250cc entry list revealed
ByTNT Sports
Published 21/12/2006 at 11:09 GMT
The unveiling of the provisional 250cc World Championship entry list on Thursday threw up some interesting moves, but Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso, Alex de Angelis and Hiroshi Aoyama all stick with the same teams. We look at the main contenders so far.
2006 Valencia 250cc Aprilia Lorenzo
Image credit: From Official Website
Aprilia
World champion Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo stays with the Fortuna team as he looks to win back-to-back titles, although the identity of his team-mate is yet to be known.
On thing for sure though is that it will not be his 2006 partner Hector Barbera, as he has moved to the Toth team to ride alongside Czech Imre Toth – who has come up from their 125cc team.
The highest-profile of the rookies is Spaniard Alvaro Bautista, who makes his graduation with the same MVA Aspar team that guided him to the 125cc title this year. He will partner Alex de Angelis, who resisted an offer from Ilmor in Moto GP to re-sign.
Another former 125 champion, Switzerland's Thomas Luhti, also steps up with his existing team, although the Caffe Latte squad switch to Aprilia having spent the last four years with Honda.
Another team switching from Honda to Aprilia is Wurth-BQR, and they retain Spaniard Aleix Espargaro and pair him with Pablo Nieto – yet another newcomer from 125s.
Cardion have moved Czech rider Karel Abraham up from their 125 squad. He replaces his countryman, the Angaia-bound Jakub Smrz. Smrz, 23, joins Italian Luca Morelli in his new team.
Keifer-Bos keep German rider Dirk Heidolf, but drop Anthony West in favour of Alex Baldolini, who has left Matteoni Racing.
Campetella retain Japan's Taro Sekiguchi and pair him with yet another 125cc graduate, Italy's Fabrizio Lai, while the British WCM squad have a pair of home-grown riders in Dan Linfoot – a former wildcard entrant – and Kev Coughlan.
Honda
2006 runner-up Andrea Dovizioso clearly thinks consistency will benefit him next year and has elected to stay with the Humangest team rather than switch to the Repsol squad. He will again be partnered by Yuki Takahashi.
Repsol will again be led by Japan's Shuhei Aoyama, with Julian Simon his team-mate after moving up from KTM's 125cc squad.
After a year out of the championship in 2006 to concentrate on Moto GP, LCR are back with British Supersport front-runner Eugene Laverty, and the new Stop and Go team will run Thai rider Ratthpark Wilairot – who was runner up in Japanese 250s this year.
Gilera
It's an all-Italian line-up at Gilera as Marco Simoncelli stays put and is joined by veteran Roberto Locatelli, who has moved over from Toth Aprilia.
KTM
Hiroshi Aoyama rejected an offer from Kawasaki's Moto GP squad to stay with KTM and he will be teamed with Finn Mika Kallio – a star of their 125cc team over the past two years.
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