Plus Video Interview of Dominique Meliand at Le Mans Tests...

Rumour Mill

The Race24 message Board has Phase One's riders as Damian Cudlin, James Haydon and Peter Hickman (according to Google, Hickman is either group finance director of HBOS or a European STK1000 rider) after Jason Pridmore and Dave Stanton followed Warwick Nowland in defected from Phase One to Slovakian Yamaha team Maco Moto.

We've emailed Denisa at Maco Moto to ask what's going on, but haven't had a reply yet. However, the following is from an article which appeared on their website yesterday, 26th March:

Team manager Denisa Gresko: “Last year we established tight co-operation with the Yamaha factory in Japan, who gave us complete care and helped us a lot. These relations are now even more consolidated so that communication with the Yamaha representatives are on the highest level and our previous problems with acquiring engines, spare parts and answers to the technical questions are already history.

“Another bonus for us is our connection with the Swedish company Öhlins and Dunlop have been engaged to provide support and to deliver tyres of the best quality. We could say that we have done everything possible to make this year victorious for us.

“Of course, just hard work and complex technical preparation are not enough to win races and the people in the team are very important. For all our fans we have prepared a big surprise and I am very happy and pleased to let them know that our team will be joined by World Endurance Champion Warwick Nowland. I hope that he will feel comfortable in our team and we will be able to offer to him the best hospitality and technical needs so he will be able to achieve great results.

“At the moment we are negotiating with other great riders such as Jason Pridmore and Dave Stanton. Martin Kuzma is also prepared to give his best."

Team owner Martin Kuzma: "I am looking forward to first race of this season. I can't wait to work with Warwick and I am expecting the maximum. As well, I am happy that our sponsors are still with us and have given me the opportunity to reach my targets and to show that even a small country like Slovakia is able to prepare a team for the world's most prestigious motorcycle races.”

Maco Moto website: www.macoracing.com
And read the original: www.macoracing.com/macoracing/news/2008/003.php

Race24 Analysis: So it sounds as though Pridmore and Stanton are not definitely signed yet. The most recent official news from Phase One was that the two Americans would be testing at Le Mans with the Phase One, but they are apparently not there, leaving Phase One with a last minute scrabble to find riders of the right calibre.

Meanwhile, in the Rain at Le Mans

Not much news has come out of the first two days of official test session at Le Mans, but we do have this video interview with SERT Suzuki team manager Dominique Meliand:

It's very nice, but a list of lap times – or even just a list of which teams and which riders are there – would have been much more interesting....

www.lemans.org/24heuresmoto/live/pages/accueil_fr.html