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Carmelo Ezpeleta Wanted Dead or Alive

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Take a walk around the MotoGP paddock at the Sachsenring this weekend, and you might see some interesting posters being hung up through out the race track.

Wanted dead or alive is Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports CEO, for his crimes against the 250cc class. Someone has put up as a joke (we hope) a $1,000,000 bounty on the race promoter’s head, with a caption that reads, “Wanted for crimes against the 250 cc bikes. He is a 2-stroke killer. Outlaw is known to be extremely dangerous and should be approached with caution.”

The poster is an obvious reference to Dorna’s demise of the 250GP class, in favor of the upcoming Moto2 class, which will replace the 2-stroke 250cc bikes, with 4-stroke 600cc prototypes.

Ezpeleta has been responsible for a number of changes in premiere motorcycle racing, starting with Moto2, which will launch at the beginning of the 2010 season, and serve as a feeder into the MotoGP series. Additionally, any rider coming into MotoGP, including from Moto2, will have to first start in a MotoGP satellite team, with some exceptions.

It’s only rumor right now, but expect the bounty to be increased if plans to replace the 125GP class are put into motion.

Source: GPone via Two Wheels Blog

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Hungarian GP Back on For 2010

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After being cancelled as a stop for this year’s World Championship, the Hungarian GP is back on for 2010 at the Balatonring. The new track has been plagued with development problems in acquiring the land and necessary permits for its construction, leaving its planned September debut to be scrapped.

Hungary will be MotoGP’s second stop in Eastern Europe once the Balatonring is finished. When completed the new course will be 2.8 miles long, have 16 turns, and a straightaway where riders can expect speeds of 195 mph.

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Dorna/Ezpeleta to Lead the Anti-Formula 1?

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In case you don’t follow the series, Formula 1 has been in state of flux for the past few years. 2009 saw a host of new rules introduced to make the sport once again exciting. Adding to the on-track drama has been the discourse off the track by the teams, race promoters, and drivers. Currently, Bernie Ecclestone (Formula One Management) and Max Mosley (FIM) are attempting to impose a £40 million budget cap on the teams, which follows their attempt to instigate a two-tier technical rule system for capped and uncapped teams.

Unwilling to follow such a system, the newly formed Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), has come together as a collective bargaining group aganst Ecclestone and Mosley. FOTA has raised the ante in their negotiations, and has now threatened to pull out of the 2010 Formula 1 season. Taking their toys and going home, FOTA plans on starting its own series, with perhaps Carmelo Ezpeleta, of Dorna fame, as its head.

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MotoGP Agrees On New Measures to Reduce Costs

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The Grand Prix Commission has announced a slew of new rules for MotoGP, supposedly aimed at cutting costs in MotoGP, and thus allowing the manufacturers and teams to compete despite the world’s economic situation. 

The new measures include the following:

  • Race weekends will be rescheduled with Friday’s practice dropped completely, and Saturday’s sessions shortend.
  • From the Czech GP onward, a maximum of 5 engines can be used in 8 races. No changing of parts will be permitted except daily maintenance.
  • Only 2 post race tests will be allowed at the Catalunya and Czech GP’s for development purposes, and only using test riders will be permitted.
  • Ceramic composite materials are not permitted for brake discs or pads.
  • Electronic controlled suspension is not permitted.
  • Launch control systems are not permitted.

 

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Melandri And Kawasaki to Field Single Bike Campaign?

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According to both Tuttosport and Sportmediaset (both members of the overly-excitable and sometime unreliable Italian press), Marco Melandri will be riding a privately run Kawasaki for 2009. In a deal brockered by Carmelo Ezpeleta, the team will be led by Michael Bartholemy. Details are somewhere between sketchy and nonexistent, but it seems that Kawasaki will make all of the 2009-spec bikes available to Bartholemy, who will field a single rider, Marco Melandri.

Shortly after the news broke that Kawasaki would be withdrawing from MotoGP, the factory said that it had enough bikes and parts to last approximately a quarter of a season, and so presumably, this would be enough to run a single rider for at least half the season, or perhaps a little longer if the practice restrictions are pushed through as expected.

Finance for the project will most likely come from Dorna who want to avoid breaching their own contract with the FIM to field at least 18 riders for a world championship, with Kawasaki possibly kicking in some seed money since they don’t want to breach their contract with Dorna. Melandri would presumably be riding the 2009-spec bikes tested by Olivier Jacque in Australia during January, despite reports of poor reliability. 

