Capirossi to Suzuki....thoughts on potential?

Opinions on Capirossi's opportunity at Suzuki? I like the guy, but think he
might be on his way out. Actually surprised he got the factory ride at
Suzuki. Should I be?

 

Isn't it traditional for Suzuki to have one seat for an old champion
past their prime?

 

I tend to agree, I really can't see him doing anything that Hoppers
hasn't done already, I suppose theres always the chance he may gel
with the bike and release so far unseen potential from it but I doubt
it. Still it will be interesting to see how he goes and if he can
beat his team mate Vermulen.

Paul

 

It's a hard call to make. My feeling has been that at minimum he's
been one of the top 3 or 4 old JIS guys sourced from 250, and he
seemed to be as good as he's ever been last year. This year is such a
tough call to make, because the bike has changed so significantly, he
had the baby, and he's been at it at this level long enough that you
can see him really losing it. But at best he's not going to a miracle-
worker, and that Suzuki has been telling Vermeulen he's now number one
says they know it. So why Capirossi then, who must be costing them a
bunch of money?

What it means for certain is that Spies will not be on the factory
team next year, although the Schwantz-led second team is likely a
possibility still. More likely Ben will have a few wildcards top keep
him in the picture, but one would think it decreases the chances that
he'll go to Suzuki in '09, if he's not already there. The other
alternatives right now were guys like Elias, de Puniet, Edwards,
Checa, which doesn't look all that great, at least not in the longer
run. And then there are the 250 suspects, which seem quite suspect.
Obviously they didn't take a strong run at Toseland, and there's no
one else worth mentioning in WSB.

So what this probably means is they wanted someone that might be able
to do something if Vermeulen doesn't step up, but possibly someone who
they can move out if they feel Spies is ready to go in '09, or '10 if
he does a satellite year to get his feet wet. That they didn't go
after Toseland suggests they feel Chris and Ben are better long-term
prospects.

Or they're just doing the usual, grabbing the best guy they can see in
the limited universe right in front of their face, recycling yet
another EuroMed...