Gresini trades Fortuna and Michelin for Movistar and Bridgestone

Article

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Shortly after the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix, Fausto Gresini confirmed that neither tyre supplier Michelin, nor cigarette manufacturer Fortuna, will continue to support the satellite Honda team next season.

Fortuna Honda won four races during 2006, with Marco Melandri taking three victorious on his way to fourth in the championship while Toni Elias claimed his first ever MotoGP victory at the penultimate round in Portugal.

Both riders will remain with the team next season, which is now all but certain to switch to Bridgestone tyres - winners of four races this season with Ducati.

"After seven years of racing with Michelin it is difficult to break up but as so often happens in life and in racing, paths can go in separate ways in the search of a fresh challenge," stated Gresini. "At this Grand Prix Team Gresini have ended a long collaboration with Michelin, which goes back to our start. They have been seven years of great collaboration and satisfaction. I want to thank the factory and their staff for helping us achieve great victories and fighting for the championship. With the 2006 season now over we are looking forward to next year and the new 800cc bikes. We take on the challenge alongside Honda once again but with a new tyre supplier. In the chase for the title we want we have decided to try and new way of distinguishing ourselves from the other factory teams."

Meanwhile, Fortuna had replaced Movistar as the team's title sponsor for 2006: "I want to thank Fortuna for their support in such a great season. Together we have taken four victories and a total of seven podiums. My compliments go to all the staff at Fortuna who have enjoyed this season with us and given us the chance to fight at the very top level," he said.

Financial troubles methinks. Telefonica not as generous as they used to be. Bet Melandri's spewing.

The Bridgestone thing's been coming a while. I worry about that a bit because all Hondas are on Michelin and there have been tracks at which Loris complained long and loud about his tyres. Marco seems to think that Michelin aim their development at Rossi, which is a bit silly considering how helpul they were in China. Still he wants to try something different...he said he wants a unique package and thinks Bridgestone will give him more attention. I really hope it works out for him.

Damn and I was loving the Fortuna livery as well..

How will both riders fair on the stones is the big question?

^ Well apparently Michelin had developed a new tyre especially to suit Elias's riding style, just this weekend.

Shame they're giving that up.

i agree dazz, fortuna livery looked good... i was never a fan of the movistar one

well in all honesty i really don't believe that elias will be much of a factor next year, as this year. i think estoril was a 1 off so bridgestones/michelins it won't matter for him. could be wrong bout that but we'll have to see. melandri i think will benefit. brigdestone have come quite a ways & really only struggled a a couple of tracks this season. they'll be even better next year & marco should get better service.

Who is going to be the sponsor though?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CaptainSnow @ Oct 30 2006, 10:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Who is going to be the sponsor though?
i do believe telefonica again.

I liked the Movistar bikes. You need the token "blue bikes" anyway. Sea blue, like Gauloses Yams or Telefonica RCV's, not crappy Rizla baby blue.

As for tyres, I would have thought Melandri would want the best rubber, but maybe he's of the opinion that more attention from Brigestone will suit him better than more quality from Michelin. I wonder if that's the reason behind the switch, or if it's financial issues. I guess after almost losing him to Ducati, Gresini would be willing to do quite a bit to keep Marco happy. Here's another thing. With Nakano taking Bridgestone to Konica Minolta, Gresini jumping ship and D'Antin moving up in the world, Bridgestone are nearly doubling their GP customer base. Do they have the capacity to cover that? Or will having half the grid on their rubber work as an advantage? Combined with the new tyre limits and the 800s, 2007 could be a very intresting year for the GP tyre war.

Bridgestone are a massive company, bigger than Michelin, so I can't see resources being an issue. This is quite a coup and a challenge for them as now they have a level playing field to compete with Michelin on the same bike with a rider capable of winning races, Melandri. 2007 will be very interesting from a tyre war point of view.

Capirossi was good enough to take the fight to the top Michelins last year, and did so successfully too as far as I can see.

Other than that, I'm glad to see Fortuna go. The less tobacco companies in MotoGP the better as far as I'm concerned, I'd be all too happy to see an all out ban on tobacco sponsoring, a la Formula 1.

