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THE GRID NEWS
THE PRESS ROOM GRID NEWS
CAL CRUTCHLOW IN FOR VINALES AT YAMAHA
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MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA AND MAVERICK VINALES HAVE MUTUALLY AGREED TO SEVER TIES, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. CAL CRUTCHLOW WILL SADDLE UP IN YAMAHA BLUE FOR THE UPCOMING SILVERSTONE ROUND.
The British rider Cal Crutchlow will don the blue Yamaha leathers, saddling up as teammate to the current MotoGP Championship leader, Fabio Quartararo. This announcement comes directly after the announcement that Monster Energy Yamaha and Maverick Vinales have mutually agreed to end their obligations, effectively immediately.
“Following our mutual decision in Assen to part ways a year early, it was also decided to commit to completing the current season with maximum effort from both sides. However, at the Styrian GP the race didn‘t turn out as we had hoped, and regrettably it did not end well. After thorough consideration both parties have agreed it would be best to end the partnership with immediate effect. I am deeply grateful to Yamaha for the great opportunity. I am also thankful for the support they gave me during these 4.5 years of racing and will look back with pride on the results we achieved together." - Maverick Vinales
It was earlier this week when SBI reported that Vinales was breaking his 2021-2022 contract and would be making the move from Monster Energy Yamaha to the Aprilia Racing Gresini team after he finished the 2021 season. Moods change like the wind in the GP paddock and Vinales is out, as in now!
Monster Energy Yamaha has called upon the talents Cal Crutchlow to serve at his home race for the upcoming British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of Yamaha and to do what originally was supposed to be three races for the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team, but the plans have changed. I want to thank them and I look forward to riding with the Factory Team.” - Cal Crutchlow.
PIKES PEAK MOTORCYCLE RACE IS DISCONTINUED
THE PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB ORGANIZERS HAVE DECIDED TO NO LONGER HOST THE PIKES PEAK MOTORCYCLE RACE.
The organizers of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and the Pikes Peak Motorcycle Race announced their decision to discontinue the motorcycle class from the competition as part of the annual Race to the Clouds.
The Interim Chairman of the Board, Fred Veitch expressed, "Motorcycle competition has been part of the history of the race off-and-on since 1916, and has been both thrilling and tragic for competitors and fans alike. This has been a long process and a difficult decision, but we believe it is the right decision and one that is in the best interest of the organization at this time.”
The last time that motorcycles were raced up the mountain was in June of 2019 when tragedy struck. The 4-time Champion Carlin Dunne succumbed to injuries as a result of a fatal accident as he approached the finish line at the summit. The following year, 2020, event organizers temporarily excluded motorcycle racing from the event. The recent decision made by the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Organizers is final.
ALVARO BAUTISTA RETURNS TO DUCATI WORLDSBK
ALVARO BAUTISTA WILL JOIN MICHAEL RUBEN RINALDI WHEN HE RETURNS TO THE ARUBA. IT RACING TEAM FOR THE 2022 WORLDSBK SEASON.
With the abrupt announcement that Scott Redding was leaving the Aruba.it Racing team at the end of the 2021 season, Ducati wasted no time in securing a capable pilot for its Aruba.it Racing Panigale V4 R to contend the 2022 season. The Italian outfit looked to its 2019 Ducati rider, Alvaro Bautista to take the reigns.
For the last two seasons (2020 - 2021) Alvaro Bautista has raced for the Honda WorldSBK team. HRC President Shinya Wakabayashi expressed his appreciation of Bautista's contributions to the team: "At the end of 2021, our collaboration with Alvaro Bautista will draw to a close. The last two years have been intense, characterised by the unexpected and imposing challenges posed by the global pandemic and by the significant work involved in a fledgling project like ours. Two seasons in which the spirit has always been constructive and collaborative. We would therefore like to thank Alvaro and wish him the very best for the future.”
Alvaro Baustista made his WorldSBK debut in 2019 with Aruba.it Racing - Ducati Team, after impressive efforts and achievements in MotoGP (2006 125cc World Champion). In his first season in WorldSBK, Bautista earned 16 race wins and a total of 24 podium finishes and ended the season in second place.
