Метка: World Superbike

Bagnaia favours Bulega over Iannone for MotoGP debut with VR46

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Defending MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia has thrown his support behind WorldSBK standout Nicolo Bulega as his candidate to replace Fabio di Giannantonio at VR46 Racing for the final two events of the 2024 MotoGP season.

The satellite squad is presently mulling options as it prepares to lose di Giannantonio for the concluding Malaysian and Valencia events, the Italian having chosen to curtail his season in favour of undergoing surgery on his troublesome shoulder injury.

At present, paddock chatter ahead of this weekend’s Thailand Grand Prix suggests former Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone is in line for the seat, five years on from his last appearance in the top-flight prior to him serving a four-year sentence for doping offences.

While would-be Ducati stablemates Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez each welcome the prospect of a return to MotoGP for Iannone, the 2022 and 2023 world champion has nominated Bulega as his preferred choice for the vacant seat.

A former member of the VR46 Academy, Bulega gave a star turn in his rookie WorldSBK campaign with the factory Ducati team, scoring six victories en route to the runner-up spot in the final standings.

It is a performance Bagnaia believes Ducati should reward with a shot at a MotoGP debut, even if he is cautious about the challenge of stepping in for either Bulega or Iannone after Alvaro Bautista struggled to adapt during a one-off outing in Sepang last season.

“I hope to see Bulega on this bike because when you have the possibility to try a MotoGP bike you have to take it and I think Iannone will enjoy it a lot. 

“Sepang is not an easy track, we saw that last season with Bautista, but I think he will enjoy the MotoGP and will take it as a fun moment.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Bagnaia’s views notwithstanding, there was a positive reaction to the notion of Iannone getting the chance to both return to MotoGP and Ducati.

The Italian spent four seasons with the Borgo Panigale marque, notching up one win and seven podiums during his stint. However, his career was derailed in 2019 while racing with Aprilia when he failed a drugs test that would earn him a ban from racing for four years.

Nevertheless, despite the extended period of non-action, Iannone made a triumphant return to competition this season in WorldSBK aboard the privateer Go Eleven Ducati, achieving one win and five podiums. 

For Pramac’s Martin and Gresini’s Marquez, Iannone has earned the chance to race in the premier class once more.

“For me, it is good to see him back in MotoGP,” points leader Martin said. “After what he went through, then he went to WorldSBK and won a race, so he is demonstrating that he is still on a good level. So maybe he is still fast and I think it is a good opportunity to show people that he is still strong.

“For me it would be nice to see him there, because we had good fights,” added Marquez. “Of course it is super difficult to be fast in one race after four years. 

“Maybe he is superman and can do it, because he is a very good talent but it will be nice and I think the approach is like a present.”

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Ducati offers Miller factory seat in WSBK after KTM MotoGP exit

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Ducati has entered into negotiations with current KTM MotoGP rider Jack Miller to replace Alvaro Bautista in the World Superbike Championship next year.

Bautistia’s future in WSBK came under threat at the previous round in Most, where another hat-trick of victories for BMW’s Toprak Razgatlioglu further dented any hopes of adding a third straight title to his tally.

Not only has Bautista been unable to put up any resistance against the Turkish rider, he has also not been able to match the performances of his rookie team-mate Nicolo Bulega, who sits 40 points and one place ahead of him in the standings.

Over the course of the Czech Republic weekend, Bautista admitted for the first time that he wished to remain with Ducati for at least one more season in WSBK, signalling his hopes of a contract extension.

“I want to continue. We are talking with Ducati about renewing the contract,” he said. “I think it’s not fair to end my career like this. I need to enjoy the bike again, to feel strong.”

It is understood that the Spaniard’s representatives sat down with Ducati and asked for a more financially lucrative contract, which prompted the Borgo Panigale to look for alternatives.

Alvaro Bautista, Aruba.It Racing - Ducati

Alvaro Bautista, Aruba.It Racing — Ducati

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Ducati’s factory team has a budget close to one million euros for rider salaries, of which the Spaniard already receives €750,000 a year, with Bulega taking home €200,000.

Bulega has reportedly renewed his contract for 2025 and received a substantial increase in salary on the back of his impressive results this year, with his pay going up to €450,000. That means the second Ducati rider will receive roughly the same amount next year from a total budget of under €1m, which is far lower than what Bautista aspires for.

This has now brought Miller into play, and Motorsport.com understands that Ducati has reached out to him regarding a move to WSBK.

Miller was part of Ducati’s MotoGP effort between 2018-22, as he spent three years with Pramac before stepping up to the factory team in 2021. He scored three victories in his time at Ducati in the premier class during his time, the last of which arrived at the Japanese GP in 2022.

