WSBK » Ducati: Vermeulen, Biaggi or Byrne

Belly

Dovi won the 125cc title in 2004.

yes vermuelen had a good 2 last races but one was wet and the other was at laguna.he'd go well there on a c90! just seems as though suzuki looking at those 2 good results. not a criticism against vermuelen,just if he stays with suzuki i think he'll always just be around the top ten personally.he could win handfulls of wsb championships.
xerox dream team: Greg Lavilla & Robbin Harms!!!!

Let's get Shakey on the Xerox and be done with it. Can't believe that he's not getting the chance to showcase his ability in either of the two WSBK rounds in the UK, nor has he been asked to ride a third Xerox Duke there either, although that may be contractual restrictions. Personally I think Wright and Healey are trying to keep what they've got with Shakey under wraps in the hope that he gets overlooked for 2009 and GSE can go into WSBK with Byrne and maybe even Camier themselves, rather than going to a new(ish) championship with new riders, new(ish) circuits etc... If that's the case, it's a bit selfish to be honest, and a bit naive as everyone knows how well Byrne is going on the 1098...

I think Shakey would be better served with Xerox next year. Every other Duc will be at least a step below the factory team bikes. If GSE goes to WSBK I think they would be better served with Cramier and and someone like Lavilla or another established WSBK rider who knows the tracks. Having 2 riders learning the circuits with a team new to the championship will be more difficult.

Agreed. I too think Byrne would be better off with Xerox. I can't see him not getting on with the crew, after all he's had two years on the world scene in MotoGP and is a very professional and polished act these days. He already exudes some of that Bayliss 'x-factor' as far as I'm concerned and I think he'd fill Bayliss's leathers better than Boo Hoo Biaggi ever would. He also knows several of the WSBK circuits from his MotoGP days.

um, gse wouldnt be new to wsbk, they several years before pulling out due to not getting factory bikes

Pitt met with Tardozzi in Italy last week!

Macbeth, you never watched CV on the brand new 4 cyl honda back in his superbike days? This was when he was the only rider too really take it to Suzuki and Corser. That was when JT was on the Factory Ducati.

Gaz, I have been thinking the same thing about Andrew Pitt. I think he deserves more credit in the development of the R1, prior to Corser wandering in. I think Ducati need a rider who can develop a bike, not just someone who jumps on. This is the reason why the Xerox team were looking at CV, due to his development work on the Ten Kate Honda.

Too right. Go Pitty!! Why do riders show form just in time?

Byrne is having a pretty easy ride in BSB this year, with a dominant bike and a half-fit team-mate, but he's done some good stuff in the past. Biaggi is fast if inconsistant, and has the name recognition for the sponsors. Smrz's true race pace is hard to gain due to the inexperience of his team - but with Fabrizio on one bike they need exerience on the other. Andrew Pitt's a sensible option - quick on everything he's ridden and an excellent development rider.