2007 Silly Season (It has begun)

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 7:11 am

<T-K> wrote:This is how things stand at the moment...

Confirmed:

Yamaha - Michelin - Rossi/Edwards
Repsol Honda - Michelin - Pedrosa/Hayden
Ducati - Bridgestone - Capirossi/Stoner
Gresini Honda - Bridgestone - Melandri/Elias
Rizla Suzuki - Bridgestone - Hopkins/Vermuelen
Team Kawasaki - Bridgestone - De Puniet/Jacque
Honda LCR - Michelin - Checa
Pramac D'Antin Ducati - Bridgestone - Barros/Hofmann
Tech3 Yamaha - Dunlop - Tamada/Sylvain Guintoli
Konica Minolta Honda - Tyres? - Nakano

Ellison - Sacked
Gibernau - Retired

Likely or rumored:
Roberts / Team Roberts / Tires?

Who will be the nominal Brtisher, which according to "The Arrangement"must ride in every motoGP season?

<T-K> · Post by **<T-K>** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 4:43 pm

Julian Mayo wrote:
<T-K> wrote:This is how things stand at the moment...

Confirmed:

Yamaha - Michelin - Rossi/Edwards
Repsol Honda - Michelin - Pedrosa/Hayden
Ducati - Bridgestone - Capirossi/Stoner
Gresini Honda - Bridgestone - Melandri/Elias
Rizla Suzuki - Bridgestone - Hopkins/Vermuelen
Team Kawasaki - Bridgestone - De Puniet/Jacque
Honda LCR - Michelin - Checa
Pramac D'Antin Ducati - Bridgestone - Barros/Hofmann
Tech3 Yamaha - Dunlop - Tamada/Sylvain Guintoli
Konica Minolta Honda - Tyres? - Nakano

Ellison - Sacked
Gibernau - Retired

Likely or rumored:
Roberts / Team Roberts / Tires?
Who will be the nominal Brtisher, which according to "The Arrangement"must ride in every motoGP season?

With James Ellison having left the Tech 3 Yamaha team, there are currently no British riders scheduled to race in the MotoGP World Championship next season, but it is almost gauranteed that Dorna will do all it can to place at least one British rider in the premier-class paddock.

As for those Brits in with a shot are former WSBK champion and d`Antin Ducati rider Neil Hodgson, former BSB champion and Aprilia/Team Roberts MotoGP rider Shane Byrne, 2006 BSB runner-up Leon Haslam and former MotoGP veteran Jeremy McWilliams.....

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:16 pm

This is probably a 2008 silly season item, but.........

According to ar1.com's rumors page, a number of sources have mentioned that the infield road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could host a MotoGP round starting in 2008, and that it would not replace the current MotoGP round at Laguna Seca, meaning there would be two US rounds in 2008(the round everyone says would get the axe is the Chinese round in Shanghai......); this rumor was first reported by the Swiss weekly Motor Sport Aktuell.

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:52 am

mlittle wrote:This is probably a 2008 silly season item, but.........

According to ar1.com's rumors page, a number of sources have mentioned that the infield road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway could host a MotoGP round starting in 2008, and that it would not replace the current MotoGP round at Laguna Seca, meaning there would be two US rounds in 2008(the round everyone says would get the axe is the Chinese round in Shanghai......); this rumor was first reported by the Swiss weekly Motor Sport Aktuell.

Updating the above......according to the news section of autoracing1.com, Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials have announced earlier today that they have hired Hardcard Holdings, a motorsports consulting firm specializing in motorcycle events, to begin looking into the feasibility of hosting a MotoGP event at the Brickyard.....a quote from the announcement:

Joie Chitwood, President, Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

The Speedway has been looking into hosting a motorcycle event for some time, and we continue to be enthusiatic about the prospects. Hardcard will advise and consult with the Speedway as we continue to pursue and devise plans for this exciting opportunity. Hardcard's experience, contacts and accomplishments in mototcycle motorsports are unmatched and we look forward to the value they bring to the IMS team.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to get the feeling that MotoGP could potentially be headed to central Indiana in the near future......

<T-K> · Post by **<T-K>** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:39 am

Yeah...there is also a rumour that the 125cc and 250cc classes could be tagging along as well.....unlike the race at laguna seca.....

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:33 am

<T-K> wrote:Yeah...there is also a rumour that the 125cc and 250cc classes could be tagging along as well.....unlike the race at laguna seca.....

Possibly......there's also talk that IMS is looking at both MotoGP or World Superbike for 2008(which one they pick is unknown at present, but IIRC the FIM has already given their blessing to the IMS road course sans the last turn on the road course, i.e. turn 1 on the oval)........here's a couple of links you might want to check out:

www.speedtv.com/articles/moto/motogp/35528/
www.speedtv.com/articles/moto/worldsuperbike/34774/

note....the first link is the reference to the possibility of a MotoGP round at the Brickyard; the second link is the reference to the possibility of a World Superbike round at the Brickyard

<T-K> · Post by **<T-K>** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:02 pm

Thanks Mfer....very interesting...

Intresting to note that once they reconfigure the circuit it will also become the F1 circuit...this will in turn remove the banked turn from the F1 circuit.....lots of Ralph fans in the MotoGP fraternity

Julian Mayo · Post by **Julian Mayo** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:35 pm

Bugga

mlittle · Post by **mlittle** » Wed May 02, 2007 3:35 pm

Rumors are swirling that the Ilmor MotoGP team has suspended operations for the 2007 MotoGP season so that they can continue development on their MotoGP engines and other things; as a result, they're running a "skeleton crew" until further notice

Here's the link.............
www.speedtv.com/articles/moto/motogp/37053/