Reports are coming in that Alex de Angelis will be headed to Scot Honda (thus ending any rumor that Toni Elias would be joining the satellite Honda team), and that Elias will be headed to Moto2 with the Sito Pons team. Kalex Engineering is expected to be providing Sito Pons with one of their Moto2 chassis solutions. You may remember Kalex from their gorgeous liter-bike track weapon we ran a couple months ago. While many are reporting these moves as fact, their appears to be some margin of uncertainty in the plan.
With only one seat unclaimed on the MotoGP grid (Scot Honda), there has been much speculation about who would land the gig. Currently occupied by Hungarian Gabor Talmacsi, who came onto the team mid-season, Scot Honda has had anything but a good outing in MotoGP this year.
While reports from the Spanish press call the de Angelis/Elias move a done deal, it would appear there is some ink left to put to paper. Scot Honda has asked Elias to hold-off signing with Sito Pons for 48 hours, while Honda waits for the San Marino government to ensure it can bring sponsorship money with the arrival of de Angelis to Scot Honda (Alex de Angelis is a San Marino citizen). As is becoming a more common case in MotoGP, who gets signed by a team has less now to do with rider skill and development, but more with what sponsors the rider brings with them.
While it’s hard to imagine the situation that reverses to shuffling that has been rumored, it is still impossible to say that the roster at Scot Honda is in its final cast. But one thing is still for certain: Gabor Talmacsi will not be returning to the Scot Racing team, having his contract vetoed by HRC because of the Hungarians inability to put the Honda RC212V anywhere near the front of…well, anything.
Source: MotoMatters
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