Motorcycle Forum / General / Racing / September 2008

A couple interesting items in the new Cycle News this week on the Repsol
Honda situation. First, this from the Hayden interview:

Q: How do you think Andrea Dovizioso will get along with Dani Pedrosa?

A: I mean, I'm sure it'll be the same situation I had. I think Dovizioso
certainly can handle it. I think there are a lot of guys that could be
too fragile, you know, that situation could drive them crazy that Puig
basically runs the team.

Then another Michael Scott column on MotoGP tires, this focused on the
Pedrosa change. So excerpts:

"Actually, the move that stunned the paddock after the Misano GP might
have taken until next year, so all the contracts could be honored. But
not once the real muscle became involved. By "real muscle", I mean the
"Spanish Mafia": Dani's manager and Svengali, Alberto Puig, Dorna and
HRC sponsor Repsol.

"Hamane was absent from the Misano press briefings at which Honda
announced its capitulation... er, 'policy change' - and it was left to
managing director Kosuke Yasutake to look embarrassed when he was asked
such questions as, 'Who runs Honda?' and, more amusingly, 'So if Pedrosa
has two or three bad races now, will you also change the rider?'

"A more robust answer came from Repsol... Seeing that negotiations
between Honda and the tire companies were moving rather slowly, Repsol
stepped in and made it all happen pronto.

"It [the tire companies' concession] was to please Repsol and Dorna,
and, as an afterthought, also Honda, which was caught in the crossfire.
And while Dani may be the glue that holds all these interests together,
it is Puig who is squeezing the tube.

"Puig even secured employment with HRC, at one time being named as
Dani's crew chief, although that is no longer the case. But HRC has
little control over him. As at Brno, when he mounted a one-man campaign
to get all the Michelin runners to withdraw from the race on 'safety
grounds.' (They all declined, and then all but one beat Dani in the
race.) When later reminded by Honda that he was wearing an HRC team
uniform and should behave with a bit more discretion. Puig's reported
reply was, 'I'll go onto the grid naked if I have to.'

"Even so, other riders were aghast - few more so than Hayden. According
to HRC, he hadn't made such strong approaches as Pedrosa - which is not
surprising really, since it all kicked off at Brno, and Nicky was absent
due to injury. His first response was predictable enough - 'Hey, I want
Bridgestones, too!' But it was more in frustration than expectation:
Honda's only champion since Rossi left at the end of 2003, is by now
well used to being sidelined in favor of Pedrosa. (Even in his victory
year, he was shoved onto an experimental bike, testing concepts for the
next season's new 800s, while the team's new boy, Dani, got the ultimate
development of the once dominant RC211V 990.)"

Not hard to figure out why Nicky seems so damned happy to be taking a
big pay cut next year...