2024 silly season!

gui22a · Oct 4, 2023

mylexicon said:
Well, I'm not sure that earning money from entertainment necessarily invokes "conspiracy", but my point was that Gigi is probably a passenger in this deal. Sure, he can take some pride in knowing that the best riders all want to be on his bike in 2024, but Ducati are treating this like a stop-gap rather than a full coup. Ducati are not allowing Marc to bring his crew because they are allegedly worried that the crew (and maybe Marc) will be departing in the near future.

What does that mean? Who knows? The pay at Gresini would not be good enough to keep Marc's people around for long? Marc will be departing in the near future for another manufacturer? Marc will buy Gresini with his brother and move the satellite team back into Honda's camp? We need a crystal ball.

I have this impression also. Seems Marc is gonna leave in 2025, maybe back to Honda? Who knows...

Would be nice if he end up buying Gresini lol....

#22 · Oct 4, 2023

mylexicon said:
Well, I'm not sure that earning money from entertainment necessarily invokes "conspiracy", but my point was that Gigi is probably a passenger in this deal.

A happy passenger for sure, it's a win win for Ducati. If Marc is competitive, he will be so on a Ducati.

mylexicon said:
Sure, he can take some pride in knowing that the best riders all want to be on his bike in 2024, but Ducati are treating this like a stop-gap rather than a full coup. Ducati are not allowing Marc to bring his crew because they are allegedly worried that the crew (and maybe Marc) will be departing in the near future.

Agreed. Unless something drastically changes at Gresini, the fact Marc insisted on a 1 yr deal means he is looking for a new factory ride for 2025 when the market opens up. Maybe then, his crew will join him.
I seem to recall that was one of the sticking points with Rossi to Petronas Yamaha in 2021, that a small team has a hard time dropping loyal employees for a new riders entourage, especially if they are only staying short term.

mylexicon said:
What does that mean? Who knows? The pay at Gresini would not be good enough to keep Marc's people around for long? Marc will be departing in the near future for another manufacturer? Marc will buy Gresini with his brother and move the satellite team back into Honda's camp? We need a crystal ball.

I'm sceptical about Marc buying Gresini, but who knows. I may be surprised. He will have competition from KTM if so.

MichaelBolton · Oct 4, 2023

MdubSTYLIE said:
They should go after a young rider like Arbolino or Dixon

Believe it or not, Dixon is only a year younger than Viñales.

mylexicon said:
What does that mean? Who knows? The pay at Gresini would not be good enough to keep Marc's people around for long? Marc will be departing in the near future for another manufacturer? Marc will buy Gresini with his brother and move the satellite team back into Honda's camp? We need a crystal ball.

gui22a said:
I have this impression also. Seems Marc is gonna leave in 2025, maybe back to Honda? Who knows...

My theory: Gresini will become KTM's 3rd team in 2025. Right now they have a depressing lack of sponsors. Marc can partner with RB and reach a deal with Gresini to move to KTM, receive full factory support and keep everyone happy (except Ducati). KTM get their wish of having 3 teams without having to sacrifice more riders than they already have.

As for Marc returning to Honda, I don't think it will happen before 2027.

#22 · Oct 4, 2023

WAY early I know but along those lines I see 2025 Going something like this:

Factory KTM:
Binder
Marquez (Yes yes Acosta, but Red Bull bankroll that team and will have the final say)

GasGas
Miller or Pol Espargaro
Raul Fernandez

Husqvarna (formerly Gresini)
Acosta
Alex Marquez

Bern1 · Oct 4, 2023

Fascinating development. I didn’t think it was going to happen. It will be interesting to see how he does. Not looking forward to another Marquez win almost every race year but it could happen based on past performance. (On an entirely different motorcycle and different set of rules, as we know.)

Somehow, I think things have changed enough for that not to happen.

#22 · Oct 4, 2023

We will see. Marc will be out to prove a point, which is when I think he will be at his most dangerous.

MichaelBolton · Oct 4, 2023

Perhaps because I'm a huge fan of him, but I'm cautious with the move. While I don't think he'll do worse than in Honda, and if Alex can be competitive on the Duc, Marc will too; but we already know that this sport is unpredictable at times and sometimes an injury can derail things. This season alone we have had three Duc riders out of action for extended periods. With 44 races, it's gonna be a long season and anything can happen. Current MotoGP is starting to resemble the old era of grand prix racing (both 2 and 4 wheels) in which the one who could finish more races was the favorite to win. Marc needs to take things calmly. Even another injury this season on the Honda could prove fatal for his chances next year, I know he'll want to get one last victory for Honda, with Philip Island being the most likely chance to do so.

#22 · Oct 4, 2023

That is the sad reality of the sport these days, you're right. We could have seen Bagnaia's season (and career) ended in Barcelona. I'm hoping if Marc gels with the GP23 at the post season test, he will be relaxed going into 2024.
I still think that he has a maturity and consistency that most of the other frontrunners do not. A championship challenge may be hindered by being on a customer bike though.

