Thing is during the race there was a bit of talk about that and they said Lorenzo has signed up with Yamaha and now it is 5s slower and he must be pissed off. Then they said that Spies will stay for next year so not certain if it was wishful thinking or they know something.
Hayes spent years being unable to lay a glove on Mladin and Spies. Spies rolls up to WSB and wins the title straight up on a bike that wasn't the best out there. To be fair to Spies, if Mladin was a little more humble he could have been a world champ in Grand Prix, he was that good. And Spies learned to beat him. People forget all of that, Spies is a very good rider. He seems a little error prone this year and down in confidence but it wouldn't take much to turn that around and I think Yamaha are right to keep him on in the factory squad.
Spies gets the ride because Yamaha USA pay for him to ride the Factory bike. Nowt to do with ability.
Spot on Duke63, The real world of racing! And if VR choose's to go to yamaha and take his old seat back Yamaha will welcome the much needed ££££££'s Rossi brings with Him! But Ducati Audi will bend over backwards to keep him for the same reason... Money. Marquez will do the same when He sign's for Repsol honda.. rumoured to be this weekend! Cal will sign for Ducati! A racers time is short at work and Cal could do with the money for the future!
If Dovizioso keeps beating Spies on the Tech3 - and I think he will - then it will make it clear that Spies' place on the factory bike has little to do with form and results.
It's common knowledge that Yamaha USA fund Spies' Factory ride. I think too many people still have a misguided idea that racing is all about ability and how fast you can go but at the top level it's all about money and politics and who pays for what. Who can blame Cal for going for a well paid ride on a factory Ducati. It might just be that Audi's involvement brings big rewards but regardless he made the point at the weekend that no one will win a Championship on anything other than a full Factory ride.
Who knows: Cal gets the Ducati ride, Ducati pull a rabbit out of a hat and suddenly it's the best bike out there. Cal becomes world champion. Wot? Wot? That could happen! It could! OK, it probably won't. But it could!
If it did happen he would have Rossi to fight with which means the Stoner/Rossi threads will become Rossi/Cal threads.......
