Replacing Mattia Mattia in Speed Master has brought a brighter future for Roberto Rolfo. The Italian will be riding full-time in MotoGP in 2013 with IodaRacing.

Giampiero Sacchi has decided to expand his CRT effort and will be fielding two BMW-Suter machines and chose his former rider (he rode for Sacchi back in 1997) alongside Danilo Petrucci - who has another year on his contract.

Apparently Rolfo also had a couple of other job offers, including becoming a commentator for Mediaset or ride an Aprilia with World Superbike team Red Devil.

Ioda Racing has already confirmed Johann Zarco in Moto2 next season.

Up to now everyone assumed that IodaRacing would be fielding a BMW/Suter CRT in MotoGP, even one of Danilo Petrucci’s personal sponsors Fastweb thought it will be a BMW/Suter, however Petrucci tweeted two days ago that IodaRacing will be developing their own chassis and will be using Aprilia engine.

Considering that Giampiero Sacchi who owns IodaRacing was also a former Piaggio man having run their Racing Department, including Gilera, Derbi and Aprilia, and the Aprilia’s World Superbike effort, before setting up his own Moto2 and CIV teams in 2010, it seems slightly more logical that he would ask Aprilia to supply him the engines, and this could also explain why long standing Aprilia crewchief Giovanni Sandi decided to drop Max Biaggi in World Superbikes, and is currently linked to be working with IodaRacing’s MotoGP team.

Source | crash.net

Ever since he dropped out of Aprilia, Italian manager Giampiero Sacchi has been working hard to return to the Grand Prix paddock with a new team as we anticipated earlier this month. Ioda Racing Team now appears in the final 2011 Moto2 entry list, but we also reported that he was working on a Moto3 project.

This Moto3 prototype dubbed TR001, was officially introduced this weekend at Estoril, and has been specifically designed to take part in the 2012 new Moto3 championship that will replace the current 125cc class.

The TR001 has an aluminium chassis and TM Racing engine and will undergo further development during 2011 season, while waiting to learn what the definite technical Moto3 rules will be, but in the meantime Sacchi’s Moto3 bike will take part in the Italian 125cc CIV, thanks to the Italian Motorcycle Federation.

The basic rules issued at Brno, have already stated that a Moto3 must be 250cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine, with a maximum bore of 81mm, that the engine should last for 3 races minimum and not cost more than 10,000 euros and each manufacturer if required, should be ready to supply a minimum of 15 riders.

Source | motogp.com

Giampiero Sacchi (between Biaggi and Dall’Igna in the photo) Aprilia’s former director of Piaggio Group racing operations is heading a new two rider Moto2 team next season.

Sacchi left the Italian manufacturer earlier this year after reported infighting with Leo Mercanti, Aprilia’s General Director and now wants to return to the world he’s been involved with since the ’80’s.

Sacchi’s team, which will be called Yoda Racing Project, is one of the several teams that do not appear on the 2011 provisional Moto2 entry list and are the pending list, but considering Sacchi’s immense background in the business, we think that his team will be accepted, as he’s also working on a Moto3 project for 2012.

After the jump you’ll find the provisional Moto2 entry list for the 2011 season, which has 15 teams and 29 riders accepted so far, pending rider confirmation (and accepted by the governing body) and a security deposit.

Continue reading: Giampiero Sacchi to return with new Moto2 team

The other day we reported that Giampiero Sacchi could be leaving his role as head of Aprilia’s racing program, latest news have it that Sacchi will be presenting his letter of resignation tomorrow.

Sacchi’s resignation will create a void in the company because he’s been with the company for since the early 80’s in one form or another and he’s the one that brought back Max Biaggi (he used to be Biaggi’s personal manager in 1994 and 1995) to the Aprilia fold for their WSBK project with the RSV4 Factory.

The Italian manager will be replaced by Marco Ferro, who used to work in Aprilia’s PR department when Ivano Beggio used to run the company, and could be officially presented during the Aprilia-Alitialia team launch on February 9th.

Sacchi won’t be unemployed for long because he could be heading back to the GP paddock and working for Dorna.

Source | duegommeslick

It’s seems that Aprilia isn’t going through a very good period lately. Beginning with the switch from the 250cc class to Moto2 where the Italian brand was leasing and supplying most of the bikes on the grid and getting good money for them, then the last minute decision on the Moto2 project, that was already in the last stages of completion, leaving several long standing clients in the lurch and finishing up with safety problems related to the connecting rods of the RSV4 Factory and RSV4-R which resulted in a recall of 335 bikes already sold in the States.

Now another problem, rumors from Italy are saying that Giampiero Sacchi, Aprilia’s director of the Piaggio Group racing operations, may be leaving the company.

Apparently Sacchi will not be present at the very high profile Aprilia-Alitalia Superbike team launch on February 9th, unthinkable considering Sacchi’s position in the company and that head honcho of both Piaggio and Alitalia Roberto Colaninno will be presenting.

Continue reading: Aprilia and Giampiero Sacchi To Split Up?

WSBK racing fans are going to jump with joy when they find out that three time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss, less than a year into his retirement wants to return to racing.

The 40 year old Australian talking to Motosprint, told the Italian website that he’s in great shape and is tired of being a pensioner and that his new career in V8 Supercars isn’t going well as he expected, (at Phillip Island the car broke down and he couldn’t race) but he want’s to go back to his first love, two wheels.

“I want to go back to racing in Superbikes again. I’ll be looking around at Imola. It’s a shame that Ducati already have their team for 2010, I could have really helped them next year. For sure I’m not going to be a image man anymore”.

Davide Tardozzi, Ducati’s SBK manager for Borgo Panigale, has denied that they can field a third F10: “As soon as he landed last Tuesday Troy told me he wanted to race, how can we satisfy him? We don’t have the resources for three riders.”

If Bayliss truly wants to return, and wife Kim is tired of having her husband moping around the house, there’s going to be a line-up outside his door. According to Italian gossip, Aprilia’s Giampiero Sacchi heard that Bayliss was on the market again and the Italian manager just might think of stealing the Ducati icon, one of Italy’s most loved and admired riders, and give him the RSV4.

Continue reading: Troy Bayliss Wants to Make a Superbike Comeback

Yamaha SBK looks like they’re risking to loose their sensational top rider Ben Spies.

According to this week’s issue of MotoSprint, the Texas Terror has upped his ante in contract negotiations and is asking for a cool 1.1 million euros to ride for them next year, 10% more than this 2009 season.

Spies probably thought Yamaha would immediately jump at the opportunity to sign him on again, no matter what he was asking, considering the fantastic debut season he’s having so far. Spies so far has 8 race wins in 16 races, despite all the mechanical problems that his R1 has given him, and is in second place in the championship standings, just 48 points from leader Noriyuki Haga.

Continue reading: Aprilia wants Ben Spies