Max Neukirchner completed the year ninth on the 'satellite' Alstare Suzuki, but impressed enough on the full factory machine at Magny-Cours to keep the ride for 2008, when he will be joined by
Fonsi Nieto and retained factory favourite
Yukio Kagayama.
Nieto finished twelfth for Kawasaki in 2007, two places behind team-mate
Regis Laconi, as the green machine disappointingly failed to take a single podium. Laconi will be joined by former double
MotoGP race winner
Makoto Tamada next season.
DFX Honda's
Michel Fabrizio finished the year sandwiched between the ZX-10Rs, during a tough 2007 for all the non-factory riders, but the Italian will get his big chance alongside Bayliss in the factory Ducati team next year, riding the new 1098R during what could well be Troy's final season of racing.
The forthcoming arrival of the 1098 caused significant controversy this season, with Ducati threatening to quit if it was not allowed to run the 1200cc racer - which had already replaced the 999 model in the showroom - while some rival teams declared a similar intention if the big-capacity machine did race.
Ducati was prepared to surrender the v-twin's previous tuning advantage in return for the extra 200cc and a compromise was eventually reached that will see the 1098 start next season 6kg heavier than the 1000cc four-cylinders and with 50mm air restrictors fitted. Both those limits will be 'updated, if needed, during the championship by a system analysing the race points obtained'.
Joining the likes of Bayliss, Fabrizio and Xaus on the new machine will be Biaggi, who has secured a seat at Sterilgarda after parting company with Alstare Suzuki - but can he be a title contender at a non-factory team?
