2009 MotoGP/250cc/125cc Thread

[Jack]

Well as we’re heading into the last round of the season, and lots of rider movements are already known I thought now would be a good time to kick this thread off.
For the MotoGP field, the rider lineup is looking like:

Marlboro Ducati – Casey Stoner & Nicky Hayden (confirmed)
Pramac Ducati – Mika Kallio & Niccolo Canepa (confirmed)
Onde 2000 Ducati – Sete Gibernau (looks like being confirmed tomorrow 23/8/08)
Repsol Honda – Dani Pedrosa & Andrea Dovizioso (confirmed)
LCR Honda – Randy de Puniet (confirmed)
Scot Honda – Yuki Takahashi (confirmed)
Gresini Honda – Alex de Angelis & Toni Elias (confirmed)
Kawasaki Racing Team – Marco Melandri and John Hopkins (confirmed)
FIAT Yamaha – Valentino Rossi & Jorge Lorenzo (confirmed)
Tech 3 Yamaha – Colin Edwards & James Toseland (confirmed)
Rizla Suzuki – Chris Vermuelen & Loris Capirossi (confirmed)

Riders joining MotoGP:
Mika Kallio at Pramac Ducati (moving up from KTM in 250cc)
Canepa at Pramac Ducati (moving up from his role as Marlboro Ducati's test rider)
Gibernau at Onde 2000 (returning after a few years off)
Yuki Takahashi at Scot (moving up with the same team he is racing with in the 250cc class this year)Riders leaving MotoGP:
Anthony West (will ride with Stiggy Honda in WSS)
Shinya Nakano (no plans announced at present)
Sylvain Guintoli (will ride with Rizla Suzuki in BSB).Other Notes:
There will be a control tyre for 2009 - Bridgestone to supply.
The planned Aspar/Kawasaki deal fell through, after Aspar and his sponsors wanted a Spanish rider, and Kawasaki wanted a Japanese rider.
KTM is pulling out of the 250cc series, citing the financial situation, and Dorna's plans for the class (i.e. replacing it with a 600cc 4-stroke class) as reasons.
Bradley Smith to Aspar Aprilia in the 125cc class, after riding for Polaris World Aprilia this year.Thats about all I know of at the moment. More as it comes to hand...

[firemansam]

I really hope Dovizioso goes well in the Repsol squad, he's done a top job this year in my opinion. Will be interesting to see how Gibernau goes too (provided it goes ahead).

[GSXR1]

I really hope Dovizioso goes well in the Repsol squad, he's done a top job this year in my opinion.
OT, but I bumped into Dovisioso while he was shopping for chamomile tea of all things in Coles in Cowes on the Wednesday of MotoGP the other week. Marco Simoncelli was also stalking the aisles wearing his mirror Aviators and with his afro in all it's glory doing his last minute shopping for the weekend. Only on the Island....

Back on topic, the last I heard Nakano was being touted as a HRC development rider for 2009, in a similar way to Shinichi Itoh & Tadayuki Okada in the past

[Jack]

Gibernau confirms:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/71667

[primatives]

Next year will be an interesting season I think Casey and Ducati will definately be the one to beat as their bikes are so fast and will do well if they dont encounter any problems and very interested to see what this new bike with a carbonfiber chasis will do for them. As for Rossi I think he will be fighting at the front as usual but next year will have a bike more suited to hte tyres than this year so that will be good. As for Honda I really do hope Dovisiozo does well too at least but up a decent fight and I also hope Pedrosa does well too I've grown to really like him and wold like to see him do well.

[primatives]

Oh I hope they have competitive bikes Honda, Yamaha and Ducati to fight right to the last lap like Laguna :)

[bimmerboy]

Great thread Jack, pulling together all the recent discussions.
Hopefully the control tyre next year will even up the field a bit, although I still think the Superbikes will provide better racing (as they did this year).

I've heard that DORNA are still trying to resurrect Jorge Martinez's third Kawasaki. The pressure is being put on the Spanish sponsors to accept a non-Spanish rider. A third Kawasaki is not exactly an attractive proposition for a rider, hence Elias and Bautista turned it down - bit of a potential career-killer (just ask Westy....)

And as per GSXR1 above, Nakano is more likely to take the HRC test role (and wildcard at Motegi). Although there is some late mail regarding some efforts to get him on a Superbike next year instead....

And Guintoli's BSB Suzuki Superbike won't have Rizla sponsorship - sometime back they announced that they would only be sponsoring the MotoGP team in 2009.

Can't understand the press Bradley Smith gets ? Doesn't seem to get results anywhere near the hype he gets. If you want to support an up-and-coming pom, check out Scott Redding - less hype, less cash, but already has a 125GP win in his pocket.

The 250's in 2009 are a bit of a worry. Should be another Simoncelli / Bautista dogfight, but there could be as few as 14 bikes on the grid....

Anyone know what happened to Johan Zarco, the young frenchman who dominated the first RedBull Rookies series last year ? Started this year racing in Spain with the Dorna academy, and then sort of vanished.

[bimmerboy]

Forgot to mention...

With 2008 season finished last night, the 2009 night season starts tonight !!!
First test in Valencia for new bike / rider combinations : Hayden & Kallio on the Ducatis, Melandri on Kawasaki, etc....

[GSXR1]

And as per GSXR1 above, Nakano is more likely to take the HRC test role (and wildcard at Motegi). Although there is some late mail regarding some efforts to get him on a Superbike next year instead.....
Late mail turned out to be on the money - Nakano's been announced as Biaggi's teammate on the new Aprilia Superbike next year