Crutchlow to Ducati

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creg-ny-baa

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Cal Crutchlow has been signed to ride for Ducati in MotoGP for 2014 & 2015.

Boy will he be sorry.

 
Logical progression for Crutchlow who must be looking for a factory ride and after Ducati dumping Hayden.... Maybe it would have been smarter to keep riding a satellite bike until Rossi decides to finally hang it up, but who knows when that will be.

 
at least he can laugh all the way to the bank if he dosen't get hurt too badly

 
You know, it really sucks that there's only four competitive seats in MotoGP. Why the hell are they not active in getting the other major manufacturers out there and competitive? I've become quite the Crutchlow fan lately watching him go out there and do what he does on a sub standard bike. Doing the math means he gets the short end of the stick no matter what. Nobody's gonna dump the moneymaker that is Rossi even if he continues to eek out 10th places....which he's been doing better but he could retain his seat with consistent 10th place finishes. Lorenzo is doing what Rossi isn't and that's putting the bike up front. Repsol has their dream team. Two Spaniards dicing at the front. That leaves Crapati for Cal, which blows.

I've not been quite so PO'd at the situation as I am for Cal. Sure he's going to laugh all the way to the bank, and I hope he can do things that only Stoner has been able to do with that bike, but I doubt it.

 
Suzuki isn't coming back until 2015 now, and it would still be a development bike. Hopefully Audi starts pumping some money into Ducati's racing effort, and gets the bike where the riders need it to be in order to be competitive. Maybe the further restrictions next year will play to Ducati's advantage?

 
I'm betting that Cal can ride the wheels off the Duc. If they gave him an old BSA he'd still be in the points
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... I could be bias though
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Hopefully Audi starts pumping some money into Ducati's racing effort, and gets the bike where the riders need it to be in order to be competitive.
It seems it's not money that's needed. I'm not sure if Audi can pump a change of attitude into the company.

 
+1 on the Ducati attitude adjustment. I just hope Audi has enough sense to not let the misery go on for much longer before Cal is dissolutioned. Hey we could all be wrong and Cal is getting in on the up swing to competitiveness but I won't be holding my breath.

 
We dont deserve an opinion....america makes exactly no motorcycles capable of this endeavor currently...and buell did so well...even New Zealand had the Britten...'till we put up we're lucky they want our duckets and come here to race at all....they dont need to ,so this is good ! On the plus side, the MotoCyz Electric bike , all USA, is doing what Nick Graham did on his Kaw 750 triple 2-stroke in '75 on the Isle of Man Mountain Course !

 
Glad to see he got a factory ride, but I was hoping Yamaha would put a third bike on the grid and run the 3 until Val decides he done. Or replace Dani Pedrosa on the Honda team, he can't get it done and hes had plenty of time. Someone has got to challenge Marc, or the boring racing will continue, and I don't think Ducati will run with Hondas again next year. And what will happen if Honda goes "cross plane crank"?

 
Or replace Dani Pedrosa on the Honda team, he can't get it done and hes had plenty of time.
Won't happen. It's not always about winning, it's about $$$. Why is Valentino still on a factory ride? I love the man and think he's the GOAT, but I'm being honest when I say that I think his days of winning championships are over. Trouble is, he has a ton of fans like me and his name and that 46 bring more $$$ to the team than a really good rookie would. Certainly more than Cal would.

In the case of Dani, their primary sponosor is Repsol. That's a Spanish company and for YEARS they have been wanting a Spanish team of competent riders. Their dream team would have been Lorenzo and Pedrosa but that wasn't going to happen either. Good thing this Marq guy is proving he can ride because I bet there was a circle jerk in the Repsol HQ when they took 1 & 2 in Austin.

 
Or replace Dani Pedrosa on the Honda team, he can't get it done and hes had plenty of time.
Won't happen. It's not always about winning, it's about $$$. Why is Valentino still on a factory ride? I love the man and think he's the GOAT, but I'm being honest when I say that I think his days of winning championships are over. Trouble is, he has a ton of fans like me and his name and that 46 bring more $$$ to the team than a really good rookie would. Certainly more than Cal would.

In the case of Dani, their primary sponosor is Repsol. That's a Spanish company and for YEARS they have been wanting a Spanish team of competent riders. Their dream team would have been Lorenzo and Pedrosa but that wasn't going to happen either. Good thing this Marq guy is proving he can ride because I bet there was a circle jerk in the Repsol HQ when they took 1 & 2 in Austin.
Pedrosa's best shot was last year...this year would have worked for him save for his injury, and the seemingly infallibility of Marquez (that kid learns QUICK!)

It's really turning into two shows: Honda versus Yamaha, and Ducati versus CRT. It will be intersting next year to see how much the "crippling" of the factory bikes will change the racing dynamic. I think you'll see more Ducati's fall to CRT bikes...also I don't think Spies will be back in the paddock, though I hope Hayden sings with a new team.

 
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