Despite the general deconfinement, the MotoGP paddock still remains closed to journalists, and this is completely normal. But, as usual, that obviously doesn't stop him from buzzing with rumors, some of which come back to our ears...
We hide most of them, either because of a confidentiality clause, or for lack of elements allowing us to think that they are something other than rumors, but it also happens that several diffuse elements overlap and, at that moment Here we share it with you.
This is the case today with the team Leopard Racing.
For years we have heard from time to time that the structure of Flavio Becca hopes to make his arrival in the premier category of MotoGP.
It started in 2015 when the Forward Yamaha MotoGP team began to struggle following problems encountered by its boss. But this team simply refocused on Moto2 in 2016, and it was not replaced, the desire then being to do without small "exotic" teams and to refocus MotoGP on a limited number of professional teams , ideally six manufacturers each fielding four motorcycles.
At the time, Miodrag Kotur, Team Principal of Leopard Racing and Jean Todt's right-hand man at Ferrai for a long time, explained on speedweek : “A first step could be to enter the premier category as a sponsor. We have to be very, very careful, just thinking about such an action which would be very ambitious and very demanding. We should carefully examine our potential. And like I said before, we don't want to be presumptuous. »
The rumor of the arrival of Leopard Racing in MotoGP then returned when Suzuki Ecstar mentioned the possibility of having a B team. But again, the deal did not happen, already simply because if Davide Brivio moves heaven and earth for years to have its satellite team, the leaders of Hamamatsu do not seem in the least in a hurry...
We know that places in MotoGP are now extremely limited and, to arrive there, there are now no other solutions than to take someone's place, generally after an amicable agreement between the different parties, as was the case between Aspar and Petronas SRT for the 2019 season.
But even if it is difficult, Leopard Racing does not seem to have forgotten its interest in the premier category of Grands Prix...
Today, and this is a scoop, the rumor is making a comeback, from Spain and Italy. This time, no more Suzuki B team, but an approach similar to that envisaged in 2015: If possible, take the place of an existing structure. In what proportion? 100%, 50%? Honestly, we don't know.
But then, which team?
To find the answer, we must link another rumor (certainly denied by the person concerned), the retirement of Tito Rabat, to a semi-official announcement, the arrival of Enea Bastianini, former Leopard Racing rider, in the Ducati MotoGP fold.
So this is all about the team called Avintia Racing. For now…
Because the rumor mentions turquoise Ducatis from 2021!
These are obviously not the only elements on which this rumor is based, but if you wish to consult our previous episodes of “Radio Paddock”, it’s here, and even if the truth of one day is not necessarily that of the next, we cannot say that they have been contradicted by the news…
06/08/2017 Enea Bastianini upon signing with Leopard Racing.
