Good luck to him his options were limited though wi Tech3 eyeing up Espargaro. Not gonna watch it anyway due to DORNA taking it off Eurosport money talks eh! FCUK EM!
what an idiot.... whats the hang up on a "factory ride" if he is smashing the factory Ducati's consistently beating the factory backed Bradl and mixing it and beating the works machines? obviously money talks. think he has just thrown away his chance to get VR46's bike when that seat come up soon. says it all really.... "At the moment, my career seems to be on the up and I'm getting closer to the guys at the front and starting to challenge for wins. "I don't want to take a step back, so the next thing is to be in a factory team, but it has to be the one with the right machinery." Wrong Factory Cal.... lets hope they bin that bike and bring a completely new one out..... maybe he knows something we dont.
Well I hope he can give it a go......shame really....personally I think the Bradley Smith deal was a bad call......securing him over Cal at this stage was nt the right move..... Cal still has a lot to prove against the big guns.....could he have really done it on a matched factory Yam or Hon ?? lets hope for the spectators and Uk viewers of BT vision he get something out of it apart from a decent pay cheque......I ll be routing for him as a Brit.....just as I do for Redding Smith and Co...... it ll be nice for a few podiums but there will be some catching up to do on that bike first !!
Thats his career over for two years ! Money talks but not good for his career. Real shame ! Ducati have to pay riders huge wages to ride there crap bike as no one would ride for them !
What other choices did he have tho? As you say tech3 pretty much made it clear he hasn't got a ride with them next year and although VR may retire end of season there is also renewed motivation from him with his recent performance. So if Cal had waited for that and it didn't come up he would have been screwed. At the Ducati factory earlier this year they seemed optimistic Audi had some interesting developments for them so it's always hopeful the Duke may be sorted. I heard about Repsol considering running 3bikes but maybe that was just a rumour and not realistic??
I really hope Cal can do something on that bike.I think it takes a certain riding style and maybe Cal can master it. I would have loved to have seen him on a factory Yamaha or Honda, but it looks like that was not going to happen. I can see his reasoning, as well as racing it is also about earning good money and I do not blame him for taking an assured earning rather than gambling to see if he would get a better offer. Good luck to him, he may need a lot of it. There again, he has a lot of guts and may do something other riders have not been able to do on it.
IMO....Cals options were getting narrowed down rather quickly, VR won't be hanging up his leathers any time soon, OK he's not winning races but he is a huge draw and Yamaha won't push him out yet, Honda have got their riders for the next two years, with, possibly, a world champion for this year, Pedrosa or Marquez. Fair enough the Ducati seems to be a nail in most riders career tyre, however, it could be that it needs a different approach form someone not stuck in a particular riding style rut. I can't help feeling that Rossi, Dovi and maybe Hayden are trying to make the bike ride like a Japanese machine rather than just getting on it and riding it....like Stoner did. Who knows what developments Audi have made within the design team. I admit to being very sceptical of this move by Cal and it's chances for his career, though I get a feeling that he could be making all his doubters eat humble pie next year when he starts bringing home top step podiums consistently and really do hope he does. Whatever happens I'll still be carrying the 35 on my bike and supporting him
I have a feeling that he will come good on this ride .Yes many have failed but technology is always moving on and this may be a classic opportunity at a turning point in the fortunes of a great team and bike.
I agree...Cal seems to be a rider who just gets on the machine and rides it, look at how many times he has thrown that Yam down the road, dragged it back to the pits stuck it back together not in A1 condition and then finished on the podium. I think that previous Ducati riders have expected a perfect bike as they have been used to, then when they find it's not, they're stuck and struggle... He might not be a championship contender next year...he might....but I bet the bookies will give damn good odds...if they do..I'll wager a sum on him bringing it home
He has nothing to lose really, he could easily have ended up with no ride especially if he gets injured before the end of the season, this way he can pay the mortgage and let's face it if he does well he will become a hero in Italy. Good luck to him.
Move makes sense for him, he's not getting any younger & missing a chance to finally make some $$$ wouldn't be smart. I doubt he'll be very competitive on the bike, Dovi finished ahead of him last year & has failed to do much with the Ducati. Let's not forget that Stoner won the championship before the spec tire rule was introduced & it was on a 800cc machine. Unless they get rid of the spec tire rule or Ducati build a Yamaha or Honda i don't see him getting any podiums on it next year.
As all above, but in his position would we turn away the shed load of cash ? I doubt it, talking from an armchair in the uk and earning an average salary but with no prospect of someone coming along with a million pound offer, its easy..... i wish him all the best, i did not know he could of lost his ride with Tech 3 (how has this come about !), but going for the money and taking a chance that he could turn it around like Stoner did.... that's what taking a chance in life really means i guess.
I hope the worst that happens is that his decision leaves him in a reasonably neutral position for next season as far as the racing and competitiveness goes, much the same as it did for Vale. However, there is no doubt that this move will be a major boost for his earnings and, as has been said, he didn't really have anywhere else to turn at the moment. What I am hoping is that with the involvement of Audi and re-structuring at Ducati the machinery will be given to Cal with which he can make this move look like a timely, inspired and brilliant decision. I too support him and go to every Moto GP I can afford. Unfortunately I will not be watching it on TV as from next season due to the fatal hook up between Dorna and BT Sport. I have contracted to a different (and cheaper and better) provider, and won't be swapping anytime soon, so for now, it's byebye MotoGp and more concentration on BSB for next season. BBC could do themselves a real favour in televising BSB as a replacement for MotoGP, the races are bigger, much tougher and more competitive. And there are at least 2 races per meeting. I love it!
Ah well, there went another promising racing career. Happy to be proved wrong though. Shame because I really like Cal.
