"It's more of a project for the future, for 2008 and beyond," Brivio said. "But if the tests go well, we might use it at Misano [the next round of the championship, only two weeks away]. It depends on many things such as dyno testing and availability."
You would think that
Colin Edwards would race the pneumatic motor first, as Rossi still has a mathematical chance of winning the
MotoGP championship: teams traditionally won't risk giving their top guy experimental kit until it's proven. But Brivio says that, no, Valentino will get it first.
It's all part of Yamaha's plan to try and cut back Ducati's speed advantage, currently at around 8kph on the Brno straight.
Sunday am - Who's Going to Ten Kate's Magny Party?
At the risk of receiving an abrupt two-word phrase meaning 'Go away now', I sprayed a few Sunday morning phone calls around Europe to try and nail down some of who's-going-where rumours.
First stop, Neil Hodgson: they're saying he might be heading for Honda and AMA Superbikes in 2008 after his fifth place on a Corona Honda at Laguna Seca last month.
"That's news to me," he said.
So will he be one of the riders that the Ten Kate World Superbike team are apparently testing at Magny-Cours next week?
No to that one as well. But he is talking to Ten Kate, and to Francis Batta's Suzuki squad. A place in World Superbike remains his No 1 objective.
So on to Jonathan Rea, the 20-year-old who is Britain's brightest young hope. Are
you heading for Magny, Jonathan? "I've heard that rumour, but I've had nothing solid," he said as he settled down to watch the Brno race on TV.
Rea has already had two offers for 2008: one from his current Honda team to stay in BSB, and a really juicy bite from Ducati involving the new 1098 model in World Superbikes. "Now I'm just waiting for a firm proposal," he said. "I'm told it would be a full factory bike in the Xerox Ducati team.
"I'm also talking about a MotoGP opportunity, but I can't say who it's with."
We just have to hope that Rea moves to the world stage rather than staying in the UK.
So just who is riding the Ten Kate Fireblades at Magny? I tried team manager Ronald Ten Kate in Holland. To the sound of family noises in the background he said patiently: "Just
James Toseland."
