LE BROTO-OUI-OUI ROUND 5: Le Mans, France

[telly]

i dont mind dani so much these days, but i would rather see him retire than re-sign with repsol. its a shame that he is just taking that seat and being a midpack rider until he is ready to retreat to his swiss chateau.

i guess this really does characterize his entire career tho. doesnt take many risks and plays it safe only to be regarded as the teammate to some of the best riders in history. oh well, its his legacy and he can do whatever he wants with it

Maybe he still had yet to pass that yacht exam. Needs two more years and he's out

 

[Zerox]

An offer to do some races, is different than an offer to be on the MotoGP team. I think Suzuka and some testing are an evaluation of him, the team, and if they really believe there is something there.

If you want to evaluate how a fast rider laps slow riders who are 10 seconds a lap slower, the Suzuka 8 Hours is a great place for that.

 

[kevin 714]

Ducati confirms dovi for 17/18 seasons


Pretty much expected move IMO.


If I was zook I would bail on aleix and try to sign rins and iannone

 

[PhoS]

No big surprises with the signings. Hopefully the moves mix it up a bit. Lorentho maybe the biggest news going full pasta and winglets.

 

[Hubbard 0]

What about the possibility of Iannone going to a satellite Ducati and someone getting bumped out for him?

 

[Spec-ECU]

Iannone should go for the Suzuki if it's on the table for him. No need to return to a satellite Ducati; been there, done that.

 

[kevin 714]

Outside of dovi I can't think of a factory rider than got dumped and turned a sat ride back into another factory ride.

You have to stay factory

 

[KronikInsomniak]

Because silly season always has disappointments, I can totally see Suzuki fucking up and signing Zarco with Aleix for the most boring result ever. Watch Iannone goes to ride for the other Italian, Aprilia.

But yea, Iannone and Rins would be the best, too bad Suzuki doesn't have 3 bikes, then they could run Aleix too for a baseline.

 

[Spec-ECU]

Because silly season always has disappointments, I can totally see Suzuki fucking up and signing Zarco with Aleix for the most boring result ever. Watch Iannone goes to ride for the other Italian, Aprilia.

I don't know, hiring Aleix with Maverick was a good move by them. They could've just promoted De Puniet from a test rider to their full time rider but they didn't.

 

[KronikInsomniak]

What is most likely to happen IMO is they sign Iannone and honor that Zarco contract and bump out Aleix. Still that wouldn't quite sit right with me since Aleix hasn't been that bad this season at all and they need a good baseline to carry over from last year.

I think Rins is going to end up taking that T3 seat, the kid is not going to miss out on a GP season and the seats are going fast.

 

[Raider]

so what's the long term plan for Ducati for 2019? Lorenzo and Dovi don't really have much of a shelf life anymore do they?

 

[afm199]

so what's the long term plan for Ducati for 2019? Lorenzo and Dovi don't really have much of a shelf life anymore do they?

Remains to be seen, doesn't it? Borenzo will be around 33 in 2019 and the chances of him being still competitive are up in the air. By then he may be a four time world champion or a retired ex racer.

 

[kevin 714]

so what's the long term plan for Ducati for 2019? Lorenzo and Dovi don't really have much of a shelf life anymore do they?

Hard to say Jorge's career is winding down. Ducati for 6 more years


Rossi been around since 2000. Dani just extended his contract to be 13 years at repsol. The bar for longevity is raising

 

[Zerox]

Hard to say Jorge's career is winding down. Ducati for 6 more years

Rossi been around since 2000. Dani just extended his contract to be 13 years at repsol. The bar for longevity is raising

Safer tracks with good runoff, better protection for the riders (like the internal air bags), and sports nutrition/fitness knowledge is extending careers in this brutal sport.

But none of that stuff matters as you get older if you don't still have the mental motivation, that burning desire to keep winning. Rossi is freaking amazing for this.

 

[KronikInsomniak]

I honestly wished HRC only gave Dani a 1-year deal instead of two. It does seem like Nakamoto's parting gift to him.

Really hope Suzuki, KTM, and Aprilia bring it in the next couple of years. More competitive rides the better since everyone is going to be locked down for years after this silly season.

 

[KronikInsomniak]

Man...what if Iannone gets Ducati's first win at Mugello after this..

 

[Zerox]

I honestly wished HRC only gave Dani a 1-year deal instead of two. It does seem like Nakamoto's parting gift to him.

Dani has always been a 2nd-half of the season rider. His strongest tracks are coming up later on the schedule, Sachsenring, Motegi, Sepang and Valencia. Goes good at Brno and Aragon too.

Expect podiums from Dani, soon....

 

[stangmx13]

Jorge's career length likely depends on how much he likes the Duc front end and how reliable they can be. if he starts crashing as much as Iannone trying to push for wins, i cant imagine he'll stay around nearly as long.

 

[KronikInsomniak]

Jorge's career length likely depends on how much he likes the Duc front end and how reliable they can be. if he starts crashing as much as Iannone trying to push for wins, i cant imagine he'll stay around nearly as long.

Jorge to evil HRC in 2019 for the ultimate "bad guy" team confirmed.

Seriously though, the timing would match up with Pedro's 2018 contract expiration.

The most hated riders on the most hated factory team. God I would love to see that.

 

[Zerox]