Latest (and last) chapter of the Ducati-Melandri-Gibernau soap opera

Melandri will race the bike until the end of the season. After the disastrous season Marco had and the good pace (at least compared to Marco) Sete was setting in testing I was one of the people who thought WTF??? when Ducati said Marco would race in Brno.

But there's something I didn't know ... apparently Sete was scheduled to test the bike in the post-Brno test and take over Marco's place who would finish the season in Kawasaki BUT Ducati found out that during the summer break Melandri flew to Japan and tested the ninja in the Autopolis circuit ... rumours sayed Marco flew on the ninja, smashing the circuit record ...
Ducati panicked thinking they would look really bad if they fired Marco to put Sete in and then the next race Marco beat Sete with the Kawa, it would look like either their bike or their management is crap.

So Ducati LIED and said that they would keep Marco cause " of the improvement shown in Laguna", when Sete found out he declined the testing offer for Brno since it made no sense for him to test a bike when there was no chance for him to race this season and now he is looking for a seat in 2009.


Link (for those who want to improve their Spanish hehe)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Aug 21 2008, 07:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Melandri will race the bike until the end of the season. After the disastrous season Marco had and the good pace (at least compared to Marco) Sete was setting in testing I was one of the people who thought WTF??? when Ducati said Marco would race in Brno.

But there's something I didn't know ... apparently Sete was scheduled to test the bike in the post-Brno test and take over Marco's place who would finish the season in Kawasaki BUT Ducati found out that during the summer break Melandri flew to Japan and tested the ninja in the Autopolis circuit ... rumours sayed Marco flew on the ninja, smashing the circuit record ...
Ducati panicked thinking they would look really bad if they fired Marco to put Sete in and then the next race Marco beat Sete with the Kawa, it would look like either their bike or their management is crap.

So Ducati LIED and said that they would keep Marco cause " of the improvement shown in Laguna", when Sete found out he declined the testing offer for Brno since it made no sense for him to test a bike when there was no chance for him to race this season and now he is looking for a seat in 2009.


Link (for those who want to improve their Spanish hehe)

I don't buy any of it.
I would think Ducati would fire his ... if they found out he was testing a Kawasaki whilst contracted to ride a Ducati. If he was fast on the Kawasaki how would anyone at Ducati know? Do you think Marco went into the Ducati garage and said " Guess what I did over summer break? "

Sounds very unlikely.

Well Marco has signed on with Kawa for 2 years, an option which appealed more to him rather than go back to Gresini because with Kawa he is assured an official bike.l
Gresini on the other hand is hunting down Vermeulen it seems. Wonder if he's getting shot of Shiny or De Angelis...or keeping both?? Maybe Honda are forking out for the 3rd official rider???

Its an amazing story. But one that is hard to believe, but its not beyond the politics and posturing of MotoGP.

But here is what I would have done, assuming this was true. I would have sat Marco down the rest of the season, and giving the rest of the season to Sete. Marco should not have been riding another brand's bike for this may have effected his motivation to risk improvement at Ducati, thus not trying his best in honor of his contract.

But like I said, its hard to believe.

Thanks Teo for translation.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Aug 21 2008, 10:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Its an amazing story. But one that is hard to believe, but its not beyond the politics and posturing of MotoGP.


But like I said, its hard to believe.

"Marco flew on the ninja, smashing the circuit record"

This is the bit I find hardest to believe.

Yeah it could be false, just a rumour. But it's to me a reasonable explanation to why Marco is still riding for Ducati.

I don't find it that hard to believe, ie Lorenzo tested secretly for Yamaha last summer while contracted to Aprilia.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Aug 21 2008, 11:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Link (for those who want to improve their Spanish hehe)
muchas gracias

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (howard @ Aug 21 2008, 07:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>"Marco flew on the ninja, smashing the circuit record"

This is the bit I find hardest to believe.
Extremely hard to believe. If it did happen he may very well have been quick - but smashing the lap record? With his head where it's at? And on the kawasaki? I doubt it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (howard @ Aug 21 2008, 04:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>"Marco flew on the ninja, smashing the circuit record"

This is the bit I find hardest to believe.

remove Marcos name and replace with Jaime Hacking and it fixed

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Son of Doohan @ Aug 21 2008, 01:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Extremely hard to believe. If it did happen he may very well have been quick - but smashing the lap record? With his head where it's at? And on the kawasaki? I doubt it.

AFAIK in Autopolis only jap test riders ride GP bikes, so beating the aging Taddy Okada's of the world is not something that hard.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Aug 21 2008, 08:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>AFAIK in Autopolis only jap test riders ride GP bikes, so beating the aging Taddy Okada's of the world is not something that hard.
West and Jamie Hacking both rode at the circuit in the past few months; Hacking was also supposed to have set a new lap record. I think I remember reading somewhere that Autopolis was resurfaced at the beginning of this year and/or the track had a major overhaul--perhaps that's why records seem to be tumbling.

