MotoGP News
Date: 15/August/2011
Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli formed two-parts of Honda's podium sweep at the Czech Republic MotoGP on Sunday. The Italians were just over six-seconds from race winner and world championship leader Casey Stoner, but both had good reason to celebrate.
For Stoner's team-mate Dovizioso, second place marked his fifth rostrum of the year and strengthened his hold on third in the championship. For Simoncelli, it was his first podium in the premier-class and reduced the immense pressure to stop crashing and start delivering.
But both are nevertheless fighting for their Honda futures, with HRC unwilling, or unable, to continue its present level of MotoGP investment.
Honda currently supports six MotoGP riders: Four (Stoner, Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Simoncelli) are full factory riders using the latest machinery, while two others (Hiroshi Aoyama and Toni Elias) have the use of lower-spec satellite machines.
The official three-man Repsol team looks certain to be cut back to two and, with Stoner and Dani Pedrosa already signed, Dovizioso - a Honda rider for his entire grand prix career - knows that he faces being farmed out to a satellite team for 2012.
Indeed, he seems resigned to it.
The most important thing for Dovizioso is that he continues to get the latest specification 'factory' machinery and technical support from Honda next year, rather than a satellite bike.
However, since 2012 is the first year of the new 1000cc rules the difference between factory and satellite - usually the previous season's factory bikes - is likely to be blurred.
Dovizioso's most likely destination is LCR Honda.
A factory bike in a satellite team has allowed Simoncelli to become a regular frontrunner in his second season of MotoGP, at Gresini. Simoncelli wants to stay put, but is also unsigned and eagerly waiting to hear if Honda can continue offering factory treatment.
HRC boss Shuhei Nakamoto expects to inform both Dovizioso and Simoncelli about their Honda options by the end of this month.
Nakamoto told Italy's Gazetta dello Sport: "We want to hold on to [Dovizioso and Simoncelli] and we'll try to, even though these are difficult times. For sure, as a racing department, there will be a decrease to our budget, which will be defined in September.
"But we can't wait that long: we need to find an agreement by Indianapolis. We'll talk to Simoncelli and Dovizioso and we'll try to keep them. We have no preference, because they both have positive and negative sides.
"We'd like to build four bikes next year, in fact they'll almost certainly be five. The fifth will be ridden by a German-speaking rider."
That would mean two bikes at Repsol, and then three divided between LCR and Gresini. The 'German-speaking rider' is Moto2 title leader Stefan Bradl.
Assuming both Simoncelli and Dovizioso remain, Aoyama - the only Japanese rider on the grid - faces being without a ride. After a nightmare season reigning Moto2 champion Elias is certain to leave LCR, and will probably return to Moto2.
Stoner and Pedrosa will test Honda's new 1000cc motorcycle at Brno on Monday, but the lack of a signed contract means Dovizioso and Simoncelli will be restricted to this year's 800cc bikes.
Yamaha and Ducati already have their (two-man) 2012 factory team line-ups decided, with their present riders also staying put, restricting the alternative options for those out of contract this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment