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Aspar Ditches Honda, Buys Ducati Bikes and Showa Suspensions for the 2016 MotoGP

Honda loses one more customer in MotoGP as Team Aspar confirmed they will no longer be using machines from the House of Tokyo in 2016. Jorge Martinez believes that the future will be brighter using Ducati bikes and he plans to field Borgo Panigale steeds next season.
Eugene Laverty, the best Open rider at Aragon, 2015, in Aspar livery 6 photos
Photo: Aspar
Eugene Laverty, Aspar's top riderEugene Laverty, Aspar's top riderNicky HaydenNicky Hayden no longer with Aspar in 2016, neither in MotoGPEugene Laverty, Aspar's top rider
This makes Ducati one of the manufacturers with the strongest fleet on the premier class grid, with no less than eight motorcycles. Two will be the official factory bikes, accompanied by the two Octo Pramac satellite bikes.

Other two customer Ducati will reach Avintia, with the ones Aspar will field next year rounding up the figure eight. Pramac Ducati will be using GP15 machines, whereas Aspar announced they will receive the GP14.2 bikes.

Joining the Ducati camp is a long shot that may pay off quite nicely in the future

Choosing to run Ducati machinery is a far more important choice for an Open team than you might think. Taking a look back in time to how the bikes evolved after Gigi Dall'Igna joined the Ducati stables, we saw major improvements over the GP14 machine. These improvements are so important that we'd almost say the GP14.2 is a completely different bike from the initial GP14.

Aspar has also run Ducati machinery in the past, as the first two MotoGP seasons, 2011 and 2011, have been powered by Borgo Panigale. Ducati will appreciate having their bikes once more in Jorge Martinez' stables and their collaboration will be taken one step further... possibly through 2017.

That is, Aspar could receive the GP15 bikes factory riders Iannone and Dovizioso are using now. These bikes have proven they are almost on par with those at the top of the pack, and further development Pramac will bring next year will make them even more competitive.

A privateer team having access to such bikes is a great boon, and will only make the series more thrilling. However, Aspar is already planning improvements for the Ducati bikes, as Martinez confirmed the team will run with Showa suspensions this year. Aspar already secured Yonny Hernandez for 2016, and he is acquainted with Ducati only too well after two Pramac seasons. He replaces Nicky Hayden. The team is also in negotiations with Eugene Laverty.
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