive bike, lack of sponsors, a rider that has no hope of riding anywhere but the back of the field, then pull out after a year or 2 of dissapointing engine failures, set up problems and lack of funds and that will be the end of it. I know this all sounds a tad pessemistic (spelling doh), but that's my plan. As soon as some new manufacture (or in this case, an old name trying to bring back the glory days) states their plan to get back into racing and I get all excited about it, they usually bomb out and it pisses me off, so, this time I will be negative from the outset, so I won't be dissapointed when it all goes wrong. I hope I am wrong and they do well, BUT............
Almost sounds like you were describing Ilmor.Quote:
Originally Posted by maxu05
Or KTM/KR, or Aprilia MotoGP, or Foggy Petronas, or Kawasaki MotoGP, or WCM... it's a mean old world!
if Benelli return to WSBK I hope they do with a 1000cc triple, Foggy blamed his team's failure to the 100cc disadvantage so I'm curious to see how a triple of equal displacement will measure up to the twins and fours
Will Benelli be able to use the 1150 if Ducati get their wish for a capacity bump? The big triple would give Ducati kittens... : )
Are there any plans for the 675 Daytona to go to WSS (I assume it is legal as you can run a 750 twin...)?
Don't think so Phantom but they race one in BSS. I would love to see Triumph do it though.
the FIM regulations do not cover 3 cylinder supersport bikes. The 675 partly homologated to race in open supersport but not world Supersport for 2007. In BSS 3 cylinder bikes are excepted from FIM homologation
Thanks Chris - of course, no-one was building 3-cyl SS bikes before Triumph did!Quote:
the FIM regulations do not cover 3 cylinder supersport bikes.
Hinkley should be out there lobbying FIM to allow the 675 to compete... Ducati can give him some tips on how to go about it ; )
Colin Edwards to Ten Kate WSBK?
Rumour has The Texas Tornado meeting with a Honda exec on the weekend of Silverstone and hanging in the Ten Kate hospitality area.
Colin still has a lot to offer, but not in MotoGP. He has only lasted because Rossi 'likes him' and he poses no threat.
Yamaha MotoGP must move toward the future and Colin is not the answer.
However I rate Colin's chances high of winning races immediately in WSBK!
Meanwhile, Honda Gresini's Toni Elias is expected to sign for a new Suzuki satellite team that will be formed for 2008 by Jorge Martinez 'Aspar', Spain's former 80 and 125cc world champion and now a team owner in the 125 and 250cc classes, with Suzuki's former 500cc world champion Kevin Schwantz working as a team advisor. It will be a one-rider team running on Bridgestone tyres like the factory Suzukis, and the launch could be as soon as next weekend at the Catalunya round in Barcelona.
http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~6...9020~pid~1.htm
I heard AMA superbike rider Ben Spies might be on a second bike.
It could mean either the manufacturers have come to an agreement over the 1200cc WSB regulations and Alstare/Suzuki will stay there, or there'll be 3 Suzuki teams in GPs.....
It seems so strange that the rumors of riders changing teams/manufacturers etc has started so early in the season. Usually, we must wait until around September to get such juicy information. Maybe they read our forum and they know we need some gossip/rumors to get us posting more :laugh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by maxu05
Could also be that is you do not start now you might end up with the likes of OJ and de Puniet in your team. (Or Lanzi and Rolfo for WSBK people)
Sorry, don't agree. Even given his past history in SBKs I just cannot see Colin Edwards being able to mix it up with Haga, Bayliss, Toseland (if he is still in SBK next year) and Biaggi etc at the level they are racing. He's a "text book" rider and bails when the going gets tough.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach24
I take it you did not watch Edwards vs. Bayliss for WSB 2002?Quote:
Originally Posted by chac47
Personally I think he's one of the hardest WSB riders on the planet...
Quote:
Originally Posted by chac47
I hope we get the opportunity to discuss this at length in 08' with Edwards in WSBK with Honda.
Edwards is not my favourite rider but I am wise enough to know he can compete with those you mention.
