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/196545
P32 WIND PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE IN THE LAVERTY DISAPPOINTED Eugene Laverty is hoping to get a MotoGP ride or a World Superbike ride with Suzuki for 2014. Laverty was referring to the fact that Italian Marco Melandri – whose flag has a red stripe where Laverty's Irish flag has a gold one – is coming to Aprilia to replace him. "I am disappointed that Gigi [Dall'Igna] is not here, and we all want him here because we started the job together and we want to finish the job together," Laverty said. "He is the leader of our team. Romano, our new boss is a nice man as well, but Gigi was always very professional in how he handled things. And some of the things that have gone on in the last few days, with [Marco] Melandri inside our box, I have not been happy about. That is why I do not think Gigi would have allowed that to happen. I think there has been a lot that PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HONDA PRO RACING E ugene Laverty will not be an Aprilia rider in World Superbike in 2014 and he's still looking for a job. His team boss left Aprilia recently in sharp and unhappy fashion, after the production of a press release that criticized him, and that was one thing that was spoiling the end of the year for Laverty. "I kept quiet obviously with the MotoGP seat for Aprilia, but things have kind of changed with that thing in the past few weeks. So what can I say? I am doing the best job I can for them this year, I helped to win the title last year, essentially, helped Max [Biaggi] win the title and the manufacturers' standings. This year I continued to win races and keep quiet about a lot of the problems we have had, so what can I say? It's not very nice to be shown the door whenever you are performing. Maybe my flag needs to be one shade darker, and things might have been better for me." has happened this weekend that I am not happy about." Laverty wanted to keep his Aprilia ride but no place was found for him. Now he is looking at other options. "I preferred to stay put right from the beginning and I told them that," he said. "Whenever somebody tells you to get lost that is when you have to go. At the moment I am still looking at MotoGP because that is where my options are. I have good options materializing with Suzuki in World Superbike, because it could be a good future there with a path to MotoGP, and really things need to start moving forward in the next days." Gordon Ritchie GONCALVES CROWNED! I n what truly was a winner-takes-all situation, Honda's Paulo Goncalves won the Morocco Rally and with it the 2013 FIM Cross Country World Championship over his KTM-mounted rival Marc Coma. Coma headed into the final round of the World continued on page 34 Paolo Goncalves won the Morocco Rally and with it took the World Rally Championship from Marc Coma.