After the Avintia team confirmed in April that it would continue its partnership with the Bologna firm next year, Team Aspar also renewed its agreement during the Spanish Grand Prix. All that remains is to reach an agreement with Pramac, which due to the close relationship between the two companies is only a formality, according to Ciabatti.
When the latest agreement was signed between Dorna and IRTA, during the 2016 German Grand Prix, Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta commented: We renewed our partnership with IRTA for five more years in Assen. And after which, an agreement was signed between IRTA and the seven independent teams entered in MotoGP. Lucio Cecchinello and his team will have the possibility of putting a 24th bike on the grid, so everyone will have two machines. This is important because we have never had more than 24 motorcycles. With this financial contribution provided by the IRTA, the teams will be able to cover the cost of the motorcycles, which ensures a certain sustainability of the Championship. ».
The idea was to have 6 manufacturers each entering an official team and providing a satellite team, as Yamaha currently does. But Suzuki, Aprilia and KTM do not seem ready to take the plunge, and Ducati is therefore taking the opportunity to sell its GP15, GP16 and GP17.
According to Ciabatti, “We had already signed with Avintia and reached an agreement with Aspar this weekend. They will announce it when they want. For Pramac, I think it's just about sitting down together and discussing the conditions. But we are already talking to them about the drivers for next year, that is the general idea.
“All teams have the choice of equipment, which ranges from a higher option to a lower option. It's up to the team to decide, also depending on the type of drivers they want to hire. So they may have a 2017 bike, but I think they also want to see if they can sign riders who can use it as well.
“So, I see myself staying with three satellite teams next year. Suzuki has apparently made it very clear that at the moment they are not doing so well, so I think they are focusing more on their current bike. Honestly, for satellite team logistics you need a lot of organization. So if you are not used to it and want to focus your resources, it is not an easy job.
“I don't know what Aprilia wants to do, but at the moment I think our teams are very happy with the equipment and the service we provide. So our plan is to continue next year. We know this won't last forever, because sooner or later Suzuki, Aprilia and KTM will be able to provide competitive hardware. »
Avintia will have two GP17s next year. We can therefore assume that Pramac and Aspar will share a GP18, a GP17 and two GP16s.
Photo © Reale Avintia Racing
Source: crash.net
