It will be interesting to see if spots open up in MotoGP and who will take them. If Spies moves to Fiat and CE decides its time to hang up the leathers or move on to WSBK or AMA, then there is a good chance Tech3 will have two empty seats. But who will they take? Tech3 has almost always been a team that has been subsidized in some way so who they can pick will depend on if the budget will allow.
Crutchlow missed a great opportunity to show he is the right choice for a GP ride. Granted he had his reasons and I'm sure he may also have his regrets but he missed a good chance to show his potential. He's had an up and down sort of season, but certainly has shown he can be fast, consistency hasn't been there however. If he finishes out the season doing well he could be a potential for Yamaha to move up and if the opportunity isn't there he will probably remain with Yamaha Italia.
Toseland also has had an up and down season. It will be interesting to see if Yamaha want to keep him or if he is even willing to stay. I could see him going back to Ten Kate, the place where he won his last championship.
Haslam on the Suzuki was a great surprise this year. Everything was working perfectly and then it has slowly crumbled since mid season. Right now the blame seems to the bike/tires, but it doesn't help him that his teammate is doing better on the same equipment. He's gotta get things sorted and finish out strong to still be considered a hot property. He will end up on a factory team somewhere next year that's almost for certain, but where will depend on how all the cards fall.
Haga, the nitro looks to be all used up this year. He's always been one of my favorites but something has happened to him. The bike can be blamed somewhat but not when other Ducati's are doing fine. I don't see Ducati keeping him, so he will be in the hunt for a ride. Maybe Yamaha will take him back? It's a good chance that if he wants a ride next year, he may have to settle for a non-factory bike. I don't entirely see that happening though as I think team managers may still take a chance with him.
Fabrizio could well be swayed to move to BMW since Tardozzi's presence is there or just as well Ducati could keep him around. He certainly isn't having the year that was expected from him after last years good performance. I personally would like to see him leave Ducati, I'd like to see both seats open up to new riders. But who will they take the chance with? Checa? He's certainly shown he can go well on the privateer bike, but I have a feeling the extra pressure of the factory ride would not do him well. He's more of a sure bet for Ducati, but not a long term one.
Rea, will he stay with Honda, will he go to Yamaha, will he go to Ducati, how about Suzuki or Aprilia. I think his options are wide open for just about any seat he wants in WSBK. He's young, fast and once he gets consistent is a future champion. I think any team will want to invest in him and pick him up.
Corser stays with BMW, Xaus most likely is out and picks up a privateer Ducati ride.
Guintoli if he keeps doing as well will most likely keep his seat at Suzuki.
Kawasaki need to actually care about racing and wanting to win. We have to wait and see if the new ZX can live up to the hype. For the sake of Sykes and Vermi's career I hope it does.
It will be interesting to see if anyone is willing to take a chance on Scassa, the guy has had some good rides this year on his privateer Ducati.
Neukirckner is a shadow of his former race self. Everything was going great for him, he was in a position to start winning races and being a consistent front runner and then the terrible accident at Monza. He's never been the same since. Certainly Ten Kate will drop him, but where he goes from there is to be seen. I can't see any factory teams taking the chance with him. He's going to have to prove he can make a come back on a privateer team.
Aprilia will of course be back with Biaggi to have another go at the title. The question is who they will have for their 2nd? I think the Aprilia will be a hot commodity that a lot of riders will be interested in after seeing it's incredible speed this year. Camier has had some good moments this year, but has dropped a bit as of late. I still think he is just too big for the bike but then again he's probably big on anything. I'd love to see him back on Yamaha on the bike he took the BSB title with.
