Simoncelli linked with Gresini ride
Added on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Simoncelli linked with Gresini ride
World 250cc champion Marco Simoncelli looks set to sign for Honda next season after confirming that he will be making the step up premier class in 2010.
The Italian is hot property at present with Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda all said to be in the hunt for his signature but talk in the MotoGP paddock on Sunday suggested that it is Honda who have won the race for the 22-year-old.
New MotoGP regulations would prevent Simoncelli from signing with any factory team in 2010, with only Suzuki exempt from that ruling as they currently have no satellite operators, which means that Simoncelli’s most likely employers for his rookie season would be the Gresini Honda team.
Gresini have a close relationship with HRC, already running one factory-spec Honda RC212V currently ridden by an out-of-form Toni Elias, and that could prove to be the ideal springboard for Simoncelli’s premier class career.
Yamaha had previously eyed Simoncelli for their Tech 3 satellite team to replace either Colin Edwards, who has hinted at retirement when his contract runs out at the end of the season, and James Toseland, who is also out of contract and currently struggling to impress team bosses.
Suzuki would have offered Simoncelli a factory ride, most likely replacing Loris Capirossi, from season one, albeit an underperforming one.
The news will intensify speculation in the Honda garage, with the team reportedly growing impatient with crocked rider Dani Pedrosa. Reports have also suggested that Andrea Dovisiozo has expressed some displeasure at the current performance of the RC212V whilst Jorge Lorenzo has been linked from some quarters with a move to Repsol Honda.
