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So Matthes said that ELIte Tomac's new deal with Kawasaki is done, and it got me thinking, out of the riders who will be on 450s next year, who else is left without a deal for 2018?
Here is a list of riders I can think of off the top of my head, please feel free to add to this or correct me:
UPDATED:
Ryan Dungey - RETIRED
Marvin Musquin - SIGNED
Trey Canard - RETIRED
Broc Tickle - Factory KTM (PENDING?)
Weston Peick - RETURNING TO JRG (LIKELY)
Justin Barcia
Justin Bogle
Malcolm Stewart
Jacob Weimer
Joshua Grant - Returning to Kawasaki (PENDING?)
Dean Wilson - SIGNED
Joey Savatgy - STAYING 250
Adam Cianciarulo - STAYING 250
Justin Hill
Zach Osborne - STAYING 250
Martin Davalos - STAYING 250
Justin Brayton - LIKELY RETURNING TO MCR
Chad Reed -
Davi Millsaps - Factory Yamaha (LIKELY)
Here is a list of riders I can think of off the top of my head, please feel free to add to this or correct me:
UPDATED:
Ryan Dungey - RETIRED
Marvin Musquin - SIGNED
Trey Canard - RETIRED
Broc Tickle - Factory KTM (PENDING?)
Weston Peick - RETURNING TO JRG (LIKELY)
Justin Barcia
Justin Bogle
Malcolm Stewart
Jacob Weimer
Joshua Grant - Returning to Kawasaki (PENDING?)
Dean Wilson - SIGNED
Joey Savatgy - STAYING 250
Adam Cianciarulo - STAYING 250
Justin Hill
Zach Osborne - STAYING 250
Martin Davalos - STAYING 250
Justin Brayton - LIKELY RETURNING TO MCR
Chad Reed -
Davi Millsaps - Factory Yamaha (LIKELY)
The Shop
Rider's who I believe have contracts up in 2017 and aren't listed above...
RJ Hampshire
Mitchell Harrison
Aaron Plessinger
Colt Nichols (I believe he was one year only for his deal)
Bradley Taft
and yeah, to call dungey a free agent is pretty funny.
Resign means he would be quitting.
Just a note, as this one comes up often on here.
Pit Row
Assuming J HIll going to Kawi but would be great to see him on a Zook.
A wild guess:
JGR
Aaron Plessinger
Justin Barcia
Adam C 250 West coast with 450 opposite coast
Top amateur??? 250 East caot
RCH
Joey Savatgy
Brock Tickle
Can't predict coasts until about a week or two before on AC. I doubt we'd see 450 on the opposite coast, but depends on the team.
I'd say if RCH is a two-man team next year, Tickle and Savatgy are likely.
Suzuki's deal with JGR was only for one year, based on current budgets and figuring out how the 250F effort would be going forward, and RCH is just through the rest of this year. So all riders on these teams only have contracts for 2017, as the OEM sponsor usually has something to do with bonus programs and sharing some rider's contracts.
From my understanding, Suzuki Japan and the US group are weighing the benefits of spending the money for a marque rider in 18 to ride the new bike vs keeping quite a few of the current guys and focusing on developing the bike for a year.
Based on who would be available, I wouldn't be surprised to see many of the riders on these teams return for 18.
The way I view it..
RCH focuses on developing the 18 bike, retaining Microsoft and upping the value of the team from an outside view by making steady steps forward again. If they do a two-man team, I could see it being Tickle and Savatgy. Not sure if Bogle would retain his spot over Tickle, maybe the squad goes three-man and they keep him?
JGR has a lot on their plate as well, from developing a new 450 (it'll be interesting to see how much info sharing their is going forward between RCH, Yoshimura, Suzuki, and JGR) and upping the size of the 250 program. I've heard the 250 team will have its own truck next year and may go up to four riders for Supercross, but I bet one will move to a 450 for outdoors (likely Nicoletti again).
Right now, JGR houses the 250s at the races but they're really developed and built at Yoshimura in Chino, Ca. I'll be interesting to see if Suzuki/Yoshimura want to retain the majority of development on those 250s or if more of that program will be split with JGR.
Depending upon who's available, I could see the team retaining Nicoletti and Peick...but Barcia is a bigger question mark in my opinion. I'm thinking Phil would be on one of the 250s in SX, meaning there would be three open 250 spots. Not sure if Bisceglia will retain his position.
All just my opinion...
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