From Road Racing World September 2008; MotoGP Notes by Mat Oxley
<span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%Michelin May Run A Mix of Bridgestone and Ducati in 2009
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Ducati may run its two different MotoGP teams on different tires next season. The Italian factory believes that having all its riders on the same tires can lead to difficultires, as seen this year, with one rider excelling with the package while the others struggle. So Ducati officials are planning to run the factory Marlboro backed outfit on Bridgestone tires with the Alice team presumably on Michelins. Ducati MotoGP boss Livio Suppo believes that Casey Stoner's astonishing pace is having a detrimental psychological effect on his fellow GP08 riders. Unable to get close to the Aussie's pace, Suppo says they're giving up. He cites Yamaha's current situation as a positive, with the factory's fastest rider on one type of tires and its other riders on a rival brand scoring better than expected results.
"The problem we have now is crazy but it is like this - having such a strong rider becomes a problem for the others," said Suppo in Germany. "This is why we are thinking next year to run two bikes with Bridgestone and two bikes with different tires. Look at Yamaha, they have put their strongest rider on different tires and the other three riders are doing better than expected. That way there is no direct comparison with a super strong rider. I'm pretty sure that if everything goes OK that we can put two young guns on different tires next year."
Keep in mind this was right after Sachsenring but way before the disaster at Laguna and Brno. It is also at least 1 month before the riders safety meeting, where the riders allegedly requested a control tire.
Ducati voluntarily chucking the tire brand that has won them a championship? Less than a year ago you couldn't pry a set of tires from Mr. Bridgestone's cold dead hands, now Ducati are voluntarily switching?! Suppo making perhaps the weakest argument any team director has ever made.
This makes no sense at all. Also notice Suppo never said Michelins.
<span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%Michelin May Run A Mix of Bridgestone and Ducati in 2009
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Ducati may run its two different MotoGP teams on different tires next season. The Italian factory believes that having all its riders on the same tires can lead to difficultires, as seen this year, with one rider excelling with the package while the others struggle. So Ducati officials are planning to run the factory Marlboro backed outfit on Bridgestone tires with the Alice team presumably on Michelins. Ducati MotoGP boss Livio Suppo believes that Casey Stoner's astonishing pace is having a detrimental psychological effect on his fellow GP08 riders. Unable to get close to the Aussie's pace, Suppo says they're giving up. He cites Yamaha's current situation as a positive, with the factory's fastest rider on one type of tires and its other riders on a rival brand scoring better than expected results.
"The problem we have now is crazy but it is like this - having such a strong rider becomes a problem for the others," said Suppo in Germany. "This is why we are thinking next year to run two bikes with Bridgestone and two bikes with different tires. Look at Yamaha, they have put their strongest rider on different tires and the other three riders are doing better than expected. That way there is no direct comparison with a super strong rider. I'm pretty sure that if everything goes OK that we can put two young guns on different tires next year."
Keep in mind this was right after Sachsenring but way before the disaster at Laguna and Brno. It is also at least 1 month before the riders safety meeting, where the riders allegedly requested a control tire.
Ducati voluntarily chucking the tire brand that has won them a championship? Less than a year ago you couldn't pry a set of tires from Mr. Bridgestone's cold dead hands, now Ducati are voluntarily switching?! Suppo making perhaps the weakest argument any team director has ever made.
This makes no sense at all. Also notice Suppo never said Michelins.
