So whom are they going to replace Haga with ? They said Vermuelen will be retained so whats the point of testing it with Sykes ( It ends with marketing gimmick i guess) !.. And whats John Hopkins doing ? Is he alive? I believe he can develop bikes as good as Colin or corser.

Bah ! I hope Common Wealthless Games tragedy does nt happen here ! Leaking roofs are fine ! Cracky tracks and cracked grand stands are nt !

JH. he is racing in the AMA. i really dont know his plans yet. Sponsorship pays.

so more news and rumors time.

this time by GPone.
Following on from Silverstone, where (finally) Cal Crutchlow won - twice - bringing Yamaha back to the top step of the podium, a strategic meeting for 2011 was held at the Gerno di Lesmo headquarters of the team.

The most important element of the meeting, presided over by Laurens Klein Koerkamp, sporting director of Yamaha Racing Europa, was the official confirmation that Massimo "Maio" Meregalli's WSBK team will be competing in 2011.

And now the Italian team manager can start thinking about who his two riders will be.

There appear to be four riders on the short list, starting with Cal Crutchlow, whom the Japanese marque would like to keep on this team and in this series.

Meregalli has also always wanted an Italian rider, something Yamaha haven't had since 2000 when Vittoriano Guareschi was teammate to Nori Haga. Michel Fabrizio's expiring contract with Ducati is offering a very real possibility - considering that the situation surrounding the Bologna based team for 2011 remains unclear - that Maio could get his wish. Rumors in the paddock also suggest that Luca Scassa might also be under consideration as a backup plan.

Other names in the mix include James Toseland (who still has a slight chance of being renewed), and Supersport riders such as Eugene Laverty and Joan Lascorz. Priority would be given to Jonathan Rea, if he was able to break his Honda contract.

oh and more.. thanks to Google. my italian is getting quite good.

Rossi, Biaggi e gli universi paralleli

News: No Factory Ducati Team for 2011

No Factory Ducati Team for 2011....I am shocked/surprised!!

Bombshell! Ducati Withdraw From World Superbikes From 2011. I dont follow WSBK much these days, was this expected guys?

^^ well, i did expect some news with regards to SBK now that they have Rossi and MotoGP going Prototype.

honestly it makes no sense to race in both series if both race more or less the same production engines. so one has to go.

i for one am happy that they have called for such a movement, you see, Ducati were always the one defying the rules in Wsbk since 2007. SBK had to get the japs to make the series interesting for a wider audience and thus we saw BMW and Aprilia come into the series.

2008
Main article: 2008 Superbike World Championship season
After introducing the Ducati 1098 in 2007 powered by a 1099 cc v-twin engine Ducati requested that Superbike rules be changed to allow v-twins of up to 1200 cc compete against 1000 cc four-cylinder bikes. Ducati argued that they no longer produced a road-going 1000 cc V-twin superbike[13] and that the level of tuning now needed to make their 999 competitive on the race track was too expensive.[14] Ducati said they would quit if the rules were not changed,[13] while Alstare Suzuki team boss Francis Batta also said that his team would quit if the new rules gave Ducati an unfair advantage.[15]
The FIM eventually included the 1200 cc displacement limit for twins in the 2008 superbike rules. According to the new rules, twin-cylinder motorcycles would be 6 kg heavier than four-cylinder machines (168 kg to 162 kg) and would also have a 50 mm air restrictor fitted. The weight limit and the intake-restrictor size of twin machines would be updated, if needed, during the Championship, by a system analysing the race points obtained.[16]

now that they wont be in competing in 2011 rules can change for the good and so can ducati. they can scrap that V-twin and come out with a new V4 in 2011. so good call in a way. besides they may not be back altogether since they will use up all efforts for their Moto1 project.

Goodbuy Ducati.

Haga and Fab where will you be right now. you know nicky hayden may still not end up signing for ducati alongside rossi next year

Shocked to hear that.....perhaps they want to concentrate more on motogp.....