The Australian moved to KTM last year at the end of his stint with Ducati, but is leaving the Austrian brand after Pedro Acosta was promoted to the factory team alongside Brad Binder, while Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini have been signed to the satellite Tech3 squad from 2025.

It initially appeared that the Australian could find a reprieve at Aprilia’s satellite team Trackhouse Racing, which was looking for a new rider to take the place currently occupied by Miguel Oliveira. But with the American outfit now closing in on a deal with Moto2 championship contender Ai Ogura, that route also now appears to be closed.

Ai Ogura, MT Helmets MSI

Ai Ogura, MT Helmets MSI

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Miller is now waiting for other moves in the rider market before deciding the next course in his career. Apart from Ducati, he is believed to have at least one more offer from a factory team to join WSBK in 2025.

However, the 29-year-old prefers to pursue his options in the premier class at the moment and has asked for time until the Austrian GP on 16-18 August before finalising his future.

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Is World Superbike superstar Razgatlioglu a genuine solution for a MotoGP team?

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Toprak Razgatlioglu’s manager Kenan Sofuoglu says “there are teams that want” the Turkish rider in MotoGP next year despite holding a BMW World Superbike deal to the end of 2025.

The 2025 MotoGP rider market has kicked into life in recent weeks following Ducati’s bombshell announcement that it would be bringing Marc Marquez into its factory team.

That begun a chain reaction of moves, starting with Jorge Martin signing for Aprilia, and has been followed with Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini penning KTM deals, while Marco Bezzecchi also moves to Aprilia.

Elsewhere, it looks likely 2020 world champion Joan Mir will stay with Honda for two more years – as per Motorsport.com reports – and Pramac seems to be edging ever closer to a Yamaha move in 2025.

In the coming weeks, much of the 2025 grid will likely have fallen into place.

So, where does Razgatlioglu fit into the equation?

Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The Turkish superstar has easily been WSBK’s biggest draw in recent years, as he finally ended Jonathan Rea and Kawasaki’s stranglehold on the series in 2021 when he denied the Ulsterman a seventh successive title.

Aligned with Yamaha at the time, rumblings persisted of Razgatlioglu moving to MotoGP with the Japanese manufacturer.

Razgatlioglu tested the M1 at Jerez early last year and was around a second off the pace of Yamaha’s test rider Cal Crutchlow at the Spanish Grand Prix venue. It was a significant enough test for Yamaha’s top brass to be in attendance, but the underwhelming lap times – albeit with little time to adapt to the bike – cast some doubts.

Hopes of a 2024 MotoGP move were all but ended when Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis told the media in Austin last April that, with the marque unlikely to have a satellite squad for the following season, it couldn’t replace an experienced hand in Franco Morbidelli with a rookie in Razgatlioglu.

In May of that year, the Turkish rider signed a deal with BMW in WSBK, saying at the time: “While there was an opportunity in MotoGP, I didn’t feel the same connection with the MotoGP bike that I have with the Superbike.”

Now, in June of 2024, Razgatlioglu’s name has become attached to MotoGP again.

«We have a two-year deal with BMW and everything is going very well,” his manager Sofuoglu told Motorsport.com’s OTT platform Motorsport.tv. “It’s going so well that Toprak has started to have serious dreams about MotoGP. Toprak’s strong performance is attracting a lot of interest from the MotoGP teams.

«With these two factors combined, Toprak started to say ‘I want MotoGP now’. The teams also want Toprak. So far everything is great. But we have to respect our agreement with BMW. In my meetings with BMW, I told them that Toprak wants to go to MotoGP after the work he has done.

«BMW has not yet given us a clear answer. If BMW comes to us and says ‘we want to keep Toprak, we will honour our agreement’, we will respect that. I don’t want to explain the terms of the agreement too much, we have the possibility to leave.

“However, we have never been in the mode of ‘let’s break the agreement, let’s go somewhere else or do other things’ in any agreement we have made. So if BMW says ‘OK Toprak, we will not prevent you, if you want to go to MotoGP, you can go next year’, then we can go to MotoGP.»

Sofuoglu went on to say that “there are teams that want Toprak. There have been negotiations”.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK, Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pata Yamaha WorldSBK, Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki Racing Team WSBK

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

In recent weeks, Honda has been rumoured to have made an offer to Razgatlioglu. That seems unlikely to come to pass now, with Honda agreeing a new two-year contract with Mir, while Luca Marini and Johann Zarco already have deals for 2025.

