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Lorenzo Reportedly on the Verge of Signing Yamaha Extension as Ducati Announces Return of its Riders

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It might not surprise you that Pol Espargaro was poised to move to the Yamaha Factory MotoGP team in the event Jorge Lorenzo departed. Yamaha Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal indicated as much in a recent interview concerning the younger Espargaro brother currently on his team.

As it turns out, both Poncharal and Jorge Lorenzo’s manager (according to the Italian press) indicate that Lorenzo is on the verge of signing an extension with Yamaha, a one-year deal with a one-year option thereafter.

Ducati has also announced the return of Factory riders Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso. Dovizioso has a new two-year deal, while Crutchlow has exercised his option to stay with the Factory team through the 2015 season.  The most promising rider on a Ducati this year is Andrea Iannone at the Pramac Squad, and it is expected that Iannone (who has shown some interest in a move to Suzuki) will also be aboard a Factory Ducati next year.

An official announcement from Yamaha concerning the contract extension for Lorenzo is expected in early August.

28 Comments

  1. joe b says:

    now they are saying Crutchlow has signed with LCR Honda?

  2. endoman38 says:

    I’m not so sure this makes for a boring series. A number of years back, when Jeremy McGrath had his perfect SX season going, interest in the series skyrocketed. If the mainstream press can catch on to it and promote it a bit, it can’t hurt.

  3. Brian says:

    Not much of a surprise when the signings of Rossi and Pedrosa were finalized.
    I don’t think that JL was every considering a move to Ducati, no matter what happened with the current riders.

    • Dave says:

      He’d have gone to whoever could pay him the most $$. If Yamaha doesn’t bring the offer up high enough, he’d go and lose on the Ducati for more money.

  4. mickey says:

    Boy you guys complaining about Marquez would have been really sick of road racing between 1966 and 1973 when Giacomo Agostini was not only dominating the 500 class but the 350 class as well winning dual championships in most of those years.

    • mickey says:

      now I have this comment awaiting Moderation twice. It’s been a day and a half since the first comment was put under moderation. geesh

  5. V says:

    It’s gotten so bad, that I only pay attention to the races now when my wife tells me that Marquez ate it during practice and destroyed his bike.. in hopes he won’t be racing. With the exception of maybe two rounds this year, there has been at *least* 10 seconds between Marquez and the third place rider by the end of the race.

    The last two races.. I’ve turned them off by the halfway point. Don’t get me wrong, I like Marquez, he’s good, and he’s not an arrogant kid like Lorenzo can be.. I just wish there was you know… actual racing going on.

    Hell, even when Rossi was at the top of his game and winning championship after championship, it was always a nail biter watching him toy with the second and first place riders, and fighting with them; yeah, he always won, but he rarely had an 8 second lead five laps into a race.

    • George says:

      I guess you are right if you only watch the lead of the race and only care about who wins. But if that is all you care about, why watch at all?

      I enjoy the racing throughout the field. MotoGP is rarely processional all they way down the field. Sure the winner, Marquez in the last 2 years, Stoner before him and Vale before Stoner was predictable and could and would often run off and hide but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good races for 4th or 8th in the field where the riders are fighting corner to corner and lap after lap… That is the spectacle and the fun!

      • V says:

        This would be true if FSN would actually show more of the race than the lead.. I get to see snippets of the contests over the lower placings, then its back to Marquez taking his bi-weekly sunday stroll.

        • MGNorge says:

          As someone here pointed out not long ago, if you haven’t been to one of these races in person, you’re missing something. Between watching what’s shown on TV as opposed to witnessing it all from front to back, there’s little doubt that there’s any real racing going on. There may not be a hard fought battle for first in some of these but that doesn’t mean they’re aren’t giving it their all.

  6. mickey says:

    In MotoGP there are 2 riders within 100 points of leader.
    In WSBK there are 3 riders within 100 points of leader but its going to come down to a race between Sykes and Guintoli for the Championship, so basically a 2 man race.
    In Moto 2 there are 4 riders within 100 points of the leader
    Now in Moto 3 there are 13 riders within 100 points of the leader but the Championship is most likely going to go to Miller or A Marquez so again basically a 2 man race.

    The creme always rises to the top and the best riders on the best bikes win the vast majority of the time

    • mickey says:

      That was supposed to be a reply to Tim below who finds MotoGP boring

    • Norm G. says:

      re: “its going to come down to a race between Sykes and Guintoli for the Championship”

      and even this is conditional on Aprilia pulling it’s head out over break.

    • Raven says:

      How about AMA Superbike?!?!

      Yeah, I know… who knows/cares, right? It’s a SHAME. Only seven (7) races this year – and NONE where I’ve been going to see them run for years (Road Atlanta and V.I.R.). Thanks for destroying AMA Pro Racing, Daytona Motorsports Group!!!

      • Raven says:

        Oh, I forgot… and NO television coverage. Pathetic.

        • Norm G. says:

          lemme get this straight…

          when there WAS coverage on the telly, everybody pissed and moaned about wanting racing “free lunch” style on YouTube…? and now that it’s on the internet we’re pissing and moaning about it not being on TV…?

          gentlemen, we cannot have it both ways. dare I suggest we rid ourselves of this 24/7, self-ingratiating “Walmart consumer” mindset and we make a CHOICE. god forbid right…?

          • Craig says:

            So true… it’s what we have and while it’s far from perfect… at least enjoy some of the best racing ever… at least in the 600 class.
            At least here I can watch it WHEREVER I am and if I miss it, they show it later.

            Pretty darn good I say and NO FREAKING commercials for the most part…

            Don’t be a complainer… it’s a lame choice!

  7. mickey says:

    Really, there was nowhere else for him to go., at least if he wants to stay somewhat competitive.

  8. Norm G. says:

    in other words, all the “silly season” talk was just that…

    silly.

  9. Tim says:

    I would love to see Lorenzo on a Honda. It’s probably the best chance we have of seeing competitive Moto GP racing again, at least in the near future. I’m not sure what’s wrong with Lorenzo and the Yamaha this year, but he could probably use a change (to Honda) to help get his mojo back.

    • Joseph says:

      If this year’s races are not competitive, then I don’t know what is!!

      • Jose Barreira says:

        You Got!

      • Tim says:

        Marquez is 9 and 0. The only time races have been close is when he’s allowed them to be close, until he puts the hammer down late. He is toying with the rest of the field. His bike is noticably faster than the Yamahas, and he is currently the most skilled rider. Pedrosa has a Honda but doesn’t have the skill to hang with Marquez, and Lorenzo doesn’t have the bike (and who knows what else is going on with him.)

        Also, how about some Champioship points drama? I’ve been a Moto GP fan for years, and most races this year have been boring, relative to other seasons. All if can say is that you guys are easy to please.

        • George says:

          Tim, not sure what you are watching but I think the MotoGp racing is doing great! Yes, I am tired of seeing no one able to beat Marqyuez at the finish line but that has happened in the past as well (Doohan in the 90s and Valentino in the early 2000s).

          There is a lot more to “racing” than just who crosses the finish line first. If all you care about is who wins, why watch it at all? Just read the results the next day!

          Watching the races is about elbow to elbow racing and race craft and we have seen lots of that this year, it is just usually for podium positions rather than the win. It is still good racing!

          • huu says:

            Also, many of MM’s wins have been really close and far from toying. Nobody swaps paint at 200 mph (f.ex. Mugello) unless they absolutely have to.

      • Mark Pearson says:

        You’re right – you don’t know what competitive is.

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