Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1402132
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 33 AUGUST 17, 2021 P137 about the expected Aramco sponsorship. Some reports have suggested it depended on Rossi being in the saddle. Whether he can negotiate his way out of that remains to be seen, though with his charmed life, why not? Immediate response to the disturbance came from KTM, forced within two days into a premature announcement that Raul Fernandez will join Remy Gardner in their satellite Tech 3 MotoGP team next season. This abrupt revelation blind- sided existing satellite riders Petrucci and Lecuona, who discovered their pending unem- ployment from the media. KTM Sports director Pit Beirer told Dorna TV that his hand had been forced, because "other facto- ries" (in other words Yamaha) had been trying to poach Fer- nandez. Persistent rumors had his management team at dinner in a nearby Spielberg restaurant with representatives of Yamaha racing near the Austrian track—a tale of skulduggery and espio- nage worthy of a drama by the film director of the same name. This would clearly be intoler- able. KTM has shepherded the young Spanish star towards the big-time from his days in the Red Bull Rookies Cup. They were not having him snatched away now, thanks very much. Yamaha was expected to promote Franco Morbidelli from satellite to factory squad next year, but where will the Petronas SRT team find replacements for him and present incumbent Valentino? With Yamaha Superbike riders Gerloff and Razgatlioglu already signed to stay there, team boss Razlan Razali would have to look at the upper echelons of Moto2. The championship's top two (Gardner and Fernandez), and three of the remaining top six (Bezzecchi, Di Giannantonio and Canet) already booked, this leaves fourth-placed Sam Lowes, and at 30 and with unin- spiring 2017 MotoGP results with Aprilia, he's hardly a promising future prospect. Twenty-three-year-old Augusto Fernandez (eighth) might work, but the more promising Ai Ogura (ninth) is locked in to Honda. Puzzlingly, nobody has sug- gested Cameron Beaubier, do- ing well as a Moto2 rookie, and with strong Yamaha form, five U.S. championships. Since then, however, there are reports that the Malaysian sponsor might decide to abandon the whole project. In the week between the Austrian rounds, it became clear they were consid- ering dropping their Moto2 and Moto3 teams altogether. Will the MotoGP team follow, leaving Yamaha hunting for another spon- sor as well as riders? Aprilia is expected to take up the floating Vinales, leaving current tester Andrea Dovizioso in the lurch. But he too is hardly satellite-team fodder. And the effect on Rossi him- self? He remained impressively dry- eyed at his press conference, but the gap in his life will be difficult to fill. His new MotoGP team will help, his VR46 Acad- emy likewise, though much of his interest in that (beyond the commercial) was having young guys to ride with, to keep his reflexes sharp. Will he want to stay on as a major paddock presence? "You don't race for fun," he said at his announcement. "You race for the results. To win." This must have eased the decision to quit. And spurred the decision to go car racing instead, probably with GT2 sports cars. "Not at the same level," he added. Well, we'll wait and see about that. CN Puzzlingly, nobody has suggested Cameron Beaubier, doing well as a Moto2 rookie, and with strong Yamaha form, five U.S. championships.