Cal has signed a 2 yr deal to ride for factory Ducati team from 2014, replacing Nicky Hayden

 

Well done and good luck to him.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motogp/23536326

 

 

 

PS I didn't know that Audi had bought Ducati.

Here's hoping that Ducati get their chassis sorted.

 

Also, I don't see what else Cal could do to get a better bike, other than maybe hope for an HRC berth to open up.

It's great he's got a factory ride at last but blimey, if they don't make improvements to their current donkey he'd have been better off signing for a CRT team in terms of being competitive :(

 

Fingers crossed the Italians pull their finger out and get it fixed.

I do hope they sort the Ducati, or he will be riding the fastest camel in a thoroughbred horse race. Maybe he can tame it like Stoner did, if so I hope he always starts ahead of Dovizioso, because he always seemed to ride very wide bike when Cal was behind him when they were teamed up at Tech 3. 

I was hoping Cal would go to Suzuki's new team.

 

Hope it is not as bad for Cal as it was for Vale.

 

Good luck Cal.

Oh dear this is a bad move for Cal. If you look how Cal rides he struggles with a heavy bike early on in the race when its loaded with fuel. The feel of the bike is very important to his style of riding. You can see towards the latter stages of the race as the bike gets lighter and more responsive the confidence then alows call to reel people in and climb up the leader board. I suspect the Ducati will be too much of a handful and he will be in the kitty litter even more than he is now on a very compliant yam. Dovi in contrast is pretty good at starts and he is better on the brakes than cal so although over a race distance or qualifying i think Cal is quicker i think he will struggle to get past dovi who's too smooth and never makes mistakes.

Oh dear this is a bad move for Cal. If you look how Cal rides he struggles with a heavy bike early on in the race when its loaded with fuel. The feel of the bike is very important to his style of riding. You can see towards the latter stages of the race as the bike gets lighter and more responsive the confidence then alows call to reel people in and climb up the leader board. I suspect the Ducati will be too much of a handful and he will be in the kitty litter even more than he is now on a very compliant yam. Dovi in contrast is pretty good at starts and he is better on the brakes than cal so although over a race distance or qualifying i think Cal is quicker i think he will struggle to get past dovi who's too smooth and never makes mistakes.

 

The Tech3 bike does not have the low mounted fuel tank as the work Yamaha has, not sure about the Ducati but would have thought it had the low fuel tank.

 

It is the over-rigid chasis which creates the snap of losing grip which the hybrid Ducati gets around which hopefully Cal will use.

 

Is Dovi there next year too?

 

Cannot imagine he is a good team mate and do not think Cal speaks fluent Italian.

Apparently audi are pouring money into the Ducati team to get them competative next year,

 

note the word "Apparently"...

 

I hope it works out for him but i cant help but think he would be more competative on the tech 3 machine (I cant see Pol Espargo being better than Cal?)

One things for certain, cal will put 110% into it every week

Audi have employed a Brittish engineer who WILL make that bike work. Cal is not daft and wouldn't sign a 2 year deal with a career wrecking bike like the previous Dukes.

Fingers crossed.