MotoGP

Suzuki will be affected more than most by the rookie rider joining factory teams ban

Teams are pressuring the FIM to rethink the ruling that will not allow rookies on factory teams from next year onwards, forcing them to join satellite teams for a season before stepping up to the premier class.

Although it’s very unlikely to change at this point, the ruling came as a shock earlier this year and was one that nobody expected as Dorna and the FIM fight to keep costs down in order for the premier class to survive.

But the question remains, what would have the likes of Dani Pedrosa, Nicky Hayden, Chris Vermeulen, Colin Edwards or Jorge Lorenzo done if they didn’t get a factory ride straight away? Not only do riders of this calibre yearn for factory equipment, many times it’s unlikely that satellite teams can actually pay their riders salaries – more often than not it’s the other way around as riders bring sponsors to teams.

While Casey Stoner spent a season on the LCR Honda satellite team as they both stepped up from 250s to MotoGP in 2006, Valentino Rossi looked as though he was on a satellite team but in reality he was a factory HRC rider with the might of Jeremy Burgess and co behind him – who came direct from Repsol Honda to Rossi’s Nastro Azzurro-backed team.

One of the greatest problems in my eyes that does need to be attended to is that Suzuki will have no way of signing a rookie because it doesn’t have a satellite team to back up its factory Rizla outfit, although if the rule remains there could very well be a chance that Suzuki will finally add a third bike as rumoured over the past two seasons.

With Ben Spies, Marco Simoncelli and Alvaro Bautista all making it clear that they want MotoGP as soon as next year if the ride is right, Yamaha’s Monster Energy Tech 3 team looks to be the odds on favourite for any rookie rider who has to join a satellite team.

And if the rider’s good enough, what’s the bet that Honda will again provide a full on factory bike equal to the Repsol team yet again like they did for Rossi in the 500cc era? It’s a very real possibility if a manufacturer feels the need.

Hill is under pressure at Althea Honda

World SBK
A number of international riders will be taking part in this weekend’s opening round of the CIV Italian Superbike Championship, with the most recognisable name for Australian fans being that Garry McCoy will compete in the Supersport class with his BE1 Triumph team. Also racing is McCoy’s teammate Gianluca Nannelli, while the Superbike class will be filled with a number of Superstock 1000 FIM Cup competitors. It’s also rumoured that former factory Ducati WSBK rider Lorenzo Lanzi will grid up on a KTM RC8R run by SC Caracchi.

Speaking of Lanzi, European sources are suggesting that he is a possibility to replace Tommy Hill in the Althea Honda team if Hill doesn’t improve his performances soon, although the team has denied the speculation at this point. Hill’s results haven’t been too bad in what is one of the hardest SBK seasons on record, although not much would surprise us in the cut-throat world of motorcycle racing these days.

World Endurance
The opening round of the World Endurance Championship kicked off overnight in France as the classic Le Mans 24-Hours weekend had its first official practices.

Leading the way was the Honda France team of Steve Plater, Sebastien Charpentier and Mathieu Laggrive, which is a very strong line-up for endurance racing and will be hard to beat come race time.

Reigning world champions Suzuki Endurance Racing Team was fourth with no factory support this year, and since the team only just got their new bike this month it was a promising performance after many had counted them out in these early stages.

Top Australian was World Superbike commentator Steve Martin and his Yamaha Austria Racing Team, while the Cudlin brothers’ Phase One Yamaha team was 20th – one position behind Shannon Ethridge’s RMT 21 Racing Team.

A4DE

Hollis is on top so far at the A4DE

Defending Australian Four-Day Enduro Champion Chris Hollis has shown that he is determined to take victory in this year’s event for Husqvarna after leading the way during the opening day in Orange yesterday.

As expected the big guns are all running up towards the front of the field, but rookie Toby Price was the major surprise in his first A4DE after switching from motocross for the new year.

Kawasaki rider Price sits second just over 11 seconds behind Hollis, while his fellow former motocrosser Peter Boyle sits fourth for Honda behind Yamaha’s Jarrod Bewley – making four different manufacturers in the top four.

Team Joe Rocket Suzuki’s three-times Australian Superbike Champion Shawn Giles was in attendance at the event helping out his brother in law, and the avid off-road fan is very keen to take part in the A4DE in the future.

Check out our Press Releases section over the weekend for the full rundown and updates throughout the prestigious event.