The Curious Case of Marco and Hopper

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This article comes from AsphaltandRubber.com
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The dust has settled, and the boys in green are officially out of MotoGP. With Kawasaki withdrawing from MotoGP just a few months after the end of the 2008 season, there are few, if any, opportunities for Marco Melandri and John Hopkins in motorcycle racing. Typically by January all teams are well settled on their plans for the coming season, and the addition/replacement of a new rider is almost entirely out of the question. With MotoGP out of the realm of possibilities, what options are there for these two rider? Continue reading after the jump to find out.

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The most obvious solution, at least for Hopper, is a move back to AMA Superbike racing. There is talk of a “Hopper for Hacker” switch in the Monster Sponsored Kawasaki team in AMA Superbike. This would be a reversal of the 2008 Laguna Seca race, where Jamie Hacking replaced the injured John Hopkins on the grid for Kawasaki.

For Melandri there seems to be even fewer choices. His manager Alberto Vergani has all but ruled out a move to World Superbike, saying that all the good opportunities in that series have been taken. Melandri, who was only 26 when he joined the MotoGP series, still has a considerable career in front of him, and he and his manager are careful to avoid any moves that would affect the young Italian’s career.

With those comments in mind, we could very well see Marco Melandri sitting this season out, with John Hopkins giving Mat Mladin and the rest of the AMA regulars a run for their money. However, with Dorna still scrambling to fill in its not below contract levels grid, maybe a last minute white knight could take in the homeless Melandri and Hopper. There are still some cards left to be played, at least you can say there’s some excitement in the off-season.



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:angry that is so f**ked up.I was on moto gp today and they have posted the grid and kawasaki and the boys were listed.dam it man..are they really outirate.donnie

i believe they really did pull the pin on it!

They are out defo and that means they are a bike short of the minimum requirement to run a grid. If no one comes up with another bike it could be possible under current rules that there would be no racing

Nicked from Crash.net;
The saga of whether Kawasaki will remain in MotoGP continues on this week with the rumour mill shifting to the future of riders John Hopkins and Marco Melandri.

The Japanese manufacturer was strongly rumoured to have announced their withdrawal from the series earlier this week, but with the ‘deadline' passing and no word emerging from the ‘Team Green' camp, some hopes have been raised that a rescue deal may be sought.

Although it is still expected that Kawasaki are planning to end their manufacturer involvement in MotoGP, the delay in confirming it is rumoured to stem from a possible deal involving Jorge Martinez's Aspar concern.


As revealed earlier this week, Martinez claims to have been contacted by series organisers Dorna, who are determined to maintain Kawasaki's presence in the series, even if it is not in a works capacity.

The options could see Martinez take up the running of the two bikes Kawasaki has already spent time and money developing for 2009 (albeit not fully), although the identity of the riders will undoubtedly come down to who gets the most sponsorship space.

Between Hopkins and Melandri, Hopkins comes with heavy backing from American energy drink company Monster, making him a tempting candidate for the teams currently fighting the global economic crisis. Linked with Tech 3 Yamaha in place of Colin Edwards, Superbike Planet are reporting that Hopkins could still ride a Kawasaki in 2009, albeit in the AMA Superbike Championship - provided the team commits to an entry.

Melandri, meanwhile, is thought to be more of a concern for Dorna, who are keen to keep him in the series, despite his disastrous season with Ducati. With less money to bring to the table than Hopkins, Corriere dello Sport report that it is up to Dorna to arrange something for him to stay in the series.

Both Hopkins and Melandri's options seem very limited, with MotoGP having already posted a provisional entry list and no team seemingly wanting to commit to a second or third bike in a time of economic hardship.
The World Superbike Championship has been mooted, particularly for Melandri as it would be likely that FG Sport would aid his attempts at securing a top ride, but with all of the top seats filled (barring a financially-aided expansion), both riders could be facing a season on the sidelines.

update this morning;
Kawasaki has seemingly broken its silence over the rumours they are withdrawing from MotoGP by claiming that no decision has been formally made yet.

A week since news first broke that they were on the verge of quitting the series, owing to the global economic crisis, an anonymous source has apparently revealed for the first time that it is ‘under consideration'.

According to Agent France Presse, Kawasaki are still in the process of evaluating whether it would be worth pulling out having already sunk a considerable amount of money in securing riders John Hopkins and Marco Melandri, as well as developing the 2009-specification bike.

"The issue is under consideration," the source said. "We have made no decision. We are in contact with parties concerned so that we can decide our future course of action.”

Those ‘parties concerned' could be Jorge Martinez, who is touted to be taking on the team under the semi-works Aspar banner.

Indeed, with Dorna determined to keep up the numbers on the grid to a respectable level, the retention of Kawasaki as a fifth manufacturer is crucial in their plans, particularly as the economic downturn is expected to grip the sport further into 2009.

The withdrawal of Kawasaki Heavy Industries would see them join Japanese counterparts Honda, Suzuki and Subaru in scaling back their motorsport plans this year in a bid to ride out the storm.

:thumbup thank you tim.I sure hope they stay in.thanks for the info.donnieirate

From "autosport" today

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72640

you guys read the press room, right?

http://www.rsvzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5779

http://www.rsvzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5723

http://www.rsvzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5676

http://www.rsvzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5655

-:banana