With everyone playing silly season musical chairs with the Fantastic Four, many of us have forgotten that several of the ‘best of the rest’ riders contracts are also up for renewal for the 2011 season. One of these riders is 37 year old Loris Capirossi, who after celebrating his 300th GP at Qatar has said he has no intention of retiring from racing and even wants to stick around longer, and ride a 1000cc bike in 2012.

According to Capirossi’s manager, the wily Carlo Pernat, speaking to Italia 1 during Saturday’s qualifying session at Le Mans, informed viewers that he’s been talking with Pramac Ducati and that has already contacted Ducati management in Borgo Panigale about having Capirossi ride a Ducati again, albeit a satellite bike.

If the Italian rider should leave Paul Denning’s team next year, this would leave Rizla Suzuki without an experienced rider to head development, because Alvaro Bautista would be only his second year of MotoGP and still on learning curve (he has a two year contract with Suzuki) and they would need someone else with a certain amount of experience and this someone else could be Dani Pedrosa.

With Honda actively pursuing Casey Stoner and Repsol demanding a Spanish rider in the team, Jorge Lorenzo would fit their dream team bill, not only because Lorenzo is one of the fantastic four, but the Mallorcan is also a sponsor’s dream, highly visibile, adores the the public limelight and has great PR on the social networks. If Honda should succeed in their dream team, Pedrosa would be left out in the cold and with only three factory teams where he could go: Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki.

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