The MotoGP grid is changing in anticipation of the 2015 season, and it looks like Kawasaki will no longer be a part of the premier class. The Swiss magazine Speedweek appears to have found out about Avintia’s plans of dropping the FTR-Kawasaki machines Hector Barbera and Mike Di Meglio are using this season.
They will be replaced by… drums rolling… the very two Ducati bikes Pramac riders Andrea Iannone and Yonny Hernadez are using now. These bikes will however be equipped with a Marelli ECU and spec software, meaning they will become full-fledged Open Class prototypes and Avintia will be able to benefit from all the perks, such as softer tire, extra fuel and engines and more.
Iannone has showed that his Ducati can be “abnormally“ fast in certain conditions, but it will be interesting to see these bikes will perform with Marelli software. Ducati is already building a drastically changed GP15 Desmosedici under the supervision of Gigi Dall’Igna, with a new, smaller 90-degree V4 engine, and new chassis and bodywork. It looks like Ducati has provided a pretty reassuring story (and money to back it up) to convince Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Iannone to stay with the team, so this only makes things more interesting.
As for Suzuki, the house of Hamamatsu is said to have secured the services of former Moto3 champion and actual Moto2 rider Maverick Vinales… for the upcoming 3 seasons. The rumor is credible, as Davide Brivio was eyeing a young rider with a lot of potential to have him “schooled” aboard the XRH-1 bike and grow alongside the new prototype.
Several magazines in the Italian media also say that the other Suzuki rider will most likely be Aleix Espargaro, who is not only an open class champion for the last two seasons, but is also leading the segment halfway through the season, and is looking for a factory ride, as well. Suzuki has been dead-silent as far as the discussions with the elder of the Espargaro brothers, so we’re completely in the dark this time.
Still, with the other riders Suzuki has been trying to get, such as Dovizioso, Pedrosa, Iannone or Crutchlow having extended the contracts with their current teams, we might just see the NGM Forward Yamaha changing his livery in 2015. And to make things a tad more complex, Suzuki’s test rider Randy De Puniet might also think about getting a MotoGP ride in 2015…
Iannone has showed that his Ducati can be “abnormally“ fast in certain conditions, but it will be interesting to see these bikes will perform with Marelli software. Ducati is already building a drastically changed GP15 Desmosedici under the supervision of Gigi Dall’Igna, with a new, smaller 90-degree V4 engine, and new chassis and bodywork. It looks like Ducati has provided a pretty reassuring story (and money to back it up) to convince Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Iannone to stay with the team, so this only makes things more interesting.
As for Suzuki, the house of Hamamatsu is said to have secured the services of former Moto3 champion and actual Moto2 rider Maverick Vinales… for the upcoming 3 seasons. The rumor is credible, as Davide Brivio was eyeing a young rider with a lot of potential to have him “schooled” aboard the XRH-1 bike and grow alongside the new prototype.
Several magazines in the Italian media also say that the other Suzuki rider will most likely be Aleix Espargaro, who is not only an open class champion for the last two seasons, but is also leading the segment halfway through the season, and is looking for a factory ride, as well. Suzuki has been dead-silent as far as the discussions with the elder of the Espargaro brothers, so we’re completely in the dark this time.
Still, with the other riders Suzuki has been trying to get, such as Dovizioso, Pedrosa, Iannone or Crutchlow having extended the contracts with their current teams, we might just see the NGM Forward Yamaha changing his livery in 2015. And to make things a tad more complex, Suzuki’s test rider Randy De Puniet might also think about getting a MotoGP ride in 2015…
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