MotoGP 2011 (125, Moto2, and MotoGP)

[Tom]

Going by the Wikipedia page for the 2012 season, another MotoGP team will join - Paul Bird Motorsports, running James Ellison on a bike with an Aprilla engine (though there is no word on the chassis supplier).

Already posted that above mate.

Just had a look on Crash.Net, which came up with this rather interesting post on Suzuki and them pulling out of MotoGP.

"The decision is not yet official, but according to e-magazine GPWeek.com "In response to a deadline set by Dorna, the axe finally fell on the on-again/off-again Suzuki MotoGP team last Friday, with the factory decision to pull out of the premier-class."

GPWeek adds that an email to team members from Paul Denning states that Suzuki hopes to return to MotoGP in 2014."

 

[YellowG1]

Already posted that above mate.

Just had a look on Crash.Net, which came up with this rather interesting post on Suzuki and them pulling out of MotoGP.

"The decision is not yet official, but according to e-magazine GPWeek.com "In response to a deadline set by Dorna, the axe finally fell on the on-again/off-again Suzuki MotoGP team last Friday, with the factory decision to pull out of the premier-class."

GPWeek adds that an email to team members from Paul Denning states that Suzuki hopes to return to MotoGP in 2014."

That's unfortunate but none too surprising... if it's true. And it leaves de Puniet in the lurch though I'm sure he'll find a ride with one of the new teams. First Kawasaki and now Suzuki. I would not be surprised if Suzuki never comes back to MotoGP. But why test a prototype at Valencia if the plan was to pull out? I'm sure they didn't just wake up this morning and decide to pull the plug...

 

[Tom]

That's unfortunate but none too surprising... if it's true. And it leaves de Puniet in the lurch though I'm sure he'll find a ride with one of the new teams. First Kawasaki and now Suzuki. I would not be surprised if Suzuki never comes back to MotoGP. But why test a prototype at Valencia if the plan was to pull out? I'm sure they didn't just wake up this morning and decide to pull the plug...

I'm fairly sure that de Puniet was testing their 2011 bike. But still, it'll be a great shame if we don't see them on the grid in 2012.

EDIT: Anthony West will ride a CRT bike for 2012 for the Speed Master Team:

"Anthony West has announced that he will race in the MotoGP World Championship next season.

A message on West's official Facebook page, states that the former factory Kawasaki MotoGP rider will "ride a CRT bike in MotoGP!"

A subsequent comment adds that West will ride for the Speed Master team."


Source

 

[YellowG1]

Interesting comments by Ezpeleta re: MotoGP. Pretty much confirming what everyone else outside of HRC has been thinking: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96261

Also, I see the Austin GP is in danger of being axed...

 

[Mike Rotch]

Interesting comments by Ezpeleta re: MotoGP. Pretty much confirming what everyone else outside of HRC has been thinking: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96261

Also, I see the Austin GP is in danger of being axed...

Nice to see Casey Stoner making out like he is bigger then the sport. Again.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Stefan Bradl has been confirmed at LCR Honda next year, while Anthony West is returning to MotoGP with Speed Master. BQR-Blusens, Kiefer Racing, Aspar, Marc VDS, Interwetten and Suzuki are still yet to confirm their rider line-ups, and Gresini still needs a second rider.

 

[Mike Rotch]

A bit disappointed actually. Would have preferred to see Bradl vs Marquez II.

Who can challenge Marquez consistently in Moto2. Smith maybe on a decent bike, or maybe if Elias ends up back in Moto2 on a good ride?

Gresini's second rider is interesting. Takahashi maybe - Gresini like having a Japanese rider in the premier class - Kato and Aoyama obviously in the past.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Who can challenge Marquez consistently in Moto2.

We'll all have high hopes for Nico Terol and Johann Zarco. Maybe Andrea Ianonne if he stops rubber-banding.

 

[Mike Rotch]

We'll all have high hopes for Nico Terol and Johann Zarco. Maybe Andrea Ianonne if he stops rubber-banding.

Are Terol and Zarco moving up? I thought they were both staying int Moto3.

Terol is overrated in my opinion - Marquez beat him black and blue last year, even Pol Espargaro almost nipped ahead of him. This year, he rode the best bike in the field and couldn't win the title before the last round.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Yeah, they're moving up - Zarco is joining JiR (who ran Alex de Angelis this year) and Terol is joining Aleix Espargaro at Aspar (who ran half a dozen riders in Moto2, most of them Spanish; Julian Simon was the only regular).

 

[Mike Rotch]

Hmm, cool. I nominate Terol as another Di Meglio/ Talmasci .

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I haven't been following MotoGP long enough to understand that reference ... but I'm taking it as meaning someone whose potential piqued in the 125s.

 

[Mike Rotch]

I haven't been following MotoGP long enough to understand that reference ... but I'm taking it as meaning someone whose potential piqued in the 125s.

Yup. Both won 125cc titles, stepped up a class and promptly became also-rans. Occasionally di Meglio will find himself at the front (Australia, for example) but it's usually nowhere land for him on race day.

Same with Gabor Talmasci, last year. He was Iannone's teammate and used to qualify around 8-10th and then just go backwards come race day.

Same with Sofoglou - A king of supersports, then is all over the shop in Moto2. His biggest contribution this year was breaking Julien Simon's leg at Barcelona.

I suppose the same for Mika Kallio come to think of it

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It happens all the time in ope-wheel racing. Look at Jules Bianchi, who thrashed everyone in the F3 Euroseries back in 2009 - a bright future was expected, but in two years of GP2, he has hardly blown anybody away. Even in 2010, when half a dozen drivers stepped up to Formula 1, creating a vaccuum at the front end of the GP2 grid, Bianchi could only manage third. And in 2011, he was being beated by drivers who he had thoroughly beaten in 2010.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Suzuki have formally withdrawn from MotoGP:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96315

However, they have left the door open to a possible return as early as 2014.

