(MotoGP Release) The provisional entry list for the 2008 MotoGP World Championship has been announced by the FIM:
1. CASEY STONER, AUSTRALIAN
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM -
DUCATI
3. ALEX DE ANGELIS, SAN MARINO
HONDA GRESINI - HONDA
4. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO, ITALIAN
JIR SCOT TEAM - HONDA
5. COLIN EDWARDS, USA
YAMAHA TECH 3 - YAMAHA
7. CHRIS VERMEULEN, AUSTRALIAN
RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP -
SUZUKI
13. ANTHONY WEST, AUSTRALIAN
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM -
KAWASAKI
14. RANDY DE PUNIET, FRENCH
HONDA LCR - HONDA
21. JOHN HOPKINS, USA
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM - KAWASAKI
24. TONI ELIAS, SPANISH
TEAM ALICE - DUCATI
26. DANI PEDROSA, SPANISH
REPSOL HONDA TEAM - HONDA
33. MARCO MELANDRI, ITALIAN
DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM -
DUCATI
46. VALENTINO ROSSI, ITALIAN
FIAT YAMAHA TEAM - YAMAHA
48. JORGE LORENZO, SPANISH
FIAT YAMAHA TEAM - YAMAHA
50. SYLVAIN GUINTOLI, FRENCH
TEAM ALICE - YAMAHA
52. JAMES TOSELAND, BRITISH
YAMAHA TECH 3 - YAMAHA
56. SHINYA NAKANO, JAPANESE
HONDA GRESINI - HONDA
65. LORIS CAPIROSSI, ITALIAN
RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP -
SUZUKI
69. NICKY HAYDEN, USA
REPSOL HONDA TEAM - HONDA
XX. TO BE ADVISED, ROBERTS
XX. TO BE ADVISED, ROBERTS
The publication of the provisional entry lists for the 2008 season have thrown up a few surprises which had until now been kept firmly under wraps. Most of the big changes come in the lower cylinder categories, with any riders changing teams in MotoGP having already tested with their new outfits before the end of the year.
In the premier class there has been a healthy turnover in departing veterans and arriving young blood. Leaving the World Championship are veterans Carlos Checa, Alex Barros and Makoto Tamada, with their places on the grid now occupied by 250cc stars Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Alex de Angelis.
The only other rookie for 2008 is Yamaha Tech 3’s superbike champion James Toseland, who will be the British representative next season. He will be looking to avenge Britain’s point-less 2007 season, in which the only competitor hailing from the United Kingdom was d’Antin Ducati stand-in Chaz Davies. The Welshman returns to the AMA championship next season.
With the departure of Checa, Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen was free to adopt the number 7 used throughout his pre-MotoGP career. He makes the switch from 71 to the plate used by mentor Barry Sheene. World Champion Casey Stoner will be adopting the number 1 plate next year, with 2006 titlist Nicky Hayden reverting to 69.
Team Roberts have yet to confirm their plans for 2008, with hopes of a change in engine supplier and a two-rider team structure.
The most notable absentee from the 250cc entry list is Shuhei Aoyama, who leaves his place in the Repsol Honda team alongside Julian Simon for pastures new. The team itself have now switched machinery to KTM, running their Spanish hopeful as the outfit’s sole rider.
A Yamaha bike will return to the full-time grid courtesy of Indonesian rider Doni Tata Pradita’s addition to the 250cc World Championship, and the 17 year-old will become the first regular participant from his country on the world stage. Most notable for British fans is Northern Ireland’s Eugene Laverty switching teams from LCR Honda to the more competitive Blusens Aprilia squad.
Debutants in 125cc include Briton Scott Redding, Spanish duo Marc Marquez and Pere Tutusaus, German Robin Lasset and Frenchman Louis Rossi, with Takaaki Nakagami representing Japan after graduating from the Red Bull MotoGP Academy.
After months of uncertainty, Stevie Bonsey has been confirmed as a new rider for the Molenaar Racing structure, leaving behind his year-long association with KTM.