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/342674
IN THE WIND P30 "Jack Miller recently stated on the official Ajo Motorsport web- site that he has no contract for the future," the release on Friday said. "This statement is inaccu- rate. Jack Miller signed a binding three-year contract with the Marc VDS Racing Team for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons. "Under the terms of this six- page contract, the Marc VDS Racing Team negotiated on Jack Miller's behalf to secure him a Moto3 World Championship ride with the Red Bull KTM Ajo Team in 2014. During the course of these negotiations Ajo Motors- port team owner, Aki Ajo, was made aware of the contract be- tween Jack Miller and the Marc VDS Racing Team and also that, under the terms of this contract, Jack Miller would contest the Moto2 World Championship for the Marc VDS Racing Team in 2015 and 2016. "The three-year contract was in the form of an extensive pre- agreement, covering the relevant key points such as exclusivity, payment conditions and techni- cal support. Nowhere was there a clause related to early release from the contract should Jack Miller receive an offer for MotoGP in 2015. Following the signing of this pre-agreement a final con- tract was negotiated and agreed between the parties, with the key elements remaining unchanged. "This final agreement was not signed and all requests by the Marc VDS Racing Team for a meeting with Jack Miller, his par- ents and his management team, to clarify the situation with re- gard to Jack Miller's contractual obligations for 2015 and 2016, have gone unanswered. In the absence of a signed final agree- ment, the signed pre-agreement remains extant and binding on both parties." Team owner Michael Barthole- my also commented on the situ- ation. "It is regrettable that we've had to make public this situation, but we really were left with no op- tion," he said. "We have a con- tract with Jack Miller and we are already preparing for his arrival in the team for the 2015 season be- cause, for us, a deal is a deal. If Jack has changed his mind and doesn't want to ride for us next year then he or his management team need to come and talk to us, rather than simply ignoring our numerous requests for a meet- ing to clarify the situation. We are not interested in playing games; we just want the situation sorted out expeditiously. Until it is re- solved we cannot move forward with our own plans for the 2015 season, as we have no intention on reneging on the agreement by offering Jack Miller's place in the Marc VDS Racing Team to anoth- er rider." The two Marc VDS Racing Team riders – Tito Rabat and Mika Kallio – are currently sitting first and second in the Moto2 World Championship. Stay tuned. continued on page 32 HALL OF FAME FOR SUMMERS S cott Summers, who famously raced Honda XR600Rs to nine AMA Off-Road Champion- ships, has been elected to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2014. "Scott Summers not only won off-road championships in some of the most challenging tight woods terrain, but he did so his way - competing on a motorcycle that most others appreciated for its proficiency in wide-open desert racing," said Ken Ford, a member of the Hall of Fame ex- ecutive committee and treasurer of the AMA board of directors. "Scott won and thrived, becom- ing one of the most prolific off- road champions in AMA-sanc- tioned national championship competition, and in the process helped introduce a new level of professionalism to off-road rac- ing in America." Summers, from Petersburg, Kentucky, won the 1990, 1991 and 1992 GNCC titles racing a Honda XR600R against riders on much lighter and more agile