JiR keeps Tamada, Konica - maybe Michelin.

Japan Italy Racing is set to retain title backing from Konica Minolta and again run Makoto Tamada on a Honda RC211V in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship, but is still to confirm its tyre supplier.

Tamada won two races while competing out of the amalgamated Camel Honda awning, alongside Max Biaggi, in 2004 - results which helped Makoto's manager Gianluca Montiron to set up the new JiR outfit around him for 2005.

The new team approached their debut season with well founded optimism: The only real change from the proven 2004 technical package was a switch from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres - a move that was expected, on balance, to aid Tamada's championship hopes since it put him 'even' with the other Hondas and Yamahas.

The downside was that Tamada would lose the type of tyre advantage he had so successfully exploited, when occasionally available, in previous years - but some impressive pre-season testing times looked to confirm that the #6 would be a consistent podium contender in 2005.

However, when the racing began, Tamada was left wondering what went wrong: A distant eighth place at the Jerez season-opener was followed by a wrist breaking accident at Estoril, which put him out of the next three races and would ultimately affect the rest of his year.

Indeed, in the seven races after his return, Tamada would claim a best finish of just seventh - but would finally prove that he can be a MotoGP frontrunner without Bridgestone by taking his debut Michelin podium in the Japanese Grand Prix on September 18.

Unfortunately, that result proved something of a false dawn - with a best of eighth in the five rounds that followed - leading some to suggest that Tamada should return to Bridgestones for 2006... something the team could indeed be considering:

"Everything should remain the same for the upcoming season. Sponsor and rider for sure, still in doubt regarding the tyres, which will be decided soon I hope," a JiR team spokesman told Crash.net.

Meanwhile, JiR also ended speculation that they could run a second bike for Tamada's former Camel Honda team-mate - and good friend - Biaggi, who is currently still without a 2006 ride.

"(I) don't think Honda will give any bike to Max, therefore he will not be able to work with us," said the spokesman.