It’s that time of year; the rumour mill is in overdrive, rider managers are meeting up with various teams and the jigsaw starts to take shape. It’s often what you see, not what you’re told and it’s how you interpret, not how it’s literally spoken. However, what’s not spoken is also of interest, and that was one of the key takeaways on Thursday at Most.
THE RUMOUR: Rea to Yamaha for 2024
Rumours were circulating that six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) could make a bombshell switch to Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK for next year, as reported by Speedweek after Imola. Ahead of the Acerbis Czech Round, these were put to Rea, with the 36-year-old acknowledging what had been said.
HORSE’S MOUTH: Rea doesn’t deny there’s rumours, but maintain they are just that
“At this time of the year, there’s always rumours and stories and I guess Toprak’s seat is the big one to be filled,” responded Rea about the speculation, referring to Razgatlioglu’s vacant seat for 2024 as the Turk moves to BMW. “From my side, there’s nothing really to say on my future; I will sit down with my wife, kids and family to understand it. I’m sure everything is ongoing, but it’s all rumours right now.”
However, Rea already has a contract for 2024, when he inked a two-year deal in 2022 for this year and next. Usually, a rider under contract is already out of any rumours or silly season gossip, but not this year and not the #65, who in his answer didn’t deny any rumours, only acknowledging and stating that as of this moment, they are just rumours. However, in his answer there was no mention of his Kawasaki deal for next year and instead, saying about sitting down with his family to think about his future – even if he has already ruled out retirement. None of those things were mentioned in his answer about the speculation.
DOSOLI’S CARDS HELD CLOSE: “We’ll comment on this only when we have our rider line-up defined”
Thankfully, WorldSBK’s media day gives us a chance to catch-up with all the key people, one of which is Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Manager Andrea Dosoli, responsible for Yamaha’s riders. When the rumours were put to him, he confirmed multiple riders are on the manufacturer’s shopping list: “We’re monitoring all available riders and it will take time before we make a decision. We’ll comment on this only when we have our rider line-up defined. It’s a long list of riders. We’re not in a rush.” Technically speaking, Rea isn’t an “available” rider…
REDDING: probably an announcement, then there wasn’t, then there was but not saying where
It’s a bit of a mouthful and longwinded. Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) said at Imola that there’d probably be announcement on Sunday, and then there wasn’t. He has/had an option to remain in BMW for 2024, as his contract had an extension clause, but that was supposed to be taken up by July 15th, which was the Saturday of Imola. Redding then confirmed that he’d be on the grid in 2024 but didn’t say where, with an Instagram story which appeared just hours after the Rea-Yamaha rumour was published by Speedweek. Speedweek’s article has a timestamp of 00:07 CEST on July 19th – so the story was being readied at least on the 18th; Redding’s Instagram story was published around midday on the 19th.
Responding to a question put to him about Rea being linked to Yamaha and potentially opening a big green door with “Kawasaki” written on it, Redding – after a pause – stated: “An opportunity at Kawasaki isn’t something I’ve looked into because it came out of nowhere. Is it rumours again? Is there something behind it? It’s not really my business. My job is to focus on what I’m doing here at the moment.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com