Dovizioso, JiR, Scot and Honda.

By Lynne Huntting

The announcement on Saturday that the Scot Racing Team is ending its agreement with JiR at the end of 2008 brings up some interesting possibilities.

Hayden, Pedrosa, Nakano, DeAngeles, De Puniet, Dovizioso, Jerez MotoGP tests, February 2008
Hayden, Pedrosa, Nakano, DeAngeles, De Puniet, Dovizioso, Jerez MotoGP…
© Gold and Goose

By Lynne Huntting

The announcement on Saturday that the Scot Racing Team is ending its agreement with JiR at the end of 2008 brings up some interesting possibilities.

JiR was an existing MotoGP team which Scot, an Italian construction company, brought sponsorship to and joined forces with for this season, running rookie Andrea Dovizioso.

Now Scot aims to continue on its own next year in MotoGP, and JiR will continue as a one-motorcycle satellite Honda team.

JiR told me it has the team, a place on the grid, infrastructure and contract with Honda. It has also been - until this season - Honda's preferred location for a Japanese rider.

Scot meanwhile has a contract with Dovizioso through 2009 and, presumably, much of the funding needed to run a MotoGP team.

It's no secret that 'Dovi' would like to ride for the factory Repsol Honda Team next year, which currently runs Dani Pedrosa and American Nicky Hayden.

There is intense speculation that Hayden will leave Honda at season's end for Ducati, but Dovizioso's 2009 contract with Scot might make his planned move to Repsol a little more complicated than first thought.

However, the most likely solution is that the 'new' Scot team will trade Dovizioso for a supply of satellite Honda machines.

But MotoGP bikes are notoriously hard to get hold of (just ask Jorge 'Martinez' Aspar) and Scot's only real option outside of Honda would be to fund a third factory Kawasaki.

As such, JiR and Scot could be set to battle over who will run its current 250cc rider Yuki Takahashi in the MotoGP class next season.

JiR admits that Hayden is unlikely to swap seats with Dovizioso.

The Scot Racing Team will announce more on its 2009 plans at September's Japanese Grand prix.

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