Pramac Ducati down to 1 rider??

[Gizmo]

Moto GP Matters are reporting that Pramac can't afford to run 2 bikes so Canepa is without a ride. Rumours are that he'll join Sete's onde 2000 team as a second rider there. Read the lower part of the Moto GP Matters story and it does make you wonder how long the team will actually last, a Spanish property developer building in Equatorial Guinea

http://www.motogpmatters.com/news/2008/12/31/canepa_to_be_shifted_sideways_off_to_joi.html

I thought that Ducati had semi taken over running the Pramac team earlier this (last) year when Dantin got sacked so it seems weird that its all getting cut back but maybe the lack of Alice sponsorship is beginning to bite.

 

[Gizmo]

the silly season continues with Pramac now denying any reduction in the team

http://www.motogpmatters.com/news/2009/01/02/pramac_and_pernat_deny_canepa_switch.html

Confusion reigns in MotoGP, and not just about the future of Kawasaki. On Wednesday, reports emerged from Spain that Niccolo Canepa would switch from the Pramac Ducati team to the Team Grupo Francisco Hernando (the Onde 2000 team), a move made necessary by Alice's withdrawal as title sponsor for the Pramac team. But today, both Carlo Pernat, Canepa's manager, and Paolo Campinoti denied that any such more had been agreed.

Pernat, who manages Loris Capirossi as well as Niccolo Canepa, was the most emphatic when asked about the rumors by the Italian press agency Mediaset: "It's a hoax," Pernat said. "Canepa is staying at Pramac. The Spanish reports saying he will be going to join the Nieto brothers are completely baseless. I spoke to (Paolo) Campinoti, the team manager, and he confirmed that Canepa will be riding with Pramac."

Pramac manager was equally firm, but his choice of words left a little more room for maneuver: "I can confirm that there will be two Ducati-Pramacs on the track next year," Campinoti told GPOne.com. "But it's true that we lost our title sponsor Alice, and we are busy looking for a replacement. This could lead to a situation where the two riders, Canepa and Kallio, race in different liveries, while remaining under contract to Pramac."

When asked by GPOne.com about the possibility of Canepa moving to the Onde 2000 team, Campinoti again left some room for doubt. "Not in the sense that he will remain with the Pramac team. At the moment, nothing has been fixed, except that we will have two riders. We could have a single pit box with different sponsors, or two separate garages, but honestly, we haven't even discussed this yet."

Though at first sight, the words of Pernat and Campinoti suggest that Canepa will not be joining Sete Gibernau at Onde 2000, Campinoti seems to be leaving himself some negotiating room with Francisco Hernando, the man behind the Onde 2000 team. This could see Canepa running the same colors as Gibernau, whilst remaining in the Pramac garage. But given the ambitions of the Spanish property tycoon, he is unlikely to want to relinquish control of the situation.

 

[samieb]

Team Managers are like Politicians, they always leave themselfs with a 'get out of Jail' card. Just incase they need to retract any previous statements...

 

[Gizmo]

Team Managers are like Politicians, they always leave themselfs with a 'get out of Jail' card. Just incase they need to retract any previous statements...

I think its Dorna starting to make teams aware of what was in the contracts they've signed and what happens if you default on it! there seems to be a little bit of pressure being applied to stop teams getting out before it takes the whole series down