I can not explain Edward's results on the MotoGP Yamaha, but I do know anyone riding in Rossi's team is number 2.
Using a cricket term, Edwards is simply holding up an end.
I agree with Murray (The Phantom) and Mark (Mach24) that Edwards would be back to his best in WSBK if he deciced to go back. If you look at Troy Bayliss's performance in Motogp, it was not so good, apart from some moments when he got some good results. I think the Motogp machines require a certain kind of rider, as to the riding style required. WSBK's are a different animal, and riders like Bayliss just suit the style of riding required in WSBK. I think Colin would be at the pointy end for sure.
I did watch WSB 2002. Have a copy of the final race with "Keep This!" written on it. Maybe the word "bail" was a bit harsh and when I get my female brain to sort out what I'm trying to say I'll have another try.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Phantom
I kind of agree with Sue about Edwards. He'll be at least 34 next year and I would prefer to see young talent coming through on the Ten Kate bike, especially given that Bayliss is likely to retire. He's a fighter though and would be competitive.
Any team/rider rumours at the moment are to be taken with a grain of salt. Talks might have started but I can't see anything being settled for months yet. Given that only 3 riders are currently contracted for next year and with such a wealth of talent pushing through from the 250 class, this silly season is going to be frantic. I've heard the exact same Suzuki rumour except with the Alstare team running Biaggi instead of Elias. Time will tell.
According to Eurosport, this is the current prospective MotoGP lineups for 2008.
Repsol Honda - Confirmed: Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa.
Gresini Honda - Likely: James Toseland. Maybe: Marco Melandri, Toni Elias, Andrea Dovizioso, Kenan Sofuoglu.
Konica Minolta Honda - Confirmed: Shinya Nakano.
LCR Honda - Maybe: Carlos Checa, Andrea Dovizioso, James Toseland.
Yamaha - Confirmed: Valentino Rossi. Likely: Jorge Lorenzo. Maybe: Colin Edwards.
Tech-3 Yamaha - Likely: Sylvain Guintoli. Maybe: Makoto Tamada, Carlos Checa, Alex de Angelis, Colin Edwards.
Ducati - Confirmed: Casey Stoner. Likely: Marco Melandri. Maybe: Loris Capirossi, James Toseland.
D'Antin Ducati - Maybe: Loris Capirossi, Alex Barros, Alex Hofmann, James Toseland, Neil Hodgson.
Suzuki - Likely: John Hopkins, Chris Vermeulen.
Kawasaki - Likely: Randy de Puniet, Loris Capirossi. Maybe: Colin Edwards, John Hopkins, Chris Vermeulen, Neil Hodgson.
The maybes
KR (If they can keep hold of their sponsors) - Likely: Kenny Roberts Jr. Maybe: Colin Edwards.
Alstare Suzuki (If they move from World Superbikes) - Likely: Max Biaggi. Maybe: Ben Spies, Colin Edwards.
Aspar Suzuki, Kawasaki or Honda (If they move up from 250s and 125s) - Likely: Toni Elias. Maybe: Alvaro Bautista, Alex de Angelis.
Ilmor (If they can find some money to return) - Likely: Jeremy McWilliams.
Maybe: Alex de Angelis, Hiroshi Aoyama, Neil Hodgson, Colin Edwards.
There are a lot of rides and riders up for grabs next year so there will be rumours galore til then. I really can't believe that any MotoGP team would give Neil Hodgson a moments consideration.
I was about to say the same thing! If he gets a ride i will be disgusted! :confused: :mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaMaster
Kawasaki - Anthony West ?
Wouldnt that be grouse! Fingers crossed..Quote:
Originally Posted by maxu05
For the rest of the year maybe but would have to impress big time to score the ride next year. Perhaps Aspar will run a Kwak team he could ride for.Quote:
Originally Posted by maxu05
could be someone new at Kawa very soon. I will be surprised if OJ lasts another race weekend never mind the rest of the season.
Out with the OJ, and in with the Bundy Rum :laugh: Yeah haQuote:
Originally Posted by fatman