 

[Tom]

Here's the 2012 MotoGP grid so far:

1. Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda
2. Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda
3. Jorge Lorenzo - Factory Yamaha
4. Ben Spies - Factory Yamaha
5. Valentino Rossi - Ducati Marlboro
6. Nicky Hayden - Ducati Marlboro
7. Cal Crutchlow - Tech 3 Yamaha
8. Andrea Dovizioso - Tech 3 Yamaha
9. Colin Edwards - Forward Racing (Suter-BMW CRT)
10. Hector Barbera - Pramac Ducati
11. Karel Abraham - Cardion AB Ducati
12. Alvaro Bautista - San Carlo Honda Gresini
13. Anthony West - Speed Master (?-Aprilia CRT)
14. Andrea Ianonne - Speed Master (?-Aprilia CRT)
15. Stefan Bradl - LCR Honda
16. James Ellison - Paul Bird Motorsports (CRT)

 

[joetruckv8]

Its going to be fun watching the moto 2 grad's get there ride in the senior motogp level next year. I'm likening Andrea Iannone. He just needs to learn how to qualify, so he doesn't have to work so hard.

 

[Mike Rotch]

I hope CRT vs Factory bike doesn't end up being a class within a class thing, performance-wise.

Still, that is only 17 bikes on the grid - this year was 15. Hardly progress at the moment.

 

[Tom]

I hope CRT vs Factory bike doesn't end up being a class within a class thing, performance-wise.

Still, that is only 17 bikes on the grid - this year was 15. Hardly progress at the moment.

Don't forget that there are still seats up for grabs at Gresini and Pramac. There's also a few seats up for grabs in the CRT Teams, so there could be 19-21 Riders for next year. 👍

EDIT: Here's the CRT Teams currently without a rider confirmed for 2012.

BQR-Blusens
Kiefer Racing
Mapfre Aspar MotoGP Team
Marc VDS Racing Team

Also, I've just found out that San Carlo Honda Gresini's Second Bike will be running under CRT Regulations and that Pramac may only be running one bike next season.

EDIT 2: It turns out that my earlier post about Yuki Takahashi moving to the CRT MotoGP Team Forward Racing was wrong, I must have misread the article. Yuki Takahashi is moving to Forward Racing's Moto2 Team.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

There's also a few seats up for grabs in the CRT Teams, so there could be 19-21 Riders for next year. 👍

Yeah, I think the intention is to see the CRT teams expand to two-bike operations in the future.

And based on te entry list on Wikipedia, there will 21 bikes on the grid, barring a late withdrawal.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Toni Elias is going back to Moto2 with Aspar:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96347

 

[Mike Rotch]

Marquez vs Elias could be good 👍

 

[prisonermonkeys]

And since Terol is joining Aspar, Elias will be a decent barometer for how good Terol really is.

 

[Mike Rotch]

And since Terol is joining Aspar, Elias will be a decent barometer for how good Terol really is.

Oh that will be good!

I can't find if Julien Simon will be on the Aspar as well, but I hope he finds a competitive ride if he isnt.

 

[Tom]

Marquez vs Elias could be good 👍

That would be great, Spaniard vs. Spaniard. I really do hope that Bradley Smith will be winning races in 2012, that really would shake up the field. 👍

Also Gino Rea from WSS has been testing a Moto2 Gresini bike and could be in line to take Yuki Takahashi's available seat.

Source

 

[adamp93]

In regards to the CRT vs. Factory bikes, the gulf will be ridiculous this year, everyone knows that. However, the plan is to change to 100% CRT bikes around 2014; by then the likes of Aprillia and BMW teams will have more experience and then it should be closer, hopefully.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

How exactly does CRT work? From what I gather, CRT teams get a greater allocation of engines and gearboxes than factory teams, but the factory teams can buy those engines and gearboxes back. What exactly is this meant to achieve? Do factory teams buy unused engines and gearboxes when they use up their quota for the season to avoid a grid penalty?

 

[Tom]

How exactly does CRT work? From what I gather, CRT teams get a greater allocation of engines and gearboxes than factory teams, but the factory teams can buy those engines and gearboxes back. What exactly is this meant to achieve? Do factory teams buy unused engines and gearboxes when they use up their quota for the season to avoid a grid penalty?

Read this article which should tell you everything you need to know.

 

[adamp93]

The base of it is to get an engine from a road bike and build a chassis around it, this saves having to fork out €3m to lease (not buy) a honda for a year.

 

[toyotsupra]

Here's the 2012 MotoGP grid so far:

1. Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda
2. Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda
3. Jorge Lorenzo - Factory Yamaha
4. Ben Spies - Factory Yamaha
5. Valentino Rossi - Ducati Marlboro
6. Nicky Hayden - Ducati Marlboro
7. Cal Crutchlow - Tech 3 Yamaha
8. Andrea Dovizioso - Tech 3 Yamaha
9. Colin Edwards - Forward Racing (Suter-BMW CRT)
10. Hector Barbera - Pramac Ducati
11. Karel Abraham - Cardion AB Ducati
12. Alvaro Bautista - San Carlo Honda Gresini
13. Anthony West - Speed Master (?-Aprilia CRT)
14. Andrea Ianonne - Speed Master (?-Aprilia CRT)
15. Stefan Bradl - LCR Honda
16. James Ellison - Paul Bird Motorsports (CRT)

Great lineup me like it