Newsgroup: it.sport.motociclismo
Titolo: Ducati passa a Michelin ?

O almeno così si vocifera: 
http://tinyurl.com/4g7wpl
A crucial meeting is due to be held at Motegi on Saturday afternoon. 
During this meeting of the Grand Prix Commission, a proposal is to be 
submitted to allow only a single manufacturer to produced tires for 
MotoGP. Bridgestone is the favorite to be awarded the contract, which 
would end nearly 60 years of open competition in motorcycle racing's 
premier class. The general expectation is that the proposal will be 
adopted without too much argument.
Or at least, that was the general expectation up until a few hours ago. 
Now, Spanish television is reporting that Ducati, the team that has 
taken Bridgestone to its dominant position in the MotoGP paddock, is in 
talks with Michelin to supply tires to all 5 Ducatis expected to be on 
the grid for next year. The deal, if it were to come off, would 
immediately scupper any chances of a single tire proposal being pushed 
through, and blow the tire war wide open again.
At first glance, the proposal may seem to be beyond bizarre: Why would 
a company who have built up such an incredible record of success with 
Bridgestone suddenly dump the tire company who helped them to win world 
title this year, and whose tires are certain to win the championship 
again in 2008? What's more, why drop what is considered to be one of 
the key ingredients in the magic recipe that has turned Casey Stoner 
from being a fast kid with a tendency to crash to arguably the most 
dominant rider in MotoGP?
When you study Ducati's history in MotoGP, however, the move suddenly 
makes a great deal of sense. Ducati's successful partnership with 
Bridgestone started as a result of a strategic decision taken by the 
Borgo Panigale factory to switch away from the then dominant brand 
Michelin. This decision seemed as bizarre then as any proposal to 
switch to Michelins does now, but at its core is the same astute piece 
of analysis. If you want to beat Valentino Rossi, the leading candidate 
for the title of greatest motorcycle racer ever, you need to obtain 
some kind of advantage.
At the end of the 2004 season, Ducati made the switch to Bridgestone, 
arguing that they had more chance of getting Bridgestone to build a 
tire that would work specifically for their bikes than with Michelin. 
The French tire giant, then utterly dominant in MotoGP, was also 
supplying both Yamaha and Honda, and Ducati rightly surmised that with 
their needs were likely to come a long way down the list, after the 
demands of the then reigning multiple world champion and the factory 
that has been the driving force behind motorcycle racing's premier 
class since the late '80s.
Though the switch brought limited success in 2005 - at that point in 
time, Bridgestone were a long way behind in tire development - 2006 saw 
Loris Capirossi in with a legitimate shot at the title until his season 
was wrecked in the monster crash at Barcelona, and the story of Casey 
Stoner's domination in 2007 is all too familiar.
In the light of this history, and recent moves which have seen all of 
the major players in MotoGP either switch to Bridgestone, or demand 
that they switch for 2009, a move to Michelin starts to look like the 
smartest course of action. With Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa 
already on Bridgestones, and likely to be joined next year by Jorge 
Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati's influence with the Japanese tire 
maker is certain to wane, leaving them in a similar position to the one 
they found themselves in when the Italian factory first entered MotoGP 
in 2003.
By selecting Michelin as their tire suppliers, Ducati would once again 
become the major influence in tire development within Michelin as the 
only major factory team on French rubber. They could work together with 
Michelin to have tires tailor made to their own specifications, and 
once again, be in with a chance of getting an advantage over the 
competition.
The stumbling block to such a proposal would appear to be Casey Stoner. 
The reigning World Champion has in the past been very negative about 
Michelin tires, but there is an important distinction here. Stoner was 
negative about the tires he was given to race with, as the Australian 
was way down the Michelin pecking order on board the satellite LCR 
Honda. But his main complaint about the French tire company was that 
they favored the top teams over his smaller team.
If Ducati are either the sole factory on Michelins, or at least, the 
most important team on Michelins, this objection disappears. Michelin 
is determined to restore its reputation in MotoGP, and you can be 
absolutely certain that the French tire maker will do everything it can 
to provide Stoner with tires capable of winning. And by having 5 
Ducatis to supply, the incentives to get the tires to suit the bike are 
further increased.
Proof, if proof were needed, of Michelin's commitment to regaining its 
former dominant position in MotoGP can be seen by the French company's 
efforts at persuading other teams to join it. Michelin is said to be 
talking to both Gresini Honda and Rizla Suzuki about using their tires, 
and dropping Bridgestones. For Suzuki, as for Ducati, the argument of 
much greater input into tire development is an extremely persuasive 
one, and worth taking very seriously indeed.
And so, at a stroke, Ducati have helped sweep the single tire proposals 
from the table, a proposal that was indirectly a result of their 
dominance of last year. For such a small factory - and their entire 
factory could probably fit inside just the race departments of some of 
the major Japanese manufacturers - Ducati have managed to have an 
inordinate amount of influence over the MotoGP series.
-- 
Fabri - WLF
MK WII - 1762-2936-5093

  O almeno così si vocifera: 
http://tinyurl.com/4g7wpl
A parte che non hanno ancora deciso se ci sara' la monogomma e se si' quale
sara' la prescelta. (Ezpeleta sembravo dovesse annunciarlo questa mattina ma
tutto tace), Suppo ha dichiarato che per diversificare (nel caso non ci sia il
monogomma) la Michelin dovrebbe equipaggiare il 2° team (Alice).
-- 
Wallygator®
α 16/12/1949
Ω delayed for lightnings
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