That said, I was hugely excited for Lorenzo to join Honda in 2019 and I was left crushed by what might have been. In fact Lizzy was never seen again on here after his retirement. I still watch the first 1.5 laps of Barcelona 2019 imagining what could have been...

mylexicon · Oct 4, 2023

MichaelBolton said:
My theory: Gresini will become KTM's 3rd team in 2025. Right now they have a depressing lack of sponsors. Marc can partner with RB and reach a deal with Gresini to move to KTM, receive full factory support and keep everyone happy (except Ducati). KTM get their wish of having 3 teams without having to sacrifice more riders than they already have.

As for Marc returning to Honda, I don't think it will happen before 2027.

Reasonable theory since KTM are obviously eying expansion. There was a rumor that if Marc left, he was taking Repsol with him. Unclear what sort of deal Honda and Repsol actually have, but if they jump ship to go with the Marquez' to Gresini, that would be interesting. That would also be more than enough sponsor money to run a team, but would Repsol really leave for a satellite team? I'm skeptical that would happen, unless they are exploring a new sponsorship strategy, rather than dumping a huge amount of money into a pair of factory bikes.

Keshav · Oct 4, 2023

#22 said:
Confirmation, Marc Marquez to Gresini Ducati in 2024
Marc Marquez will leave Honda MotoGP team for Gresini Ducati

michaelm · Oct 4, 2023

#22 said:
That is the sad reality of the sport these days, you're right. We could have seen Bagnaia's season (and career) ended in Barcelona. I'm hoping if Marc gels with the GP23 at the post season test, he will be relaxed going into 2024.
I still think that he has a maturity and consistency that most of the other frontrunners do not. A championship challenge may be hindered by being on a customer bike though.

That said, I was hugely excited for Lorenzo to join Honda in 2019 and I was left crushed by what might have been. In fact Lizzy was never seen again on here after his retirement. I still watch the first 1.5 laps of Barcelona 2019 imagining what could have been...

The customer bike thing is the issue. If the parity between the customer bike and the factory bikes is similar to this year he can win the title. Pretty much everyone including me has been surprised by the level of the Ducati customer bikes in recent years though, and it is certainly possible the Gresini bike won’t be as comparable next year and I suspect Ducati will have some control over that. If he rides as he did the year he won the title with the bad shoulder I guess he could still win by not crashing which I suspect Bagnaia for one will continue to do and at least he will be on a bike which is not actively trying to kill him.

I agree with Lex that this is a reflection of Honda not having the resources or not wishing to expend the resources to have a competitive bike next year in the dying days of this formula, which would likely imo require a new engine and aero etc stuff in which they have no interest.

#22 · Oct 4, 2023

Marc released a statement to the effect of "why climb everest on 5 days when you can do it in 3?".
Says it all really, he doesn't have time for Honda to decide if they want to build a competitive bike again.

PRS717 · Oct 4, 2023

#22 said:
WAY early I know but along those lines I see 2025 Going something like this:

Factory KTM:
Binder
Marquez (Yes yes Acosta, but Red Bull bankroll that team and will have the final say)

GasGas
Miller or Pol Espargaro
Raul Fernandez

Husqvarna (formerly Gresini)
Acosta
Alex Marquez

So Acosta and Pol Espargaro at Gas Gas is not set in stone?

michaelm · Oct 4, 2023

PRS717 said:
So Acosta and Pol Espargaro at Gas Gas is not set in stone?

Also Raul or Augusto ?.

Bern1 · Oct 4, 2023

#22 said:
We will see. Marc will be out to prove a point, which is when I think he will be at his most dangerous.

Yes, the last time he really emphatically tried to prove a point he was most dangerous to himself. It cost him a lot of track time and other time when he tried to show Fabio what was what.

michaelm · Oct 4, 2023

Bern1 said:
Yes, the last time he really emphatically tried to prove a point he was most dangerous to himself. It cost him a lot of track time and other time when he tried to show Fabio what was what.

Absolutely. The whole humeral fracture saga started when he crashed trying to prove a point to FQ when he had no real chance of improving his position.

warthog1 · Oct 4, 2023

Barbedwirebikerr said:
I'm keen. Can't promise I could complete an out lap.

I liked that.
Braver than me though. I have low bone density from years of cycling. I'd shatter into a thousand pieces after I managed to get it going after stalling it multiple times and flip the ........

#22 · Oct 5, 2023

Bern1 said:
Yes, the last time he really emphatically tried to prove a point he was most dangerous to himself. It cost him a lot of track time and other time when he tried to show Fabio what was what.

I'm hoping he has matured since then. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Jerez 2020.

warthog1 said:
I liked that.
Braver than me though. I have low bone density from years of cycling. I'd shatter into a thousand pieces after I managed to get it going after stalling it multiple times and flip the ........

Well We know who Warthog is now:

#22 · Oct 5, 2023

Here is an interesting video on the matter from 'The Race' Youtube channel.

Interestingly, they claim he was offered a ride at Pramac directly under Ducati contract, but that it would have been a 2 year deal.

warthog1 · Oct 5, 2023

#22 said:
.

Well We know who Warthog is now:
View attachment 14376

I wish I had his talent and money but lost me there sorry

2024 silly season!

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