WSBK » World Superbike grid taking shape

Sykes looks inferior only because Spies has been so dominant. Tom is very good and deserves a top ride. Suzuki would be a good fit as he has experience with Suzukis and Alstare should receive support from the factory. I had heard that Camier and Byrne would be on a second Aprilia team. That leaves the possibility of Nakano continuing next year with Biaggi. The top rides are quickly being filled and there are several riders still looking for a spot, IMO several riders will end up in Moto2 rather than WSBK. Hopkins is one though that I think wil stay in WSBK somewhere. His camp has been eerily silent as of late though.

F1 » Renault F1 reveals first part of 2010 line-up.

Kubica will never be world champion and will be forgotten the instant he retires. Renault as a team is damaged goods at best and this will be a poor career choice for him.

WSBK » Byrne enjoys ‘fun’ run to top ten

He is inconsistent, this could be because he is on a one-man team. He is not world championship material but with the right team could be a spoiler and get a few wins. Certainly not a bad or talentless rider.

WSBK » Double podium puts Biaggi on course for fourth

Never really thought about other riders from a physical perspective, but possibly Ellison or even Hodgson? Canepa is also now out of a job, as is DeAngelis, Hopkins, and Elias apparently. One thing for sure is that even with the recent signings there are still several very good unsigned riders available from BSB, AMA, WSBK, 250GP, and MotoGP.

WSBK » Double podium puts Biaggi on course for fourth

The Aprilia RSV4 is going to be very competitive next year. It is understandable that teams complained about it being a prototype early in the season (although it appears to adhere to the rules it certainly raised the "arms race" in production racing). Max is very talented, and assuming Nakano gets the boot his seat would be a prized spot for a top rider (Bayliss?). Latest rumor is Camier and Byrne on another Aprilia team. If Aprilia soon dominates and that forces Ducati to build a production desmosedici, all the better.

MOTOGP » Vermeulen explains WSBK with Kawasaki.

Hopefully Kawasaki will dedicate their previous MotoGP resources to winning in WSBK. With Vermuelen they have a capable rider who should be near the front if the bike is capable. It will be interesting to see who they hire to be his teammate.

WSBK » Toseland, Crutchlow pair up for Yamaha

Anything less than the 2010 World Championship for Toseland should be seen as a failure. The bike is proven. He should be seen as one of the top three or four riders in the series for sure.

F1 » Warwick: Jenson Button heading for a hollow victory

It is as I said in another thread some time ago after Button had won everything early: IF Button is able to win the championship he will be one of the least deserving drivers ever. Now that the field have closed some of the the performance gap with Brawn most races, Jenson looks very human. The thing is he will just have too many points for rivals to overcome due to the incredible superiority of the Brawn in the first half of the season.

MOTOGP » Rossi: 800cc MotoGP's biggest mistake for 15 years.

Even if Dorna decided to go back to 990cc bikes in say, 2012, the advances in electronics would mean those bikes would look abou the same to the viewer. The 800s were almost immediately faster over race distance and the 990 would be just a bit faster but the tires would still stay inline. So a ban on advanced electronics plus a few extra liters of fuel would be needed as well to bring back the spectacle. But if they did that to the 800s they would also be exciting to watch. So perhaps it is not engine capcity but "invisible" rider aids AND artifically low fuel capcity that needs to be changed.

WSBK » Biaggi: Aprilia needs 'big step' for 2010.

Nakano has had a very disappointing season and really doesn't deserve the ride for 2010. There are a few riders (DeAngelis, Elias, Vermuelen, Toseland) that will likely be out of MotoGP next year and with only a few prime factory spots available in WSBK, Aprilia could have thier pick. Vermuelen to me would be the logical rider to help develop the bike since he has been on a factory MotoGP bike, the others rode customer bikes with little input in development.