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Official: Loris Capirossi to Pramac Ducati

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Finally official after months of speculation, Pramac Ducati has announced the addition of MotoGP veteran Loris Capirossi to its quasi-satellite Ducati team. Signing a one-year contract, Capirex has already been released from his post-season duties with Suzuki, and will ride the green and white Pramac Ducati during the Valencian test in two week’s time.

Suzuki is not expected to replace Capirossi, and has instead forged a deal with Dorna that sees the Japanese company staying involved in GP racing through 2013. There is however some speculation that Hirosihi Aoyama could land on a satellite Suzuki, but that idea seems to be more wishful thinking, then a well formulated plan (the factory Suzuki had a hard enough time keeping up with the satellite squads, so how would a satellite Suzuki fare?).

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Ben Spies Looking for Contract Renewal with Yamaha

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The term “strike while the iron is hot” comes to mind with the news that Ben Spies is currently in talks to re-up his contract with Yamaha. Already contracted to ride with the factory Yamaha team in the 2011 season, Spies is looking to cash in on his MotoGP Rookie of the Year title, and lock up a deal with Yamaha Racing that would see the Texan on the squad through 2013.

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Air Europa Gives a Nod to Jorge Lorenzo

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After clinching the MotoGP Championship title while abroad, Jorge Lorenzo came home to a hero’s welcome when he returned to Spain this week. With most of the country hopping on the Jorge bandwagon, the most impressive honor we’ve seen so far is this huge mural on the side of an Air Europa airplane. Don’t expect the airline to be sponsoring Lorenzo anytime soon though, as Air Asia is reportedly closing in on a title sponsorship deal with Yamaha, while Fiat’s money is surely leaving the tuning fork brand with Valentino Rossi’s departure.

Source: Jorge Lorenzo (Twitter) via Bikes in the Fast Lane

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Silly Season: The Hondas of MotoGP

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It’s a bit of irony that Casey Stoner was the first MotoGP alien to to make his move in the 2010 silly season, yet is the last MotoGP alien whose fate we know completely. Signing with Honda it was assumed that Stoner would be a part of a three-man team within Repsol Honda, with HRC saying as much during its press announcement with the Australian rider. When the budget necessary to field a three-man team failed to materialize from Repsol, HRC began looking for other options, with the most prominent being a single-man team (likely with Casey Stoner), possibly sponsored by Red Bull. Unable to get the energy drink company to foot the bill, HRC then turned to satellite squad Gresini, where Marco Simoncelli, another HRC contracted rider, currently resides.

Andrea Dovizioso seemingly drew the short-straw in that arrangement, with HRC pressuring the Italian to move into Gresini with the promise of factory support being made for both riders. Dovizioso is reported as having a performance clause in his contract that guarantees him a seat in a factory team should he meet certain criteria. With Dovi honoring his end of the agreement, he looked to HRC to honor its side of the contract, and a Honda Gresini ride is not what the Italian had in mind. Making matters worse is HRC’s history of not honoring support agreements to riders once they leave the folds of the factory team. As such Dovizioso held his ground, and rightfully so.

With the 2011 season likely to see four factory-backed Honda riders, something had to give, and that something seems to be Repsol Honda. According to MotoWorld, Repsol Honda agreed at the Australian GP to up its MotoGP funding from €10 million to €15 million, and support a three-man Repsol Honda factory team. With Stoner, Pedrosa, and Dovizioso tucked away under one tent for the 2011 season, and Marco Simoncelli staying in Gresini Honda, that leaves a vacancy in the quasi-satellite team that will surely be filled by Hiroshi Aoyama.

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Ben Spies Named MotoGP Rookie of the Year

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Ben Spies clinched the MotoGP Rookie of the Year award while a racing at Phillip Island this weekend, adding another bullet point to the Texan’s impressive resumé, and achieving the next logical step in his GP career. Currently the highest ranking American in the MotoGP series, Spies holds a 11 point advantage over the Kentucky Kid Nicky Hayden. Both Americans have had a great season this year, and it will be exciting to watch the pair finish out the last two races of the season.

Moving up to the factory Yamaha team for the 2011 season, Spies will play second fiddle to Jorge Lorenzo, the reigning MotoGP World Champion. We’ll have to anxiously await Spies’ arrival on the factory-spec bike at the test in Valencia, following the conclusion of the 2010 MotoGP season, where we’ll get our first glimpse at what Spies can do on the more powerful factory M1. Team Texas: 1, Team Marco: 0.

Photo: Ben Spies (Personal Website)

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Valentino Rossi Will Test with Ducati at Valencia

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Announced during the Phillip Island press conference, Yamaha Racing has decided to release Valentino Rossi from his contractual obligations at the end of the MotoGP season, thus allowing the Italian rider to test with Ducati Corse during the testing sessions at Valencia, which follow immediately after the Valencian GP. While many in the MotoGP paddock expected Yamaha to come to this decision, it’s taken quite some time, and a lot of lobbying and consternation from Rossi to get the Japanese factory to see things his way.

“I spoke this morning Furusawa, and he gave me the go ahead to test the Ducati in Valencia,” said Rossi. “It Seems like a nice gesture, you see that Yamaha has given value to what I’ve done in recent years.”

Likely wanting to hold onto the Rossi’s star power for as long as possible, and afraid the growing rift between Rossi and Lorenzo could turn into backlash against Yamaha, the Japanese manufacturer has delayed its response to Rossi’s request for as along as seemingly possible. Supposedly honoring it’s gentleman’s agreement with Ducati, Yamaha Racing will have it’s own star-studded cast on-hand for the Valencia test: the newly crowned Rookie of the Year Ben Spies, and FIM MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

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Carlos Checa Comes Back to MotoGP, Riding for Pramac Ducati at Estoril And Valencia – Replaces Mika Kallio

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Now before we get ahead of ourselves, we should preface that Carlos Checa is not making a MotoGP comeback, but the former GP rider will ride the last two rounds of the 2010 MotoGP season. Checa has just signed a two-year contract renewal with Althea Ducati, after having a very strong season on the satellite Ducati squad, and has impressed many top-level players in the Ducati squad. The same however cannot be said of Mika Kallio, who looked to be a promising upcoming rider in his rookie year last season, has been an utter disappointment this season, and currently sits last in the standings of full-time riders.

Pramac Ducati, which despite its satellite status is basically the factory training ground for Ducati Corse, has obviously struggled this year as well, and would like to at least finish the season on a high note. Inviting Carlos Checa out to Mugello on Tuesday, the Spanish rider got rewarded for his hard work in WSBK, and took the Ducati Desmosedici GP10 out for a romp. According to the Spanish media, Checa has been given the green light to race for Pramac in Estoril and Valencia instead of Kallio. There has however been no official word from Ducati on the rider switch.

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Pedrosa Returning to MotoGP at Phillip Island

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Just a couple weeks after fracturing his collarbone in three places at Motegi, Dani Pedrosa will once again take to his Honda RC212V, as the Spanish rider has indicated he will take part in Friday’s FP1 in Australia. Taking the Malaysian GP off in order to heal his shoulder, Pedrosa may no longer be in the running for the MotoGP Championship, but he’s shown strong improvements on the Honda RC212V the past few races, a trend he’ll be keen to continue through the rest of the season as he fights for second place in the standings.

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