It's no small wonder since this year there has been a major "cash crisis" in WSBK. That's why the article says the real worth of the company is a good 40% below what Infront says and they are probably not too far off the mark.
While running a full season in WSBK is quite cheap for MotoGP standards (the Ducati Xerox team had a 6 million € budget in 2010... Rossi's salary alone, as well deserved as it is, is over twice that figure), development costs, which more often than not are covered by the manufacturers given the sophistication of present day bikes, have gone sky high. In case you haven't noticed Japanese bikes this year are well below par due to the lack of development originating from Japan and even BMW and Aprilia are making do with shrinking R&D budgets. The result is yet another Ducati snorefest which will only get worse next year as their new WSBK machine will be introduced, allowing them to close the only gap they currently have (top end power).
The reason DORNA has expressed interest is probably because the Claiming Rule Team (CRT) saga is already grinding to a halt. Out of the fabled "twelve teams which expressed interest" none turned up at Montmelò. The deadline has been extended to Silverstone but if they can get two single bike outfits they can consider themselves lucky.
While running a full season in WSBK is quite cheap for MotoGP standards (the Ducati Xerox team had a 6 million € budget in 2010... Rossi's salary alone, as well deserved as it is, is over twice that figure), development costs, which more often than not are covered by the manufacturers given the sophistication of present day bikes, have gone sky high. In case you haven't noticed Japanese bikes this year are well below par due to the lack of development originating from Japan and even BMW and Aprilia are making do with shrinking R&D budgets. The result is yet another Ducati snorefest which will only get worse next year as their new WSBK machine will be introduced, allowing them to close the only gap they currently have (top end power).
The reason DORNA has expressed interest is probably because the Claiming Rule Team (CRT) saga is already grinding to a halt. Out of the fabled "twelve teams which expressed interest" none turned up at Montmelò. The deadline has been extended to Silverstone but if they can get two single bike outfits they can consider themselves lucky.
