Rossi's team would get Yamaha satellite priority over Tech 3

#22 · Jan 5, 2018

No surprise here really.

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/n...yamaha-satellite-priority-over-tech-3-992435/

Yamaha would choose Valentino Rossi's Team VR46 operation over Tech 3 as its sole MotoGP satellite squad if given the option in future, claims Herve Poncharal.

Rossi, who turns 39 in February and is out of contract after this season, has been strongly linked to a team boss role when he chooses to retire from grand prix motorcycle racing.

His VR46 team already competes in Moto2 and Moto3, and Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta said last year he was prepared to guarantee Rossi's squad a slot in the premier class despite the grid theoretically being fixed at 24 bikes.

Rossi's long association with Yamaha makes the Iwata manufacturer the obvious candidate to supply VR46 if it does make the step up to MotoGP.

But Yamaha historically has tended to only supply one customer team, meaning long-time partner Tech 3 could end up being outsted.

Tech 3 boss Poncharal said: "I had some discussions with them [Yamaha], where I said, 'Can you have six bikes on the grid?' They said, 'No, too many'.

"I said, 'Okay, if you had a request from VR46 and Tech 3, who would be the priority?' '[The answer was] VR46.' So this is clear."
Poncharal "doesn't want" Rossi as partner

All of MotoGP's satellite teams are contracted with Dorna to stay on the grid until 2021, meaning any new team would have to buy into one of the existing ones - or else get unanimous approval from both Dorna and all of the independent outfits currently on the grid.

Poncharal said he doubts Rossi would want to tie up with an existing operation, and ruled out any alliance with Tech 3.

"We have a contract with Dorna which says from 2017 to 2021, nobody can come in the championship unless they find a way to make a deal, a partnership or merge with an existing team," he explained.

"I don't want him as a partner. Maybe he can buy Aspar, Avintia, LCR, any independent team, but I don't think this is what he wants.

"If he is coming he needs to have green light from Dorna, but also from the independent teams that are here because we have an exclusivity [deal] and this is written.

"Unless everybody signs yes, we agree to have one more team, it is not going to happen. It can happen in 2022.

Herve says Rossi probably doesn't want to 'buy' a licence/another team, but if he retires before 2022 (which must happen surely) then what option does he have? My bet would be on him buying the Avintia licence/team.

The question then is what manufacturer can Herve lease from? My first thought was KTM as a good will gesture for taking Zarco (even though he'll be out on contract) but then this is unlikely given KTM will want to put their junior stars in the team and Herve won't be able to pick his riders. So I'm guessing that leaves the vacated Ducati's from Avintia or Suzuki's. Are Aprilia even considering a Satellite team?

mantamani46 · Jan 5, 2018

Ducati will be the best adress in the future for satellite teams.
In my opinion the best bike.
Don't know what's the problem, Tech3 will going on with an other bike and VR46 is racing with the M1.

#22 · Jan 5, 2018

Nerver said there was a problem, but seeing as you brought up Ducati, that DOES present a problem.

Here is the current Satellite bike numbers:

Yamaha: 2
Honda: 3
Ducati: 6

If Rossi takes the Yamaha's from Tech3 and doesn't replace a current Ducati team, then he simply cannot have Ducati's as they are limited to the number of bikes they can supply in the regulations (I believed it to be 4, but it must be 6). Yamaha clearly say they won't provide more than 2, so it will be up to another manufacturer to step up.

Not all Satellite teams can have Ducati's. It would then become the Ducati cup like WSBK did in the early 2000's

mantamani46 · Jan 5, 2018

Oh ok I didn't know that.
Fact is, if Vale wants to go on with Yamaha he will get them.
But fortunately there are so many manufactors, I think KTM and Suzuki will be very interesting for satellite teams in the future, especially KTM.
Sometimes it's time for a change and I think it will come for tech 3 when Vale's team will join the motogp.

#22 · Jan 5, 2018

Of course he will, that's already been stated.

The irony is that Ezpeleta has stated that contracts are locked until 2022 and no more teams will be granted licences, except for VR46.

The Carmelo Clause strikes again.

mantamani46 · Jan 5, 2018

Contracts are made to be broken

But it's a good thing that Vale's team will join. More excitement, more bikes, more competition.
These points will always be good for racing.

Gaz · Jan 5, 2018

#22 said:
Of course he will, that's already been stated.

The irony is that Ezpeleta has stated that contracts are locked until 2022 and no more teams will be granted licences, except for VR46.

The Carmelo Clause strikes again.

Plus, DORNA have a limit on the minimum (22) and maximum (24) number of bikes/riders allowed on the grid, thus any TeamVR needs to either:

- Buy a licence/licences or grid positions from an existing team
- DORNA go all yellow and change the rule to increase the number of riders/bikes allowed on the grid

No guess which way it goes of course given that Caramello has made his thoughts well known.

When this was first mentioned I remember typing that for me, personally if/when VR gets his Yamaha it will be disgusting behaviour from Yamaha for the loyalty shown them by Herve and Tech3 but this is business and in business there is no loyalty

#22 · Jan 6, 2018

He's already said they will break the rule to accommodate VR46:

https://www.autosport.com/motogp/news/129312/rossi-guaranteed-motogp-team-entry

MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta says Valentino Rossi's team is guaranteed an entry if it decides to join the premier class, irrespective of the current limit on the grid's size.

