Sete Gibernau to Ducati?

That Ducati just takes a special talent to ride it, I think Stoner learnt it early with his earlier talent for crashing and not caring. Rossi rides hard till he falls off and then backs off a little bit next time.

Let Gibernau come back and Moto GP will be a spectacle again. Melandri is fast, he is just not fast on the Ducati

Colin did give me something to watch last Sunday. He came way back from the back to finish up 3rd. Real entertaining stuff he did there. OK he passed Haydon by shear luck but hey it was payback time for the way he psyched him off a win last year. Still have to see Colin win a Motogp. I like the guy and think he deserves it. He's really great when he's on it, must make himself keep this mood more often.

Can't see Edwards winning a race. The competition is far too good at this level.

But it would be interesting to see him on one of the works bikes.

I think Melandri is one of those riders who need everything to be perfect to be a real contender. Doesnt look able to ride around probs and issues. Unlike Stoner. But then again, the Ducati is said to be a untamed mule.

I'm still pretty convinced we'll see the tornado coming in first. He was lapping almost as fast as Stoner on Sunday. We haven't seen him pressuring from second, wonder how things might have turned out if he wasn't unfortunate at the the start of the race to have to stop his bike so as not to run over a fallen Rossi. I'm still hopeful.

Well the rumour is that Melandri has already signed with Kwak and will ride for Kwak maybe even next race. Depends how the split with Ducati goes.

The next rumour is that Gibernau will ride for Ducati this year...depending on when Melandri goes.

So 13th July at Sachsenring...all could be all change and the appereance of Sete!

Originally Posted by The Basket

Well the rumour is that Melandri has already signed with Kwak and will ride for Kwak maybe even next race. Depends how the split with Ducati goes.

The next rumour is that Gibernau will ride for Ducati this year...depending on when Melandri goes.

So 13th July at Sachsenring...all could be all change and the appereance of Sete!

My money is on Sete to first feature at Brno.

Before finalising his 3 day test at Mugello,Sete fired in a best lap which was just half a second down on Casey's lap record,(Sete was using race tyres)! Brilliant performance when after all Sete has had a long break and has not had time to tweak the bike to his specific needs.

On the fitness front Sete was running blocks of 5 laps at a time all apparently with good times with air temps at around 31ºc. He has shown that he still has it and importantly has demonstrated that the bike is not rideable by Casey.

I wonder what number he will run as De Angelis has stolen his Nº15?

Melandri wants to go and Ducati wants him to go!

Talk about a disappointment. Melandri is 3 seconds a lap down on Stoner. And in this game thats a quick exit in anyones lingo.

All depends how much Melandri can grab off Ducati as a parting gift...and how much Ducati want to give him.

Whether he can rebuild his career at Kwaker is one for the history books though.

I wonder if they thought of Guintolli filling the boots...prob not.

Talk of Melandri riding at Sachsenring for Kwak means that a Ducati works bike may be up for grabs. All depends, of course, on things that we know nothing about!

Plus Laguna Seca is before Brno too. So I can't see this charade running very long.

Be great to see Sete back, imagine the first time he and Rossi are elbow to elbow. I'm rather gutted for Melandri, I really hope he can come back from this, but it won't be easy, especially not on the Kawasaki. How he and Elias must wish they were still with satelite teams running "uncompetitive" machinery.

I fear a move to Superbikes is on the cards for one of them, and it would be a real shame, but there's fresh talent coming through each year and an increasingly limited number of rides.

Nobody could argue that Marco has nothing but **** on the Duke. Granted its supposed to be a really stiff bike but it shows the quality of Stoner in the way he gets around the track.

Interesting that Spies wouldnt ride at Assen because he doubted whether he would get anywhere, despite calls from Schwantz that he should have taken it.

It seems like all is not well with Melandri going to Kawasaki.

Italian Marco Melandri will have to wait for his chance to ride Kawasaki’s factory ZX-RR after he was unable to end his Ducati nightmare in time for the German GP.
As reported in yesterday’s MCN, Melandri had tried to get released from his Ducati contract to replace injured John Hopkins in the German and American GP clashes on July 13 and 20 respectively.
But Kawasaki has just confirmed that Melandri won't be riding a ZX-RR in the next two races.
Kawasaki were willing to let the former world 250 champion ride alongside Aussie Anthony West in the next two races, and had cleared the move with Hopkins while he recovers from a broken ankle and tibia he suffered in a massive 175mph crash in Assen.
But Ducati have blocked Melandri’s request to quit just nine races into his two-year Ducati deal, and insist that he continues to ride the GP8 on which has struggled woefully on in 2008.
Factory team boss Livio Suppo told MCN last weekend in Assen that Melandri’s situation would be assessed again after the Laguna Seca clash.
Melandri is still likely to split from Ducati after Laguna Seca and he could still end up riding a factory ZX-RR when the summer break ends for the Czech Republic GP in Brno on August 17.
Kawasaki is unlikely to ditch West to make way for Melandri, though it might consider using its test ZX-RR to accommodate Melandri. It is also understood that any deal to race this season will include a permanent deal for 2009.