Former 125 and 250cc world champion Capirossi could have been a serious title contender for Marlboro Ducati if he hadn't been hurt in the first-turn Barcelona crash and a fired-up Loris views this season as perhaps his last chance to win the title. Capirossi knows he needs Hayden-like season-long consistency as well as wins - and the new Ducati looks like it could deliver just that.
Capirossi's is joined by
Casey Stoner, who replaces the retired Sete Gibernau. The 21 year-old Australian made an impressive
MotoGP debut last year on the LCR Honda which included a pole position in Qatar in only his second MotoGP race. Stoner has the skill and machinery to take his debut win this season, and is something of a Qatar specialist...
Meanwhile, Melandri was also an unwitting victim of the Barcelona carnage - without which he too could have put more title pressure on Rossi and Hayden - and will hope that Gresini Honda's winter switch to
Bridgestone tyres will help bridge the gap to the full factory riders after complaining of insufficient horsepower during testing. Marco's team-mate will once again be Spaniard
Toni Elias who secured a magnificent win at Estoril last year, but has had a somewhat troubled pre-season adapting to the new tyres.
Former World Superbike champion
Colin Edwards is still seeking that elusive first grand prix victory but, like team-mate Rossi, has adapted extremely well to the new 800cc Yamaha and is predicting his best season ever. Other riders to impress in testing have been Frenchman Randy De Puniet and the Rizla Suzuki pair of
John Hopkins and
Chris Vermeulen. de Puniet, who is joined at Kawasaki by former 250cc world champion Olivier Jacque, had a problematic debut season last year but has been flying this year.
The 800cc Suzukis have also impressed, although Hopkins is still recovering from a high speed testing accident in Qatar a couple of weeks ago - but will be fit to ride alongside Australian Vermeulen, who had such an impressive debut season last year. Former 500cc world champion
Kenny Roberts made way for Vermeulen at Suzuki last season, but returned 'home' to his father's Oxfordshire-based KR team and took the Michelin-shod, Honda powered, machine to two podiums.
Spanish veteran Carlos Checa replaces Stoner at LCR Honda while his place at Tech 3 Yamaha is taken by former double grand prix winner Makoto Tamada who is joined by French 250cc star
Sylvain Guintoli.
Shinya Nakano left Kawasaki to take over from Tamada in the Konica Minolta Honda team, while Brazilian veteran Alex Barros returns to MotoGP after a year in World Superbikes. He partners German Alex Hoffman in the re-vitalised Pramac d’Antin Ducati team who will be using Bridgestone tyres.
The new Ilmor team, under the direction of
Formula One engine guru Mario Illien, will take on the big boys for its first full season with Australian Andrew Pitt and 42 year-old Ulsterman Jeremy Mc
Williams at the controls of the X3.