@soul.....I would love to see Haga in Motogp.....now the likelihood of haga winning a WSBK championship goes down even more..... lets see where he and fabrizio end up.....Checa would still be strong though....

what you say about rules is true....but still...no. of competitive bikes on grid goes down by 2......even though there are plenty more now....

This sucks ! .. Foggy ! Bayliss ! Huh

If you think Nicky has nt signed yet and If Michel goes there ! It would an Super All Italian Team running on Japanese rubber !

I think Nicky will stay.. Michel Is already in the radar or Yamaha Motorsport Italia ! Who power the WSBK R1.. And Haga is looking Greeeeeen !

well KK it goes like this. SBK is always suppose to be the No2 series. period. but off late things have caught up so much the hard core racing fans keep showing up on SBK weekends instead of MotoGP. still no match but then on the techie sides of things Moto1 feels the heat. and with the late insurgence of x-moto1 guys going to SBK its just making that series so much better.

about your point. Haga firstly i think Haga will find a ride. and he will go down in history as the only man to win more races without having to win the championship. (exclude Slight) Haga may be back on a yamaha next year not MotoGP Fabrizo is whom i am reffering to as going to Ducati, well maybe not the factory ducati but might end up in place of kalio.

Factory Ducati are and always were legends or "the championship" itself this is where the racing blood comes for and this is the championship where they have developed their trait of becoming the best. it may not be the same without them is bullshit. that bike is nowhere close to what the R1's aprilia and the BMW's are. i think what your seeing is Paradigm shift. SBK will forever be the poor's man motogp but still the most exciting and what sells bikes on Mondays. i can only imagine Biaggi wining the title in Italy last weekend of September on an Italian bike. that will be epic. and people will call it the day ducati were dethroned. its like a Seri-A derbi but a lot faster.

Ducati IS ONLY OUT FOR 2011 NOT FROM 2011. so if there indeed is a v4 in the works. expect a boom. my only doubt is whether ducati is trying to get 2 pots in one shot.

YouTube - Ducati 1198 Road Test Review

Have a look at this You Tube Video to see what WSBK meant to Ducati

fans will go wherever there is good racing....no surprise that more of them are preferring WSBK now...., I too didn't know that WSBk is that good.....got hooked somewhere towards the middle of last season...


Hope Haga wins one.....this isn't a record that he would like....

That is being said as one of the reasons.....it being said that the V-twin 1098 has reached the peak of its development....

Yes buddy it always has been....and with the arrival of BMW and Aprilia...it is even better now...and I want a Ben Spies R1 Replica...

Hope they came back with a V4 and Bayliss astride it.........yeah i know am dreaming...

Did you say defying rules? Well the reality is the Flammini brothers tweaked the rules in order to keep Ducati happy and in the c'ship.

Its was said that the 1198 is at the end of its development cycle already at the end of 2009 season.

And regarding Nicky Hayden, he has been confirmed at Ducati for 2 more years. He's not going anywhere and I believe he deserves that ride.

Haga is being linked to Yamaha as well as with Kawasaki. I am sure he will be there next year. Fabrizio is off to BMW me thinks.

Who is dumped Troy or Xaus?

Xaus, but not quite sure where he will end up.

whats the harm of a speculation beween the lines. btw where have you been off late.

i was quite fed up of typing the same things as you did previously hence decided to put in a more "speculative manner" either way i hope Mad Max takes the title in Italy. it will be great for SBK

Oh I always seem to find a rock and hide beneath it

I hope so too, finally Mad Max wins a title (besides his 4 in 250cc). Can't wait for this year season to end, watching Haga fighting to reach points is hurting me no end.

There is something going on thats not meeting the eye, its not like he has forgotten to ride. Hope he finds a ride thats competitive (I still believe he should not have quit Yamaha).

Cheers

Some riders IMO ride an I-4 better than a V of which Nori is a classic example.

Can we expect 2011 season to be covered on TV?