DORNA AND MICHELIN TYRES ANNOUNCE A THREE-YEAR EXTENSION OF THEIR PARTNERSHIP THAT ESTABLISHES MICHELIN AS THE SOLE SUPPLIER OF RUBBER IN THE PREMIER CLASS.
Michelin Tyres became the official tyre supplier of MotoGP in 2016. The newly announced extension will see that partnership continues through to 2026, beginning in 2024. As part of the agreement, the Michelin Tyres will continue to be the title sponsor of a Grand Prix each season and to be featured trackside at each race
“We’re very proud to continue our partnership with Michelin until at least 2026. Michelin has been a vital partner for MotoGP since it became the tyre supplier to the premier class in 2016, helping us to create one of the greatest eras of competition in motorcycle Grand Prix racing history. I’m delighted that we will reach a decade of collaboration and I hope we can continue building on this incredible foundation together. This agreement is fantastic news for all of us in the Championship.” - Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports.
“We are very satisfied with the results obtained since Michelin’s return to MotoGP, and today we have extended our partnership with Dorna Sports in a natural way. We are particularly proud of the technological progress made with our tires, as well as the many circuit records established together with our partners. This championship offers its fans a very exciting spectacle, accessible through digital platforms without equal in motorsport. For us, being a partner of MotoGP means engaging with both spectators and all players in the discipline using our tires, our brand and our innovations. We see indeed Motorsport like a lab that encourages transfers of expertise and swift application of our sustainable solutions that benefit everyone.” - Florent Menegaux, Michelin CEO.
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KYLE WYMAN
THE OFF SEASON
WORDS: ALLAN LANE IMAGES: BRIAN J NELSON
KYLE WYMAN AND his #33 KWR Ducati Team Panigale V4 R finished the 2021 MotoAmerica Honos Superbike campaign in ninth position with a total of 111 championship points. In the middle of the superbike season, Wyman was crowned as the Mission King of the Baggers Champion with a total of 70 championship points, onboard his Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special... despite a banged up elbow.
"I'm still struggling with pain, swelling and weakness. It has been a long road of recovery, and I've just kept hammering on it to finish the season. I now have some time to rest and get it back to 100%," Wyman explained.
In a season of up and downs, Wyman's list of highlights is plenty: several battles for the superbike podium, both a pole and a race win in the King of the Baggers at Road Atlanta then subsequently winning the crown on his Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson Road
Glide Special. Perhaps one of Wyman's most overlooked accomplishments of the 2021 season happened off track when he secured Panera Bread as the title sponsor for his superbike efforts.
Any athlete will tell you that the next season begins the moment that the last one ended. Wyman is no different. While the winds of change are about, Wyman is already focused on what 2022 may bring. "Everything is completely up in the air at the moment. We've had our last ride on the Ducati platform after a three year run, and we are exploring all of our options for next season."
Wyman took to FaceBook to post a "thank you" letter to his sponsors and supporters, that read:
"You can’t sum up three seasons in one post. When I started this journey with Ducati, I went into it on a feeling, on passion, on a whim. There was no master plan. I was simply ready to walk a path that nobody had and fill in the gaps as I went. It was a privilege to receive the first two production Panigale V4 R’s to arrive in the USA, and we raced them after 30 days of prep. We pieced together this program one trick part at a time, and gave the Ducatisti a guy to root for in AMA Superbike racing for the first time in a decade. We achieved two podium results at Road America in 2020, and those were some of the most satisfying results of my career — when you consider the path I chose and what it took to arrive at that place. This year, I went all-in and threw everything I had at it. Our program came together late but I believed we had the best V4R we could put out of KWR. Injury played a role in the outcome of this season, but I will look back on all of it fondly, with
incredible growth, lessons, and memories to take with me in to the next chapter. I want to thank every sponsor and crew member who have been a part of this program over three seasons, there are too many to list here. Here’s to the next chapter Forza Ducati, and ciao for now!"
Regarding his plans for the 2022 season, he expressed optimism, "My intention is to stay in Superbike next year. That can be on a multitude of manufacturers that I am actively pursuing and we hope to arrive at our selection soon to have the maximum amount of time for preparation."
For now, Kyle Wyman will soon be heading back to the Southwest and West Coast where his off-season training will commence. "I will get back to Arizona and get on the bicycle. I hope to spend some time in California this winter and train with some other riders and friends to keep things fresh."
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