MOTOGP » Capirossi: The best choice I could have made!

You are right PhilW about the Melandri bit, he was their first choice.
In 2006 Capirossi was leading untill the big crash at Barcelona, that could have been his year.
After that he chose to ride with cracked ribs in great pain to pick up some points but couldn't come back.
Going to d'Antin is hardly a full factory ride, people very easily think they are the same as the factory outfit,
they are not. Not in material, nor in quality of organisation, nor in funding.
Besides that they even dispose of riders more easily than the works team.
I see Loris going well on the Suzuki next year (maybe one more?) then retire.

No Morgue, the Ducati offer was to have a full factory bike with factory mechanics, suspension specialists etc, but run under D'Antin colours within their team framework. He would then have identical equipment and support to Stoner / Melandri. Effectively, this was equivalent to running a three man factory team. Loris was not just being offered a 'standard' D'Antin ride.
Loris tried to trivialise the offer, as he had already decided to jump ship to another team, and it suited his agenda to try and focus the 'blame' on Ducati rather than his lack of loyalty.
Frankly, he succeeded because many on this forum incorrectly believe that Ducati treated him badly and that he was forced out.

Thanks PhilW, why not run three red Ducatis then?
He probably saw it as humiliation or loss of face ending up in a satellite team (look at Edwards)
and I can understand that.

Capirossi was offered all of the "whatever" package but without his current race engineer. If he couldn't even get this one same engineer with him, he surely won't get the rest of his team. And previously somebody said that D'antin doesn't even have a suspension specialist.

Barros explained they also lacked a spare suspension, I get the strong impression that people like seeing them as a
'works' outfit when one of their riders performs well and as 'satellite team' when they underperform.
But maybe the name 'Alice' will do miracles next year, you never know...