Talk about a lucky break (no pun intended). I don't expect Ben to set the world on fire at Donington but the more seat time he can get on the GP bike this year the better. If he is to get that $2.5 mil asking price he's looking for, here's his chance to do the business.
Wow... that was the first thought that wen't through my head when Dr. Costa said no Donington for Loris, but Loris said, "we'll see", so I brushed it off.
I'm gonna pull extra hard for Chrissy V in two weeks!
He probably wanted to wait after the Mid Ohio test to confirm the Donington ride are until the Motogp team confirmed it like they did today before talking about it.
Gary, are the two mutually exclusive (not rating Spies and being anti-Spies)?
Zoot, it isn't a Texas thing (I do like Colin most of the time), it mostly has to do with the AMA. I mean, I don't like the kids attitude... but beyond that, if he gets shown up, well than that also throws it in the face of the AMA thugs who think they are big shots (mostly Mladin, but also Duhamel, the Hayden's, Yates).
I haven't heard anything confirming Spies, but it does make sense. I don't know about Aoki's contract though. I do know that everyone is talking about Spies, so everyone is curious to see how he does. But I think all the attention is due more to a thin rider market than to his ability.
Oh, and Motosprint confirmed that Nicky had an "interview" in the Ducati hospitality trailer after Saturday qualifying. They mentioned him walking in and out in broad daylight, wearing full HRC gear... hinting that as much as anything that it might be a tactic to try and make HRC more urgent to keep him. He is also said to have spoken to Kawasaki... which most definately is for the sake of appearance.
With Melandri 4 seconds slower than Stoner on the GP09, and 3 seconds slower than young Canepa... I think his fate is sealed. Too bad for him, but I'll be happy to see him back to his winning ways on another bike.
Gary, are the two mutually exclusive (not rating Spies and being anti-Spies)?
They are are not, but it is my experience that when one is the latter they have poor judgment on the former.
I don't rate Elias as a great GP rider but I have nothing against him and wish him well. I can't stand Biaggi and it clouds my judgment. See how it works?
As far as Melandri, if he keeps finding himself 3 seconds slower than a tester he may have an interesting time finding a team that wants him. A rider with his confidence that badly destroyed is not always a hot prospect!
With Melandri 4 seconds slower than Stoner on the GP09, and 3 seconds slower than young Canepa... I think his fate is sealed. Too bad for him, but I'll be happy to see him back to his winning ways on another bike.
+1 on that, but what team could Melandri land on? Honda is out of the question isn't it? Maybe Colin's spot at Tech 3?
Thinks got a little tense between Marco and Gresinni towards the end, but Fausto would take him back in a heartbeat. His team is struggling (not just on the track) and he desperately needs someone who can run at the front and win on occasion. Besides, he was more upset with Ducati for giving so much money to Melandri to lure him away.
Nicky's HRC seat will likely fall to Dovi, so there is another Italian team looking for a good rider. Plus, Kawasaki would probably still take him (even though they are now in talks with about 5 riders), and Chris V's seat a Suzuki is an option as well.
Think about it from Suzuki's standpoint. You could pay an unknown B-Spies 2.5 to 3 million, or you could have a proven winner in Melandri for about a million less (yeah, I think Melandri would take much less money to get a decent factory ride). Sure, they already have an Italian on the team, but it could be worse. 8 million (EIGHT MILLION) people watched the race last week in Italy, and plently of them love to roll joints with Rizla (cause you can smoke more freely here).
The fact that he says the GP09 had the same lack of feeling as the 08 makes it seem like there is NO WAY he is back at Ducati next year.
I hope Spies and his management team are not so stupid as to price him out of a good ride. If he really wants to be paid big pimpin' money he should sign for less now, with an option for a big results-based payout. Or sign a one year deal with an option year if he really wants the money that bad.
I mean geez, Stoner is making $1.5 million, Hayden and Pedrosa are making in the $2-3 million range, and on down the line there's pretty much only 2 people making more than that. For a superbike rider to come in asking for that kind of money is kind of silly. I dunno, maybe Suzuki can afford to pay that if they're not racing AMASBK next year but other than them I can't see anyone paying him even $2 million.
8 million people watching lovely, but they have that exposure now. The idea is to get exposure in other markets. I don't think you will see 2 Italians at Suzuki unless Rossi asks to come in and play.
