Photo: lawspeed.com
The rumor mill is turning faster than ever, even though we are only three rounds into the 2016 championship. Despite Lorenzo's stern refusal to say absolutely anything regarding his future plans, there are many others who seem to know more about this, and the last man to speak is Davide Brivio of Ecstar Suzuki.
The Hamamatsu official sounds like he is pretty convinced that Jorge Lorenzo WILL ride a factory Ducati as of next year. In a way, we know that Suzuki has all the reasons to be very well informed about what's going on on the rider market, so we tend to believe that Mr. Brivio is not into smoke and mirrors.
If Lorenzo jumps boat and signs with Ducati, Suzuki's top rider Maverick Vinales is most likely to receive a very tempting offer from Yamaha. With Suzuki's second factory rider Aleix Espargaro still a good distance from being competitive, the prospect of Team Suzuki losing their main pilot is anything but comforting.
Brivio seems to know more about what's happening in the MotoGP paddock than the rest of the guys are telling. "Everyone knows that Lorenzo has signed with Ducati. Yamaha is trying to take Maverick. Of course, for us it is very important for our project, I would say crucial because with him we may try to stay in the top positions," adds he. Ducati's Andrea Iannone seems to agree with the idea, too.
He then continues and says that Suzuki will try their best to keep Vinales, as he is one of the main elements that helps house Hamamatsu develop and refine their GSX-RR MotoGP prototype. Suzuki lost their main test rider Randy de Puniet, who has been hired by KTM alongside Thomas Luthi and Alex Hofmann.
Whether the entire story is indeed true or not we will most certainly find out by Jerez in a fortnight, or even earlier. As we reported already, the offer Yamaha is said to prepare for Vinales is not only a better one financially, but it also comes with certain perks that are pure unobtainium.
Namely, we're talking about becoming the disciple of Valentino Rossi, with most of the practical lessons taking place on the track during races. Sure, this might come with the "second fiddle" position, but if Vinales shows that he can ride a Yamaha M1 better than Rossi does, we believe that nobody will tell him to lay low.
If Lorenzo jumps boat and signs with Ducati, Suzuki's top rider Maverick Vinales is most likely to receive a very tempting offer from Yamaha. With Suzuki's second factory rider Aleix Espargaro still a good distance from being competitive, the prospect of Team Suzuki losing their main pilot is anything but comforting.
Brivio seems to know more about what's happening in the MotoGP paddock than the rest of the guys are telling. "Everyone knows that Lorenzo has signed with Ducati. Yamaha is trying to take Maverick. Of course, for us it is very important for our project, I would say crucial because with him we may try to stay in the top positions," adds he. Ducati's Andrea Iannone seems to agree with the idea, too.
He then continues and says that Suzuki will try their best to keep Vinales, as he is one of the main elements that helps house Hamamatsu develop and refine their GSX-RR MotoGP prototype. Suzuki lost their main test rider Randy de Puniet, who has been hired by KTM alongside Thomas Luthi and Alex Hofmann.
Whether the entire story is indeed true or not we will most certainly find out by Jerez in a fortnight, or even earlier. As we reported already, the offer Yamaha is said to prepare for Vinales is not only a better one financially, but it also comes with certain perks that are pure unobtainium.
Namely, we're talking about becoming the disciple of Valentino Rossi, with most of the practical lessons taking place on the track during races. Sure, this might come with the "second fiddle" position, but if Vinales shows that he can ride a Yamaha M1 better than Rossi does, we believe that nobody will tell him to lay low.
Google News