Luis D'Antin leaves the Pramac Alice MotoGp team

Just head on the qualifying coverage, and web reports confirm, that
Luis D'Antin has left the team that used to bear his name. Rumours of
'financial difficulties' at the team don't bode well for a grid that's
already too small.

 

http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=12593

Yeah, that was an odd thing to see. My guess is that it's in part due
to Ducati's dissatisfaction with the results to date, I don't think
they can understand why everyone but Stoner sucks on their bikes. That
D'Antin was apparently fired and the team didn't just fold suggests
this was driven by Ducati, or perhaps some friction with Pramac.

The opportunity that this presents is for Team Roberts, it would seem.
They were trying to line up Ducatis during the winter after they split
with Honda over motor quantities, and now there would seem to be bikes
available. If that happens, it will change the silly season math for
riders, as Roberts would be unlikely to go with the usual ex-250 Euro-
midgets when they seem incapable of riding the bike. Perhaps that
might make this seat more appealing to Spies, or we could see one of
the Roberts boys, or even someone like Zemke with a dirt background,
or maybe a Vermeulen or Edwards if they're out of their current gigs.
If Hayden lands at Corse, that might mean we'll see a very different
rider profile at Ducati than at Yamaha or Honda.

 

A Yank team? Roberts ex-dirt tracker, Hayden, ex-dirt tracker, on a
bike that begs to be flogged? Nah, not enough $'s, or is there?

IMO, I think they both have appointed themselves extremely well, but
now MAYBE it's time to come home and do what they do, but that's prolly
just me...

 

That's hardly D'Antin's fault, as Melandri sucks just as bad. It'd be
very interesting to see how Gibernau got on after his recent (and
extensive) tests. But I'd guess that info is pretty secret.

Unless D'Antin was collecting a big pay cheque, and they were looking
to cut costs.

Would this be Roberts' chassis, with Ducati motors, or running
complete Ducati bikes.

I'd love to see Team Roberts back, but his last showing with Honda
motors made it fairly clear how difficult it is to compete without a
full factory behind you.

 

Yeah, but Luis was recently revving up the heat on his riders, and
Ducati may have been coming down on all of them. It seems like Ducati
has really backed this team in the 800 era and probably expect more in
return.

Hard to say how that works, it was his team to a great extent. That he
got "fired" suggests he was the piece in a blended operation that was
determined to be needing to go. Not that it was all his fault, of
course, but sometimes the coach gets fired when things are determined
to just need a shakeup. But this all could be Roberts working behind
the scenes - remember when Ago got eased out of the picture at
Marlboro/Yamaha?

What they were saying in the winter was complete Ducatis at first, and
then with KR chassis later. Not sure how Ducati might feel about that
ultimately, but they're apparently going the chassisless carbonfiber
route next year, while Roberts probably would go twin-spar aluminum.
Either way, the tradition of chromoly tubing spaceframe hits the
history books at Ducati GP. But what happens when KR starts beating
Corse?

Ahh, but how about in 2006? The 2007 experience was with a new motor
that failed generally, was in particular harshly rejected by Hayden
even in current form recently, and Roberts had minimal time to put a
frame around that one. If Roberts knew now that they will be running
those next year and is given the new motors now, they might have time
enough to get something built. Or they just start with Ducati bikes
and go from there when they have something better. But this smells
like a situation where they might be much closer to the factory than
they ever were with Honda. Hell, it's possible that Ducati welcomes
their assistance in developing the new chassis concept.

 

Guintoli has been quietly improving as he alters his style to suit the
bike. Just 0.3s behind Hayden yesterday.

And of course, Martinez and Bautista. Except rumour is that Bautista
doesn't want to ride a Ducati after seeing what it's done to others.