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- Jun 28, 2008
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With all of the rumors floating around during MotoGP's traditional silly season, it's nice to get some official news of actual contracts. And the first announcement is the least surprising. In an official press release from Rizla Suzuki, the team has confirmed that both Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen are to stay with Suzuki for 2009.
Capirossi's contract had been all but confirmed over the past few weeks, but Vermeulen's future was less certain. The Australian had offers from a number of other teams, including a rumored option to be Troy Bayliss' replacement at the factory Ducati team in World Superbikes, but wanted to stay in MotoGP, and with a factory team.
The question on everybody's lips, but the question least likely to be answered, is whether Vermeulen was forced to take a pay cut. There were strong rumors that part of the delay in reupping with Vermeulen was due to the Australian missing a performance clause in his existing contract which would have seen him automatically extend his contract on similar terms. Suzuki was believed to want to cut his salary in half, but it is unlikely that Vermeulen would have settled for this.
With Capirossi and Vermeulen officially signed, this leaves Ben Spies - the man who was 99% sure of joining Suzuki at the beginning of the year - looking at other options. Part of Spies' problem remains his salary demands, which, though not exorbitant by the standards of an AMA Superbike champion, are well beyond what a MotoGP rookie might reasonably expect, unless they were a multiple world champion in the 125 and 250 champion.
This leaves Spies is in a dilemma, with sources from the Road Atlanta AMA meeting saying that his team was not interested in taking "a 75% pay cut" just to run in MotoGP. If he wants to make it into the premier class, though, he may have to do just that. Unless, of course, he can pull out a huge surprise at Indianapolis next weekend.
More...
.
With all of the rumors floating around during MotoGP's traditional silly season, it's nice to get some official news of actual contracts. And the first announcement is the least surprising. In an official press release from Rizla Suzuki, the team has confirmed that both Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen are to stay with Suzuki for 2009.
Capirossi's contract had been all but confirmed over the past few weeks, but Vermeulen's future was less certain. The Australian had offers from a number of other teams, including a rumored option to be Troy Bayliss' replacement at the factory Ducati team in World Superbikes, but wanted to stay in MotoGP, and with a factory team.
The question on everybody's lips, but the question least likely to be answered, is whether Vermeulen was forced to take a pay cut. There were strong rumors that part of the delay in reupping with Vermeulen was due to the Australian missing a performance clause in his existing contract which would have seen him automatically extend his contract on similar terms. Suzuki was believed to want to cut his salary in half, but it is unlikely that Vermeulen would have settled for this.
With Capirossi and Vermeulen officially signed, this leaves Ben Spies - the man who was 99% sure of joining Suzuki at the beginning of the year - looking at other options. Part of Spies' problem remains his salary demands, which, though not exorbitant by the standards of an AMA Superbike champion, are well beyond what a MotoGP rookie might reasonably expect, unless they were a multiple world champion in the 125 and 250 champion.
This leaves Spies is in a dilemma, with sources from the Road Atlanta AMA meeting saying that his team was not interested in taking "a 75% pay cut" just to run in MotoGP. If he wants to make it into the premier class, though, he may have to do just that. Unless, of course, he can pull out a huge surprise at Indianapolis next weekend.
More...