Source: 

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Ezpeleta Holds Kawasaki to 2009, But Not 2010 and 2011

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Really, we’re trying to think of a way that the 2009 MotoGP season could become less of a soap opera, but it continues to act like one. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, has shed some more light on the back-and-forth between his organization and Kawasaki.

“I’ve already said that I would not accept the breakdown of Kawasaki’s contract signed with us until 2011. I have proposed that they run in 2009, and in exchange, to allow them to withdraw in 2010 and 2011. They told me that they had an engine for only four or five races of the season. So I looked for a company in France able to help develop the bike. The last obstacle for the Japanese is to meet these people and accept their program.” 

This meeting is scheduled for early next week, and Ezpeleta is pushing for Kawasaki to honor its contract with its riders as well as Dorna, “The team will be led by Michael Bartholemy, and I think it is important to keep the two pilots under contract, John Hopkins and Marco Melandri.” Ezpeleta finished by reiterating that he would take Kawasaki to court if it defaulted on their commitment with Dorna Sports.

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Privateers Pick-up Where Kawasaki Leaves Off

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UPDATE: It looks like Alex Debon could be the Spanish rider that Jorge Martinez could tap to be one of his MotoGP riders.

You would think that Kawasaki’s announcement to leave MotoGP put’s to rest whether or not they will be racing next year in MotoGP, but you’d be wrong….at least sort of wrong. There has been if someone else would come along and direct/finance a Kawi MotoGP effort, and many people have pointed that finger at Jorge “Aspar” Martinez. That rumor would appear to have gained new credence today with the latest comment from Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, continuing reading for more.

 

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Honda Says No to Melandri, Dorna Holds Kawasaki to Contract

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Avenues to ride in MotoGP for the 2009 season are becoming dead-ends for Marco Melandri. In case you haven’t read A&R the last few weeks, Kawasaki’s pull-out from MotoGP has sent the young Italian scrambling for a ride this coming season, with his latest stop being in the Honda camp.

Lucio Cecchinello, manager for LCR Honda, admits to having been approached by friends of Melandri to see if the team would be interested in sponsoring a second bike alongside Randy de Puniet.

Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

Employing the classic “It’s not you, it’s me” line, the LCR boss issued the statement: “I was asked by the manager of Melandri to run in 2009, but this will not happen for the following reasons,” said Lucio. “First, we can not afford to include a second driver. The current economic situation does not allow us to consider an investor can pay Melandri, especially given his last season. ” 

“Secondly, even if I talked to Honda, I am almost certain they would be against the idea of providing a new motorcycle. This would HRC to new engines, to invest in new parts and another crew. We are in a period where Honda wants to save rather than spend even more money. Finally, it is too late to hire staff and new mechanics. There is therefore no chance to see Melandri join my team. ” 

There is still some speculation that a white knight might step in to take over the Factory Kawasaki effort, this possibility earned further credence today as Carmelo Ezpeleta from Dorna released the fact that Kawasaki has a signed contract to run in MotoGP until 2011. 

Ezpeleta stated that “Once they [Kawasaki] informed me of their desire to stop, I began negotiations with them, arguing the contract they had signed and I asked them to reconsider their best decision, or at worst of postponing…The possibility of two Kawasaki on the grid in 2009, in one form or another, can not be ruled out. They signed a contract and a contract can not be ignored in a day.”

Get the popcorn folks, its only going to get more interesting from here on out.

Source: 

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MotoGP May Limit Electronics on Bikes, Takes A Page From Formula1

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Carmelo Ezpeleta (Owner of Dorna Sports, which owns and runs MotoGP), has announced that the premiere motorcycle class of racing will take a cue from the Formula1 racebook, and limit the electronics that can be used while racing a GP motorcycle. This decision comes on the heels of the single tire move made by Dorna in an effort to make GP racing more exciting and evenly matched. 

Traction control for example has been of great concern, and to see why it only takes a brief glance at the latest reviews of the Ducati 1198S Superbike. Critiques of MotoGP have said that allowing such devices let’s less qualified racers into the premiere sport, and that the use of technology can make up where there would otherwise be a gap in rider skill.

Not surprisingly, some of the biggest names ever in the sport have shown signs of support for the rule change. It is unclear what exactly will happen in the future, but Ezpeleta has said that there must be further discussion of the topic, and that no change will occur for the 2009 season, yet looking at where other premiere class sports of gone, the road ahead looks more or less certain.

Source: moto.caradisiac

SkyNet may kill all of mankind, but it won’t take away our GP racing.

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