^ agree about the tobacco companies.
I love the Movistar livery. I've got a shirt from Sepang circuit in the same colours. Yayyy!
Marco was very explicit about why he wanted the Bridgestone deal. He says they will give him the attention he wants. Fair enough. Also more bikes on Bridgestones means more data coming into the R&D which means hopefully a better product overall. We'll see how it turns out.

Pollutants from exhaust pipes kill far more people than cigarrettes do. I'm not implying that Repsol, Exxon or Shell should be hated anymore than we do Philip Morris or Altadis.

People use cars and planes so there will always be companies happy to supply them.

Thank you Vespix, and I've been told I'm mad for having that very opinion.

It's all a matter of degrees. Driving a car is a human and social aspiration by anyone who can afford it. However owning a SUV (or a 'Chelsea tractor' in the UK) is inmoral.

I wonder what exactly the story is with the revolving door of Team Gresini sponsors. Gibernau leaving, and focusing on Alonso in F1 were the reasons I heard for Telefonica withdrawing at the end of 2005. I wonder why they're coming back now--especially since the rider lineup is the same.

And as for Fortuna leaving, that had been mentioned for quite some time; though I don't remember any reason being given. Are they withdrawing from the 250s as well?

The tyre switch could be a good thing. Tamada made them work with a Honda, at least at times. Melandri and Elias look capable enough to at least match their 2006 achievements.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bikergirl @ Oct 30 2006, 06:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Marco seems to think that Michelin aim their development at Rossi, which is a bit silly considering how helpul they were in China.

I think they do aim their development at Rossi. Just as with factory bikes and new parts there is a pecking order with tyres, with the lastest and greatest going to the top riders. When you're using the cutting edge stuff sometimes it breaks down, though it is fairly rare with tyres. In MotoGP/500s the last incidents of chunking I can think of were Roberts Jr at Philip Island in 1999 (which probably cost him a title) and before that Doohan at Hockenheim in 1992 (both Michelins). I think the Dunlop guys in 1992 (Schwantz and Rainey) also had some problems early in the season too.

So Rossi really was very unlucky in China

Nakano chunked in Mugello in 2004.
Rossi chunked twice in 2006 at Shanghai and Laguna Seca.

Fortuna will focus on its 250cc rider lineup.

Telefonica wanted to focus on a Spanish rider that gave good results.
Alonso was their answer in F1.

Does that answer all the questions?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CaptainSnow @ Nov 1 2006, 05:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Nakano chunked in Mugello in 2004.
Aah, yeah, I'd forgotten about that one. He had a big crash because of it too, right? Reminds me of that famous Barry Sheene accident at Daytona all those years ago.

Did Rossi's tyre chunk at Laguna this year? I thought his bike shat itself. Or was it both?

Thinking about Telefonica, another reason for withdrawing at the end of 2005 was their hissy fit over their boy Pedrosa signing with Repsol. But thanks for the info, Captain.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (richo @ Oct 30 2006, 11:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Combined with the new tyre limits and the 800s, 2007 could be a very intresting year for the GP tyre war.

Tire limits would not be a factor at least for the time being.. currently, each rider uses about 31 tires... the new ruling caps it at 31 tires.. so no effect here.. what this does is to cap spending in the future.. the only thing is see when Michelin or Bridgestones having problems is that when they go to a new track and riders get extra track time, thereby making not enough tires to go around.

Also, where in the article did it say Telefonica replacing Fortuna? All I see is "Meanwhile, Fortuna had replaced Movistar as the team's title sponsor for 2006: "I want to thank Fortuna for their support in such a great season. "

I think the new tyre limits will have more of an effect than that. They have to supply the tyres at the start of the weekend, which means they can't use data gathered during a practice run to make a tyre at a Michelin factory and ship it to a race somewhere in Europe overnight, which previously gave Michelin a big advantage in Europe, where most of the GPs are held.

And as for the sponsor thing, I just assumed Telefonica and Movistar were the same thing

yer, telefonica movistar .... same thing.