Rossi's VR46 outfit entered Moto3 in 2014 and has added a Moto2 programme this year, fielding youngsters from the Italian's Rider Academy.

The MotoGP grid is currently capped at 24 entries - with the 24th, to move up from the current 23, reserved for LCR to return to running two bikes - while the existing satellite outfits have the sole right to those non-factory slots until 2021.

It has been suggested that VR46 moving up to MotoGP after Rossi retires would be the best way to keep him involved in the championship and Ezpeleta says a way would be found to make that happen, if the seven-time champion wants it.

"What we want is for Valentino to remain an active part of the championship," Ezpeleta told Autosport.

"Will he have a team? If he wants to, yes.

"We will not grant any more licences in MotoGP, apart from if Valentino asks us.

"If he wants a team in MotoGP, he will have it.

"I'm sure if we ask the other teams, they would all want us to offer that possibility [to Rossi]."

The 38-year-old is in the first season of his latest two-year Yamaha contract, and is keeping the door ajar to racing beyond the end of 2018.

Ezpeleta says that, like Rossi's decision on when to retire if he maintains the form that has him leading the 2017 championship, the ball will be in his court.

"The only thing that has to happen is that he wants to, the same as the current situation," he added.

"Why does he keep racing? Because he likes it and has a good time."

Really makes a mockery of any contract existing teams have with Dorna.

Gaz · Jan 6, 2018

#22 said:
He's already said they will break the rule to accommodate VR46:

https://www.autosport.com/motogp/news/129312/rossi-guaranteed-motogp-team-entry

Really makes a mockery of any contract existing teams have with Dorna.

I was being sarcastic about the DORNA need to change things as I had seen the quote a few times over past months as, it is further confirmation of DORNA's focus that some fail to grasp.

In today's world contracts mean squat and business rules.

As we well know - DORNA does, what DORNA wants for the betterment of DORNA

pyeman · Jan 6, 2018

A bit rough on Tech 3 but no surprise really,Dorna and Yamaha will bend over backwards for Rossi,no doubt in a few years he'll be running the factory team never mind the satellite team,can't see him running a Ducati but who know's?,too many Ducati's in motogp in my opinion right now,nothing against them i just think manufacturers should have no more than 4 bikes running.

mantamani46 · Jan 6, 2018

It's not Ducatis fault. Obviously there are a few reasons to use the Ducatis as a satellite team. If I was the head of a satellite team I would prefer to ride with Ducati. It's the best package no doubt.

p4p1 · Jan 7, 2018

For whatever it's worth during the Valencia test Herve was asked about this. He said that they had a contract stating no other teams could be added regardless of who Rossi was and what DORNA wanted. The only way Rossi could get a team onto the grid was if he was to buy a team. From memory he implied that he would take it to court if he had to and the contract would hold up.

Gaz · Jan 7, 2018

mantamani46 said:
It's not Ducatis fault. Obviously there are a few reasons to use the Ducatis as a satellite team. If I was the head of a satellite team I would prefer to ride with Ducati. It's the best package no doubt.

Tell that to Tech3.

IMO here, but Ducati may provide good/decent support to the satellites, but the Tech3 package was far and away the best satellite package in 2017 and has been there or thereabouts for many years.

p4p1 · Jan 8, 2018

Gaz said:
Tell that to Tech3.

IMO here, but Ducati may provide good/decent support to the satellites, but the Tech3 package was far and away the best satellite package in 2017 and has been there or thereabouts for many years.

Pol and Smith made the tech 3 package look far worse than it actually was.

#22 · Jan 8, 2018

p4p1 said:
For whatever it's worth during the Valencia test Herve was asked about this. He said that they had a contract stating no other teams could be added regardless of who Rossi was and what DORNA wanted. The only way Rossi could get a team onto the grid was if he was to buy a team. From memory he implied that he would take it to court if he had to and the contract would hold up.

That would be interesting, with the link I posted earlier. So if before 2022 VR46 racing enters GP and not in place of another team, I'll be fascinated to see how that goes down.

mantamani46 · Jan 8, 2018

Why should it go down? So they change the rules like they did for Marquez and let there be 6 M1.

#22 · Jan 8, 2018

mantamani46 said:
Why should it go down? So they change the rules like they did for Marquez and let there be 6 M1.

1. As has already been stated, there would not be 6 M1's. Yamaha would give the bikes they give to Tech3 to VR46.

2. Again, as stated, there is a contractual agreement which Dorna are proposing to ignore, and at the expense of Tech3 losing their bikes. If you had a contract with someone and they broke it, I'm sure as hell you'd kick up a fuss about it.

mantamani46 · Jan 8, 2018

So before Yamaha will break the contract with Tech 3 I'm sure they will provide Vale AND Tech 3, if they want or not.

#22 · Jan 8, 2018

It's not a question of breaking the contract of Yamaha supply to Tech 3. That is between Yamaha and Tech3 and is possibly on a year-on-year basis. Again, as has been said repeatedly, Yamaha have told Herve Poncharal they WILL NOT supply him and VR46.

The issue is still the contract Dorna have with every team on the grid, not to allow any more entries. Unless it's in the contract you can't just add an exception to that. Why should Vr46 be granted an entry when others aren't?

mantamani46 · Jan 8, 2018

Because it's Valentino. As simple as that.

Rossi's team would get Yamaha satellite priority over Tech 3

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