IN
THE
WIND
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LORENZO TO DUCATI, AND THE REST
J
orge Lorenzo has
signed for Ducati, so
said Suzuki team boss
Davide Brivio—a knowl-
edgeable Italian GP
insider, whose past portfo-
lio includes luring Rossi to
Yamaha from Honda, and
growing his VR46 brand,
now a market leader.
Brivio let the remark slip
to Dorna's cameraman
while being asked about
rumors that he would lose
his star young rider Mav-
erick Vinales in 2017. The
21-year-old Spaniard, a hot
property, is understood
to have been approached
already to replace Lorenzo
at Yamaha.
Ducati and Lorenzo remained
tight-lipped—the rider stonewall-
ing direct questions—but the
rumor mill insisted that the deal
was already done, with Lorenzo
accepting a big-money offer
to switch to the iconic Italian
marque.
Rossi declined to comment,
beyond a reminder that the cur-
rent iteration of the Desmosedici
is a much better bike than the
one he moved to when he
stomped out of Yamaha at the
end of 2010.
Vinales surprised listeners
when he welcomed the extra
pressure of the speculation and
uncertainty. "I think it helps me
to focus and be faster," he said.
The knock-on effect kept
tongues wagging, half a season
before the who-goes-where
speculation usually begins.
The second Ducati seat is
in doubt: it was reported that
plans to renew Andrea Iannone's
contract before the start of the
European season had been put
on hold after his last-corners
blooper in Argentina, taking him-
self and teammate Dovizioso out
of a guaranteed double podium.
Both of the Ducati pair's
names have been linked to a
Suzuki move to replace Vina-
les, while the experienced and
knowledgeable Dovizioso would
be a valuable addition to KTM's
new team, alongside Bradley
Smith.
Moto2 Champion Johann
Zarco is also a potential target
for both Suzuki and to replace
Smith at Tech 3, while Alex Rins
is also a strong contender for a
Tech 3 seat, with a view to a fu-
ture move to the factory Yamaha
team.
Meanwhile, Rossi denied
rumors that he was going to bid
for the single vacant slot on the
MotoGP grid next year. "I have
spoken with Carmelo [Ezpeleta—
Dorna CEO], but we have no
plans. Anyway we hope to have
a one-rider SKY VR46 team in
Moto2 next year."
Michael Scott
With Jorge Lorenzo on the move the
domino effect will be huge.
