Edwards is more a question mark than Hayden, although both are a question. I've never heard Hayden to Kawasaki although Edwards' name has been mentioned there. If Tech 3 can't afford Edwards I doubt they can afford Hayden either.
I expect D'Antin to be back but it might be with 1 bike and a separate team with another - but you never know.
I'd love to see KR back but I don't think they merit the list at this point.
Hopefully Ducati are merciful and if the '09 Ducati isn't working for Melandri they'll set him free.
Nicky is not going to Kawasaki for two reasons...1) He and Hopper can't stand eachother, 2) Nicky is sponsored by Red Bull, I doubt he'd switch to a Monster deal.
the big question is: Who replaces Bayliss at Xerox Ducati?
You forgot Stoner at Ducati and West at Subway but otherwise that's about it. It will be interesting to see if Guintoli's or Elias' fortunes are affected by the Ducati situation. Melandri should be safe but I'm not as sure about those two.
Tough year to be a young rider - if you look at the combined times for the first 3 sessions this weekend 1st was one second ahead of 15th - but you see the name in 15th and think, wow, he's sucking. 10 years ago 4th was a second back.
Talks about Colin to Kawasaki but what about his precious Michelins? Remember he rode the exploding Aprilia to stay on Michelin tires. Kawasaki uses Stones.
Talks about Colin to Kawasaki but what about his precious Michelins? Remember he rode the exploding Aprilia to stay on Michelin tires. Kawasaki uses Stones.
He wants to stay in GP so I think he'll take what he can get - the question is will Michelin let him take his knowledge of their tires elsewhere or cough the cash to get him a Michelin ride.
Edwards would probably do okay at Ducati but I don't think he would go there nor do I think Ducati would want him. I can see them looking for an experienced racer that can provide feedback that Stoner can't such as Sete. But if Melandri doesn't want out of his contract then he's likely to stay in '09.
If Tech 3 can't afford Edwards it's unlikely they'll be able to afford Melandri unless he agrees to get paid minimum. For the same reason I don't think they'd pick up Hayden at Tech 3 and there's no way the Yamaha factory team would swap Lorenzo for Hayden.
I know it probably wouldn't happen but it would be nice to see Hayden on the Ducati WSB team. There I think he'd be competitive. How about Edwards or Hayden on the Suzuki MotoGP squad?
sin2rhyme - 06 June 2008 02:36 PM
I would take Edwards out of there; I would like to see him with Ducati, however improbable it would seem, Bridgstone and all.
Melandri would be overjoyed if he could get that Yamaha ride.
It would be nice to see what KRJR could do on say a decent Honda Satellite team. However I doubt that would happen as most teams are going for younger guys these days.
garyb425 - 06 June 2008 02:57 PM
Edwards is more a question mark than Hayden, although both are a question. I've never heard Hayden to Kawasaki although Edwards' name has been mentioned there. If Tech 3 can't afford Edwards I doubt they can afford Hayden either.
I expect D'Antin to be back but it might be with 1 bike and a separate team with another - but you never know.
I'd love to see KR back but I don't think they merit the list at this point.
Hopefully Ducati are merciful and if the '09 Ducati isn't working for Melandri they'll set him free.
The Bayliss replacement question is a good one. Who are the current candidates? Canepa, Max Biaggi, and Xaus? I'd like to see Biaggi get the ride for one to two years to see if he can get a championship but the last few races since his injury he hasn't been as sharp. Maybe his injury is still bothering him. It will be interesting to see what Canepa (sp?) can do with the with the wild-card rides.
garyb425 - 09 June 2008 02:28 PM
DamattaSpeed - 06 June 2008 03:48 PM
um, who the hell knows at this point...
rossi and jorge will stay at yamaha.
jt is signed to tech 3 already.
hopper is locked in at kwak.
dani pee pee a lock at repsol.
that's about all the confirmed for now.
the big question is: Who replaces Bayliss at Xerox Ducati?
You forgot Stoner at Ducati and West at Subway but otherwise that's about it. It will be interesting to see if Guintoli's or Elias' fortunes are affected by the Ducati situation. Melandri should be safe but I'm not as sure about those two.
Tough year to be a young rider - if you look at the combined times for the first 3 sessions this weekend 1st was one second ahead of 15th - but you see the name in 15th and think, wow, he's sucking. 10 years ago 4th was a second back.
Don't forget about the new manufacturers. BMW will be in the series and can't remember when KTM and Aprilia are entering. Just BMW is going to mix things up though.
Biaggi is favorite for Bayliss' seat right now... but Xerox want an Brit or American rider on at least one of the bikes.
Nicky would be perfect, but doubt he would want to go. KRJR is actually not a horrible idea, and I hadn't thought of it. I'd like to see him in WSBK, and he could be the first to win the World Title in both series (nobody has done it yet, right? Or am I crazy).