Honda could change course with the second LCR seat, specifically set up for a Japanese rider, though this has been unshakeably in place since 2018. And at this stage, swapping out Takaaki Nakagami for Razgatlioglu makes little sense for a marque in a rebuilding phase.

Razgatlioglu confirmed to Motorsport.com that Yamaha is a manufacturer with which negotiations have been held with. It is yet to announce Fabio Quartararo’s team-mate for next year at the factory squad, though for much the same reasons as Honda, Yamaha replacing a proven grand prix winner in Alex Rins for a rider outside of the MotoGP ecosystem doesn’t seem logical.

Should Pramac indeed become a Yamaha satellite partner, having a big name like Razgatlioglu in its team colours would lessen the blow of losing championship leader Jorge Martin and the chance to fight for titles next year leaving Ducati will certainly bring in the short-term.

Razgatlioglu, understandably, is keen for a MotoGP move to happen sooner rather than later. At 27, while not old by any stretch of the imagination, the window is closing for him to make the step over.

With time, there’s little doubt that Razgatlioglu could develop into a strong grand prix racer. But the level is such in MotoGP now that time is not something any fresh rider has anymore, not least one with the weight of expectation on their shoulders.

Razgatlioglu’s skill on a Superbike has created many highlight reels during his time in WSBK, and he’s now doing something that will only be a good thing for that series in the long run.

The Rea/Kawasaki domination years, while having strong moments, did drag after a while. Ducati’s conquests of the title in the last two years (with Razgatlioglu runner-up on the Yamaha) have gone hand in hand with its domination in MotoGP, the Italian marque annexing trophies at the highest level. That deserves immense credit, but competition is something any racing fan craves.

And WSBK this year has had that in spades. Razgatlioglu currently leads the standings by 21 points after four rounds and six race wins, doing so on a BMW package that has struggled for a number of years in numerous top hands to be anywhere near as competitive as the Turkish rider is showing it to be.

MotoGP is enjoying its own purple patch in 2024. Looking beyond this, it’s hard to see a case where MotoGP needs Razgatlioglu more than he wants it.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images



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Kawasaki to shut down factory WSBK team at end of 2024

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


From next year, the Japanese manufacturer will not be represented with a full works team in WSBK, but will continue to have an involvement in the championship as an official partner to the resurrected Bimota operation.

As part of the arrangement, Kawasaki will supply the engine from its existing Ninja-10RR to a Bimota chassis, while also transferring some of the staff members from its KRT squad to the Italian marque.

The new outfit will run under the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team banner.

The deal marks the conclusion of Kawasaki’s long history in the championship as a fully-fledged entrant, a tenure that saw it witness unprecedented success in the mid-to-late-2010s with Jonathan Rea.

Together, Rea and Kawasaki won six titles in a row between 2015-20, comfortably outgunning rivals like Ducati and Yamaha.

However, Rea quit the squad at the end of last year on the back of three difficult seasons to forge a new partnership with Yamaha, leaving the Japanese marque without the star with which it built its modern-day success.

“In the past thirteen years, myself, and all of those at the KRT workshop in Granollers, have dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to the Kawasaki Superbike project and garnered seven WorldSBK rider titles in that time plus numerous team and manufacturer awards,” KRT Team Manager Guim Roda said.

“Now – after Kawasaki competing for nearly four decades in the Superbike championship – we are proud to be part of a new era forming the infrastructure of the new Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team. 

“For sure we will spare some time to reflect on and celebrate the heritage of Kawasaki in Superbike racing, but we are also extremely excited to be a core component of this new Bimota and Kawasaki joint venture. 

“This is an evolution for Kawasaki’s approach to the top level of production racing and we are honoured to play our role in this new project. I am confident we have the technology and human resources necessary to succeed and it will be a fresh, energising experience fielding an impressive two-rider team in the 2025 Motul FIM WorldSBK Championship.” 

Bimota has a long history in superbike racing and is returning to the WSBK next year in part to increase the sale of its street motorcycles.

Last seen on the grid in 2000, Bimota won a number of races during its stint in WSBK in the previous century with the likes of Anthony Gobert and current Ducati MotoGP team manager  Davide Tardozzi.

Bimota COO Pierluigi Marconi said: “The engineering, technology and day to day business support already offered by Kawasaki has put Bimota firmly back into the consciousness of the media and potential customers, now it is time to take a next step in our evolution.

«Bimota has had racing as part of its DNA from day one and to compete in WorldSBK alongside developing our new product range, while expanding the European and global dealer network, has an undeniable logic to it.

«The Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team will surely form the foundations of the next chapter in the Bimota story.»



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