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/577750
IN THE WIND P30 Current Aspar rider Hayden is expected to leave MotoGP at the end of the season (see separate news story); teammate Eugene Laverty has a firm contract to stay. This would leave an attrac- tive second seat, with at this time no very obvious takers. With the future of the Forward Racing squad uncertain, one candidate could be rookie Loris Baz. The "junior" factory teams— Suzuki and Aprilia—are also settled. For Suzuki, Aleix Espar- garo and Maverick Vinales stay put, while Aprilia announced in the week before the Aragon race that Stefan Bradl had been signed up to stay alongside Alvaro Bautista. Bradl had been a latecomer, replacing the disastrous Marco Melandri after his own Forward team ran into rough ground when the owner Giovanni Cuzari was arrested. Bradl has made a quick adaptation to the still rela- tively primitive "lab bike". Aprilia racing manager Ro- mano Albesiano described it as "a pleasant surprise" after the former Moto2 champion joined the team "almost by chance, a result of circumstances," the Aprilia boss said. "We found a methodical and fast rider, ex- tremely precise in his comments and therefore particularly suited to for the role of 'race tester' that our rookie season requires." Aprilia's progress has been slow but steady in the first test year, including for this race a new longer swingarm, and the debut of a dry-clutch transmis- sion, although this was only partially successful first time out. Michael Scott SUPERBIKE NOT CERTAIN FOR HAYDEN W ith a dearth of tempting MotoGP opportuni- ties, 34-year-old veteran Nicky Hayden told press-men he was "50-50" considering a switch to World Superbikes, with a Honda berth—Ten Kate Honda or maybe a Honda U.S. team—as one possibility for a rider whose AMA and World Championship successes have all been with the marque. In a frank exchange, he admitted "I might have to consider staying at home, but that's obviously not my first choice. I still enjoy racing … even a bad day." It was "no secret" he had been talking to World Superbike teams, but he ruled out a return to U.S. racing, with the new-this-year MotoAmerica series still not at a level that would interest him. A more intriguing prospect is a test-rider role with KTM, as the Austrian factory prepares for a full-scale MotoGP campaign in 2017. Hayden wouldn't name names, but said: "There's been talk of a test rider role in MotoGP and maybe that could come with some wild-card chances. It's very early at the moment and there's not even an offer on the table." Michael Scott Nicky Hayden's 2016 plans are still a question mark. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE