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Ioda Retires from MotoGP, Rossi Becomes a Masterchef Judge

The MotoGP grid for 2016 is one rider smaller after Ioda Racing and Aprilia mutually agreed that another season in the premier class was not the best choice. Tuesday night, less than a week before the first official pre-season test for the MotoGP teams, Aprilia and Ioda Racing boss Giampiero Sacchi reached an agreement to withdraw from the premier class.
Rossi as a Masterchef judge 1 photo
Photo: motogp.com capture
Having also lost sponsors such as Came and Octo and struggling both financially and with an outdated Aprilia machine, Ioda was next on the scrap list for Dorna.

The series' right holders repeatedly said that, in an effort to improve the competitiveness of the championship, the teams with the worst results would be eliminated. Teams such as Forward Racing, Cardion AB, or PBM have already left the premier class.

Dorna Sports, who also owns the rights to the World Superbike, says that Ioda would be welcome in that series, fielding two RSV4 machines, if they wanted to. As for the Grand Prix championship, Ioda is said to retain the Moto2 team, even though it is not sure who will be at the helm of which bike.

The former rider in MotoGP, Alex De Angelis, is still recovering from his brutal Motegi crash last year. Speculations indicate Efren Vasquez, but nothing is certain for the moment.

Valentino Rossi is a Masterchef judge between his Sky Racing VR46 Moto3 team and his VR46 Academy one

The Italian Masterchef TV show intersected with MotoGP in a nice and funny way. Valentino Rossi's moto playground, the Motoranch in Tavullia hosted an interesting cooking competition in which the Doctor took part as a judge.

The nine-time world champion had to make a call and decide which of his teams was better at cooking. The TV show pitted Rossi's Sky Racing VR46 Moto3 team and his VR46 Academy team. Rossi joined the ranks of the usual Masterchef judges Bruno Barbieri, Carlo Cracco, Antonio Canavacciulo, plus catering manager Joe Bastianic.

No less than 14 competitors were grouped into two teams, and they had to cook Italian classic dishes, such as grilled meat, bruschetta, salads, and vegetables.

Follow this MotoGP link for a summary of this uncanny but fun competition.
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