Perhaps more infamously known as the
‘silly season’ in Formula One, the Moto GP rumour mill has been in over drive
over the past month or two concerning the secondary position at factory Yamaha.
Initially it was thought that there may be two rides up for grabs, but with
Lorenzo’s contract negotiations resulting in another two years with the factory
squad, all eyes began to focus upon Ben Spies.
Over the past few weeks the
speculation has been that the seat may be filled by Dovizioso. Not such an
alien prospect when you consider that the Italian moved onto a completely new
machine in a sense and has competed fairly successfully this season with four 3rd
positions which can be compared to his, if he can be called such, more
experienced team-mate Cal Crutchlow who has yet to find a step on the podium.
Yet the manner in which Crutchlow
managed to power through the pain barrier for his home crowd at Silverstone
with a severely swollen left foot. When searching for a rider it is one thing
to look for results, but having someone who perhaps is slightly sturdier than
his compatriots may result in a points haul at a time when his rivals may be
incapacitated from injury. Similarly, when
looking back on the season in terms of performances it has been Crutchlow’s
pace throughout the race that has raised so many eyebrows - the only reason why
he may not be so successful on the statistics page are a few errors at vital
stages in a race that has seen him dropping from 4th or 5th
to 8th or 9th and then fighting his way back up again.
However the whisperings of Crutchlow
moving to take Spies’ place haven’t been as vocal as the speculation reins over
who will be riding for the factory Ducati team next season. With Hayden in a
huff over his salary not being paid due to the Audi takeover and all the
rumours concerning his ride, Rossi seemingly at logger heads with both his team
and the bike, it seems uncertain over whether either of them will be wearing
red next season. It is thought that Crutchlow’s style would be more suited to
the Ducati’s handling tendencies. The only rider of recent times who has
managed to tame the beast being Casey Stoner. Having said that, Hayden hasn’t
looked especially uncomfortable and if it were not for some pretty dire tyre
wear his championship position may be significantly higher.
Rossi’s future however looks even
more confusing with a supposed move to factory Yamaha being on the cards. Given
the victorys that the combination had, it would be fair to say that such a move
wouldn’t end in tears like it would seem this marriage of Italian upon an
Italian machine has done. But from the mutterings of a Valentino – Audi
conversation, you would be a brave man to bet against the ever stubborn 9 times
world champion to shy away from a challenge.
The only thing which is perhaps
certain is that Ben Spies will not be riding with factory Yamaha next year. It
is understandable, although the circumstances surrounding his lack of pace have
been confusing to say the least - at a time when he looked to be getting to
grips with the format around this time last year. As a result the Texan may
turn back to the World Superbikes once more and will find a healthy,
competitive field to match himself against.
Certainly the ‘silly season’ is in
full flow and the grape-vine is our only companion in the way of knowledge. But
I think the one thing that is for certain is to expect something fairly
logical.
Article by Liam Stroud aka @scuderiastroud
Article by Liam Stroud aka @scuderiastroud
