MOTOGP

Lorenzo is hot property already in 2009

News around last weekend’s second round of the MotoGP World Championship at Motegi in Japan has linked race winner Jorge Lorenzo with Repsol Honda for the 2010 season, kicking off silly season talk extremely early in the year once again.

The word is that Spanish Repsol bosses are big fans of Lorenzo’s popularity and off-track personality, which is very much different to that of current Repsol Honda mainstay Dani Pedrosa.

Both Spaniards, and both former world champions, it is hard to imagine Lorenzo and Pedrosa in the team together, so if Repsol bosses get their way it could very well be likely that Pedrosa will need to find a new home.

It’s reported that Repsol had a meeting with HRC while in Japan and that’s where the news broke that they had a liking for the flamboyant Lorenzo, and the long time sponsor of the factory Honda team is looking to freshen up its image following a partnership that spans back to 1995.

Also worth noting is that while Lorenzo and Pedrosa’s contracts are up at the end of this year, so is Nicky Hayden’s Ducati contract. What a site it would be to see Hayden rejoin as Rossi’s teammate at Yamaha if Lorenzo departs.

The other man that would be seriously considered is Rossi’s good friend Marco Simoncelli, while it’s more likely that Yamaha’s current World SBK star Ben Spies would join the Monster Tech 3 team for his maiden GP season if he makes the step to the premier class.

I spoke to Troy Bayliss yesterday and it looks as though he’ll have a busy lead up to his test in Jamie Whincup’s championship-winning TeamVodafone V8 Supercar, travelling to Italy to attend the Monza round of WSBK with Ducati and then testing Casey Stoner’s MotoGP race bike.

Yep, you read it correctly, TB will ride Stoner’s race bike this month, evaluating the bike that has proven so competitive for Stoner, but difficult to ride for many other top flight riders.

Bayliss is also set to get behind the wheel of the Triple 8 Racing Falcon next month in his debut on four wheels, excited at the prospect of driving what is the benchmark in Supercar circles.

Imagine that – Stoner’s GP bike one week and Whincup’s V8 Supercar the next.

Brookes would be a solid option for Stiggy to fill in for Hopper

WORLD SUPERBIKE
With American John Hopkins sidelined with a dislocated hip and a cracked femur following his Assen crash in the first free practice of the weekend, it’s obvious that the Stiggy Racing Honda team will need to replace him for at least a few races.

Although not official by any means, the logical choice would have to be Australian Josh Brookes, who won a race in World Supersport for the team last year before departing to ride for HM Plant Honda in the British Superbike Championship this year.

After being denied entry into the UK and still sorting out his Visa, Brookes would be a solid stand in rider for Stiggy and his fears of moving to World Superbike without a factory ride would have to be squashed by Leon Haslam’s current form on the Stiggy Honda so far this year.

It would be a perfect time to shine for Brookes, who continues to have bad luck plague his career to date.

AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE
Some of Australia’s most well known motorcycle racers competed in the opening round of the Chase the Sun Mountain Bike Series at Lysterfield Park in Victoria on Sunday.

Held at the home of the 2009 Commonwealth Games MTB event, the 8 Hour race (reduced to five due to windy conditions) saw road racers Shannon Johnson, Wayne Maxwell, Chris Trounson and Wayne Hepburn compete, along with motocross rider Cameron Taylor.

Johnson and Trounson teamed up to score second overall in the Male Pairs category, while Maxwell and Taylor were 11th in the same class under the Procon Racing banner.

Meanwhile, Procon Racing boss Wayne Hepburn took part in the Solo Male Over 40 category, finishing a very respectable fourth position following a five and a half hour stint on the bike.

AMERICAN SUPERBIKE
Anybody who has been watching the Superbike World Championship on Fox Sports this year would be very aware of the AMA Superbike replays that they’ve been showing in between races one and two, which is much better than last year when they simply replayed the WSBK races at the circuit from the year before.

We have a few Aussies in the AMA including six-time champion Mat Mladin, former AMA Superstock 1000 Champion Aaron Gobert, and also David Anthony, who has forged himself a strong privateer effort in the States.

Speaking of the AMA, check out this interview with Azza over at the Road Racer X website, which has recently undergone a very nice update to its looks and functionality.

AMERICAN MOTOCROSS

J-Law's BBR that he'll race at Mini SX

Jake Moss’ Troy Lee Designs Honda team will compete in at least five rounds of the AMA Motocross Nationals, with an eye towards competing in the entire series come the 2010 season.

Originally slated as a West Coast Regional Supercross Lites team and Supermoto only, the TLD Honda team competing in the outdoors would be a great step for Moss to further establish himself as an AMA regular – although his results in the final rounds of Supercross this year pretty much speak for themselves.

The outdoors will also see a number of Aussies back in the saddle, with Brett Metcalfe and Michael Byrne both expected to be on the starting gates at the opening round next month.

Before the outdoor series we have the Las Vegas Supercross finale where Chad Reed and James Stewart will face off, but on the Friday night of the Supercross all eyes will be on the Mini SX, where bad boy Jason Lawrence will line up on a mini bike for the first time.

The Mini SX is a serious event for adults on what are basically tuned kids bikes, but don’t let them fool you because the pace is fast and the teams take it very seriously. Ironically, J-Law is currently suspended from the real Supercross to be held the following night.

That’s all for now.