MotoGP | 2023 | Silly Season

They are too busy swapping partners, drinking beer, buying Teslas and generally being the happiest people on earth to bother with a racetrack.

 

They must have been drunk as f@ck thinking a F1/ motogp level facility would be a goon idea in Finland. It’s frozen up there from October until May and even if it was built, they got the races and it was hugely profitable the Russians would just get pissed, declare it theirs and bomb the shit out of it.

 

So Hervé Poncharal is saying that Beirer & KTM want to retain Gardner and the ball is in his court. For now this, however, has very little chance of staying. And should not let that discourage him from doing his best the rest of this year. That's cold.

He says that everything is decided by KTM, though. None of that is his decision.

https://www.gp-inside.com/fernandez...-chez-tech3-gardner-a-la-balle-dans-son-camp/

 

Dovi out

 

Did anyone think he would race GP next year?

 

I’ll be shocked if he finishes out the year but there’s not a lot of options to replace him.

 

So Officially Official: Suzuki officially ends MotoGP participation after 2022

Wonder if this now opens up the 2 grid spots for someone else, or is it too late now?

https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/1...ficially-ends-motogp-participation-after-2022

 

Didn't Dorna intend to keep those two spot for a 'factory' team?...

 

I didn’t realize they were quitting WEC. That sucks. The brand is definitely struggling.

 

Was he even in?

 

Rumors of Yamaha trying to punt morbidelli end of the year and terminate his contract 1 year early

 

I like Frankie, but it'd be better if they did. Same for kicking Dovi to the curb ASAP and letting some hungry young talent get at it........except that they don't have the most stacked pipeline right now.

 

What are our options for that?

BMW - Can't see them ever doing MotoGP
Kawasaki - Been there, done that. Ain't going back while their superbike is so strong
Royal Enfield - To busy selling to the hipsters via durt track
Harley Davidson - Only if they can buy another Italian brand to do the bike
Indian - Not their market
Triumph - Already have guaranteed wins in Moto2, no need to spend metric tons in MotoGP
Moto Guzzi - er, yeah
Norton -

 

Wow. I think we all wondered, but I’m actually surprised they would cancel an existing contract. With Ducati or KTM or a independent team I wouldn’t be nearly as surprised as with Yamaha.

They genuinely seem to care more about their riders to me. Look at all the reunions and corporate events Yamaha has with older pros. I’ve always really respected that and it has made me like Yamaha more, just like their support of MA has made me like them more than the others.

 

MotoGP making a reality series for the factory Ducati seat

https://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2022/07/11/motogp-stories-the-ducati-decision-part-i/429197

 

I thought their EWC team might get a save from the chopping block but I guess Suzuki is making deep cuts.

 

Can I say: "Bombshell"?

Can I? Can I? Can I?.....

 

Raul Fernandez was linked to them before KTM pulled the locked contract and boned him up to GP involuntarily. Yam could get him on the cheap and I’m sure he’d walk from Tech 3 yesterday.

 

The not so cheap part about getting Raul Fernandez is buying him out of his KTM contract. Rumor has it the buyout is ~$1.2M, which is a hell of a price to pay for an unknown quantity in MotoGP. If he had a few standout rides this season it might be an easier pill to swallow, but the dude is dead fucking last in the championship out of all of the full time riders.