Oh, yeah, forgot about that. Good point...

If Aprilia needs a place to store some of tasty 2-S bits I could clear out a corner of the garage.

I'm not sayin'...

I have room for a couple bikes in my garage too.

My interpretation of the Pramac seat:

1. Ducati paid for Pasini's test on the Pramac

2. Ducati refused to pay for the 2nd Pramac's seat's salary (I assume they paid for Canepa this season), so Pramac chose a 2nd rider based on more than just talent, and since that team has a smaller budget, rider salary and rider sponsorship matters.

3. History in the 125cc and 250cc classes show that Pasini by far the superior rider to Espargaro. Let's not forget that this is the same Espargaro that could not hold a 250 ride this season. But luck and circumstance made Espargaro win a lottery of sorts, and he performed better* than what most expected (*better than Canepa's ultra-low watermark).

4. I'm guessing Espargaro comes very cheap salary wise, and he might also have some backing with him (Spanish riders tend to bring personal backing than most others into MotoGP) which Pasini does not have (Rossi gets most of the Italian money), and with the goodwill he banked last season, all this turned into a ride on the team.

In my opinion, none of that means that he's better than Pasini. But as with most series' back-of-the-grid teams, talent is never the sole factor in signing drivers/riders.

Do I think Pasini is MotoGP calibre? Not yet. If he were to run the Pramac seat, he's languish near the back of the pack all season. That's exactly what I expect Espargaro to do this season, unless the customer Ducati experiences some sort of renaissance, but I would not bank on that. Ducati has never been kind to its customers.

NDSkies - 20 November 2009 04:19 PM

If Aprilia needs a place to store some of tasty 2-S bits I could clear out a corner of the garage.

I'm not sayin'...

I would LOVE to own an RSW/A 250, or even an RS 125.

I doubt that the seat comes with a salary, but that is pure guesswork.

Chaos - 20 November 2009 04:27 PM

My interpretation of the Pramac seat:

1. Ducati paid for Pasini's test on the Pramac

2. Ducati refused to pay for the 2nd Pramac's seat's salary (I assume they paid for Canepa this season), so Pramac chose a 2nd rider based on more than just talent, and since that team has a smaller budget, rider salary and rider sponsorship matters.

3. History in the 125cc and 250cc classes show that Pasini by far the superior rider to Espargaro. Let's not forget that this is the same Espargaro that could not hold a 250 ride this season. But luck and circumstance made Espargaro win a lottery of sorts, and he performed better* than what most expected (*better than Canepa's ultra-low watermark).

4. I'm guessing Espargaro comes very cheap salary wise, and he might also have some backing with him (Spanish riders tend to bring personal backing than most others into MotoGP) which Pasini does not have (Rossi gets most of the Italian money), and with the goodwill he banked last season, all this turned into a ride on the team.

In my opinion, none of that means that he's better than Pasini. But as with most series' back-of-the-grid teams, talent is never the sole factor in signing drivers/riders.

Do I think Pasini is MotoGP calibre? Not yet. If he were to run the Pramac seat, he's languish near the back of the pack all season. That's exactly what I expect Espargaro to do this season, unless the customer Ducati experiences some sort of renaissance, but I would not bank on that. Ducati has never been kind to its customers.

Espargaro 's times in the Valencia test looked pretty impressive to me,and the 2010 Ducati is supposed to be more rider friendly then the previous ones .

I believe this year's Ducati was supposed to be more rider-friendly too.

Chaos - 20 November 2009 04:30 PM

NDSkies - 20 November 2009 04:19 PM

If Aprilia needs a place to store some of tasty 2-S bits I could clear out a corner of the garage.

I'm not sayin'...

I would LOVE to own an RSW/A 250, or even an RS 125.

Heck, I'd take an RS-50...

Chaos, well said on the Espargaro V Pasini thing. And in terms of Pasini's possible choice to stay in Moto2, don't forget that despite the bikes being unknowns, Pasini has to be the favorite based on talent and experience (insert Rolfo comment). If recent history is anything to go by, the 250 champion always got pretty decent offers, and so if he wins Moto2 he could be sitting pretty for next years super silly-season.

As for you guys wanting the Aprilia stuff... get in line. I've seen all sorts of letters to magazines and the like asking for that stuff... and quite a few seem to be from collectors and other folks with a few bucks to throw around.

And of course I'm hoping that Aprilia will keep a pair on the shelf for next season... you know, so that they can come back in and dominate if the Moto2's aren't on the pace come next spring.