MotoGP 2015: A Subtle Silly Season

Aug 19, 2015
6 min read

Last year's silly season was, well, just that - silly! We had rumours of Lorenzo going to Ducati, Cal Crutchlow re-signing with Ducati only to go to Honda one week later, Jack Miller being rushed through from Moto3. It was great.

This year's silly season started off a little dry. Suzuki, Repsol Honda, Movistar Yamaha and Ducati Corse all have their riders tied down until the end of next year, meaning that there wasn't going to be any moves within the big teams. So we were left debating the satellite situation.

But rumours of financial troubles amongst some teams and shock switches from some unlikely candidates has thrown fuel on the silly season fire. So lets have a look at what the possibilities of next year are.

Aprilia

As I mentioned, the main factory teams are sewn up for 2016 but for Aprilia. This has been an interesting one; Moto2 frontrunner Sam Lowes was in line for an RS-GP next year, but Stefan Bradl's arrival from Forward Racing – another interesting talking point – has thrown a spanner in the works. The German has been quite good in his two races, finishing 14th in Brno behind team-mate Alvaro Bautista after a race-long duel. So it looks like Bradl's services may be retained for next season, and I'd find it cruel to dump Bautista given that he has done most of the donkey work for the team whilst former team-mate Marco Melandri struggled around at the back. Continuity is also vital to a new team getting off the ground, so to have a third rider change in one year would be counterproductive. With no satellite outfit on the horizon until 2017 it seems Lowes will have to wait it out for a premier class seat.

The Briton, a race winner in Austin, has impressed many people this year and has himself the pick of the top teams in the intermediate class. So having to wait one more year in Moto2 might not be a terrible thing. But where he would go remains a little vague. Rumours in the Moto2 paddock suggest Jonas Folger will be going to Dynavolt GP next year, whilst Luis Salom's position within the Pons team must be unstable given that he hasn't shown any real progress in two years. If this is to happen then Lowes could end up in Salom's vacated seat should he be dropped. I mentioned the Dynavolt situation as that leaves a free seat at AGR which Salom could inhabit if he is dropped, which I do feel seems likely.

Marc VDS Honda

Lowes could also end up at the Marc VDS team next year in Moto2. Tito Rabat's decision to stay in the class to defend his title hasn't gone well, but that's not to say that a move to the premier class isn't still on.

Scott Redding could be about to give the team specially set up to accommodate him in the premier class the cold shoulder, and this could mean Rabat will be called into action. This leaves a space for Lowes to jump into the top team in Moto2.

Back to Redding for a minute. He's had a torrid time on the RC213V this year, and he's reached the end of his tether. Seeing as he's endured two years of woeful HRC machinery this is no surprise, and staying one place with no hope in sight could be damaging to his career – it's already altered some people's perception of the Englishman.

If Redding does leave then I can only see Rabat taking his place, but where does that leave Scott?

Pramac Ducati

Pramac Ducati have been something of an epicentre in the 2016 rider market. Indianapolis yielded rumours that Cal Crutchlow could be returning to the Italian manufacturer under Pramac colours, prompted by LCR's unclear future with title sponsor CWM.

But that rumour has since been laid to rest as Cal's RC213V had Castrol Power One sponsorship emblazoned on it for the Michelin tyre test in Brno. Though not confirmed to be the team's new sponsor, it does seem likely and that he'll probably be there next year.

Cal's countryman, Danny Kent, was revealed to be in talks with the Pramac squad on the run-up to the Czech GP, with a three-year deal confirmed to be on offer for the Moto3 Championship leader. Kent is seriously considering this offer and rightly so; a return to Moto2 may be a waste of time, especially with that class becoming saturated with riders looking to break into the premier class. Moto2 may beckon if the Leopard Racing Team expand next year, which is reportedly what they want to do. They had also expressed interest in Forward Racing's spot should they fall out of the series, but Yamaha Boss Lin Jarvis stated this week that only four YZR-M1s would be on the grid next year. That means that Leopard Racing won't be expanding into MotoGP in 2016 but 2017 is still a possibility, so if Leopard Racing do expand into Moto2 then Kent will use that as merely a layover with his eyes firmly fixed on 2017.

Following Sunday's race it was revealed on the FOX Sport website that Scott Redding had also been in contact with Pramac Ducati. Apparently, from what I read of Twitter from notable journalists, this is very much a possibility and more so than Kent going there.

Redding tested for Ducati in 2012, and it went very well. Redding may be more beneficial that Kent given his experience on open and factory machinery, whilst Kent would take some time to get used to MotoGP. With the Championship electronics being equal next year satellite teams may be regular podium contenders, and Pramac will be wanting to get amongst that. Redding would be the perfect man for that job.

Another name touted for that seat is Moto2 Champion elect Johann Zarco, but has said that he doesn't mind waiting another year in Moto2 if the opportunities aren't right for him. To me that suggests that he's waiting to see if Ajo Motorsport make a move onto the premier class grid in 2017 as he really like working with that team. All factories must have four bike on the grid in 2017, one of those factories being KTM. Given that Ajo Motorsport are effectively the factory KTM team in Moto3 this seems the most logical fit. But that's speculation for next August.

And The Rest

With Pramac pretty much looking elsewhere, and stating that Danilo Petrucci is almost 100% confirmed for next year, Yonny Hernandez will be looking for alternative employment. Word is that he'll be returning the Avintia squad, which in-turn forces Mike Di Meglio out the door.

Forward Racing lost their title sponsor Athina, as well as others, after team owner Giovanni Cuzari was arrested by Swiss authorities. This meant the squad missed Indianapolis and only have the upcoming Silverstone and Misano rounds in their future at present. All of this prompted Stefan Bradl to split with the team, which has turned out to be a good move. Much of the rumours about this team say that they will not be on the grid in 2016, in either MotoGP or Moto2 which would be a massive shame for a team that finished on the podium just one year ago. This is even more unfortunate for Frenchman Loris Baz who has had a very respectable rookie season.

It also looks likely we'll lose Ioda from the grid, which isn't really surprising as they were heading the way of the dodo for 2017 anyway. AB Motoracing could also be on their way out after.

The only real question mark now is Aspar Honda. The Spanish team are financially unstable after title sponsor Drive M7 pulled out prior to the Qatar race. They've run with Power Electronics for much of this season as title sponsor, but things still look uncertain. If they are on the grid then I can't see any changes being made; Eugene Laverty has impressed under difficult circumstances and Nicky Hayden has had his moments.

So, like last year, it's time for my 2016 grid prediction:

Yamaha – Rossi/Lorenzo

Honda – Marquez/Pedrosa

Ducati – Dovizioso/Iannone

Suzuki – Espargaro/Vinales

Aprilia – Bautista/Bradl

Tech 3 – Smith/Espargaro

LCR – Crutchlow/Miller

Pramac – Petrucci/Redding

Avintia – Hernandez/Barbera

Marc VDS – Rabat

Aspar – Laverty/Hayden