If Sete is really serious about coming back to MotoGP full time, I'd say there's only 3 options for him: Alice Ducati (assuming Hayden takes the other factory spot), a slot at Gresini (although they didn't part on the best of terms after 2005, right?), or the Aspar Kawasaki ride. None of these seem likely, so I don't think we'll see Gibernau back in 2009...

i like this kind of gossip!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teomolca @ Aug 21 2008, 02:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Melandri will race the bike until the end of the season. After the disastrous season Marco had and the good pace (at least compared to Marco) Sete was setting in testing I was one of the people who thought WTF??? when Ducati said Marco would race in Brno.

But there's something I didn't know ... apparently Sete was scheduled to test the bike in the post-Brno test and take over Marco's place who would finish the season in Kawasaki BUT Ducati found out that during the summer break Melandri flew to Japan and tested the ninja in the Autopolis circuit ... rumours sayed Marco flew on the ninja, smashing the circuit record ...
Ducati panicked thinking they would look really bad if they fired Marco to put Sete in and then the next race Marco beat Sete with the Kawa, it would look like either their bike or their management is crap.

So Ducati LIED and said that they would keep Marco cause " of the improvement shown in Laguna", when Sete found out he declined the testing offer for Brno since it made no sense for him to test a bike when there was no chance for him to race this season and now he is looking for a seat in 2009.


Link (for those who want to improve their Spanish hehe)

I think it's plausible. When teams have a rider they are happy with, they generally sign a secondary rider to prohibit him from going to another team.

Marco and Nicky are perfect examples. In a time when hot prospects were few and far between Honda paid them lip service for quite some time to prohibit them from moving to another manufacturer.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Ducati were to keep Melandri to prevent him from riding the Kawasaki. However, I'm not convinced it's because Ducati thought they would look stupid. Ducati have been trying for some time to line up a decent talent but b/c of Marco's, Elias', and Ginter's performances people are hesitant to sign.

Melandri setting great pace on a Kawasaki would have made their uphill battle to obtain another rider even more difficult.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Frizzle @ Aug 21 2008, 10:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I don't buy any of it.
I would think Ducati would fire his ... if they found out he was testing a Kawasaki whilst contracted to ride a Ducati. If he was fast on the Kawasaki how would anyone at Ducati know? Do you think Marco went into the Ducati garage and said " Guess what I did over summer break? "

Sounds very unlikely.
That is exactly what I was thinking when I read this. Plus I don't think I have ever heard of someone testing another manufactuers bike during the contract year.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ROCKGOD01 @ Aug 21 2008, 04:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>...I don't think I have ever heard of someone testing another manufactuers bike during the contract year.
I seriously doubt anyone gets signed this season without at least some private testing. Marco's struggles have highlighted the need to reduce performance risk. However, I don't think Ducati cares, since they have Sete in the wings. They'd just fire him.

This is a BS attempt to settle this BS rumor of Sete finishing the season in Marco's seat

So many ideas are passed around that(mainly in here), people start believing them to be fact.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clarkjw @ Aug 21 2008, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I seriously doubt anyone gets signed this season without at least some private testing. Marco's struggles have highlighted the need to reduce performance risk. However, I don't think Ducati cares, since they have Sete in the wings. They'd just fire him.
If riders were to go and test other bikes under contract there would be issues of technology being seen or looked at even though they are just riders. The other thing is that IF this was the practice then Hayden after saying the other year Ducati has a nice bike would have been on the Red team cause he knew the thing was better than the Honda. A test would have easily confirmed this for him.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ROCKGOD01 @ Aug 21 2008, 10:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>If riders were to go and test other bikes under contract there would be issues of technology being seen or looked at even though they are just riders. The other thing is that IF this was the practice then Hayden after saying the other year Ducati has a nice bike would have been on the Red team cause he knew the thing was better than the Honda. A test would have easily confirmed this for him.

The rumour may very well be true. Knowing that Marco was to be release after this year, Kawasaki could of very well paid off Ducati for his services since Kawi was very serious about signing him for next year. They wanted to see how Marco would do on the green machine first before signing him on, I don't think Ducati minds at all... seeing as they won't be needing his services any longer after the year is over.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SuperShinya56 @ Aug 21 2008, 05:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>The rumour may very well be true. Knowing that Marco was to be release after this year, Kawasaki could of very well paid off Ducati for his services since Kawi was very serious about signing him for next year. They wanted to see how Marco would do on the green machine first before signing him on, I don't think Ducati minds at all... seeing as they won't be needing his services any longer after the year is over.
I don't think that would happen at all. Pure speculation.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Traverser @ Aug 21 2008, 09:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>This is a BS attempt to settle this BS rumor of Sete finishing the season in Marco's seat

So many ideas are passed around that(mainly in here), people start believing them to be fact.

I think both situations are equally likely and that's why a fog surrounds this situation.

It is possible that Ducati held very public tests with Gibernau to show the Ducati can be ridden by someone other than Stoner. Gibby agreed to see if it would generate interest for his services in the paddock of another team. There was never a plan to replace Melandri.

It is also possible that Ducati wanted to ditch Melandri b/c, to be honest, he has been riding like a lame duck since the 1st race of the season. Gibby knows the Duc and and Suppo was probably anxious to get someone in the seat ASAP so Malboro would shut up about Marco's performance.