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The phenomenon goes first: Nick Hayden has signed a deal with Honda for next year, leaked here a few weeks ago. Hayden will make the Erion Honda to top of the heap jump in two seasons so we’ll await his first real Superbike debut. Or, if somebody breaks their leg, Nicky could be riding an RC45 by Phoenix next year (Phoenix will most probably be the second race of the season too, but we’ll wait for the AMA schedule to confirm that). Eric Bostrom steps up to B man on the factory team under Miguel, and Ben Bostrom, well, Ben might have chosen the wrong time to make a stand.
I’ll explain: Bostrom’s manager made a big money demand on Honda for 1999. Some say it was like $800K, others say it was more in the area of $200K, anyway, whatever he wanted, Honda felt it was too much money and they decided to play hardball with young Ben. They made an offer, and then pulled the offer when Bostrom’s manager sniffed at it and decided it needed to go back on the counter to raise.
Ben Bostrom is a good kid, an honest to goodness racing hero in the making, but he choose the absolute wrong time to have Alan LaBrosse as his manager. LaBrosse is also DuHamel’s manager and Mr. Miguel has made huge leaps in salary each time his contract comes up for reevaluation, mostly because LaBrosse knows what Miguel is worth in the open market, cultivates that, and he knows that Miggy is a race winning machine for Honda. They pay him a handsome fee (including a couple of NSX cars among other perks). They do so of their own free will, but they’re uncomfortable with LaBrosse’s bargaining tactics. And they’re not holding any Alan LaBrosse birthday celebrations at AmHon either. Actually quite the opposite.
They’re forward thinking individuals at Honda and they could see, what with Alan representing Miguel, and Ben, and Eric, that they have about the next ten or so years to live their own kind of Bill Murry Grouundhog Day-existence. Meaning they figured LaBrosse was going to use the same bargaining tactics on them with Ben and Eric.
So they put their foot down. They made Ben an offer and then pulled it (some say it’s still on the table) and signed Nicky, leaving Ben out in the cold, unless they run three RC45s, which they have done in the past. Message: we’re not made of money, or something like that, because, in reality, they are made of money, or close to it.
LaBrosse is a cool character and reacted coolly to that (Ben was said to be none too happy though) and Ben undoubtedly has other offers for his services. He could ride at VHR Ducati or Yosh next year, no problem. He wouldn’t be on the 184mph RC45, or be on the footpath to a WSC ride or a Doohan ride, but he’d be making a good buck and well, riding.
It’s a big gamble for Honda because with Ben out in the cold, what now if he wins the championship, comes on strong in the last two races and gives Doug Chandler a hearty stomping. Well, if he isn’t signed at that point, Ben can kick back and wear all the goofy 1970s clothes he wants, as he’ll have a big money deal for 1999, what with that number one plate … probably on a Honda.
Two other riders in the mix right now are Aaron Yates and Tom Kipp. Yates has some offers but seems to be holding out for something more in Europe, either on a 500 or WSC bike. Yates is either ready for a 500, or maybe needs a few more years in the states, depending on the day. He can have days like Mid-Ohio where he won without putting a wheel wrong and leaving everyone struggling to keep the pace, same at Loudon. Or, he can have days like at Laguna WSC where he struggled all weekend and crashed on the front straight in front of God and everybody, or when he was off the pace at Brainerd. So he has days where you think he’s ready, others when you think he needs some time.
Time will tell with Yates, but some say he’s eager to see the back of Suzuki for 1999, at least as far as an AMA bike is concerned. He’ll have offers, believe me.
Kipp continues to get absolutely no respect for putting on a decent of not great performance in 1998. Get this: Kipp comes in as definite B rider on the Ferracci team. Hale is The Man in the preseason, runs at lap record pace everywhere they test and seems to be Ferracci’s long lost son. Hale is favored not only to win, but to win the damn championship in some circles. Then he crashes at Phoenix and other than a strong (early) run at Daytona, is more or less out (to lunch) for the season, saying the bike is unrideable.
Kipp puts his head down and tries to learn the bike, which does not slide like everything he’s ridden in his career, and is long and tall besides that. He inches his way to an understanding with the bike, starts finishing well, hampered big time by the no-qualifying-tires-here-situation at Michelin, and then runs second and finishes third at Mid-Ohio. On the very bike that Hale said was unridable! Sheesh. Does anybody even notice? Not really.
Anybody else hear something about Hale riding a 600 at Colorado?
Terry Vance has been in Italy since the 20th of last month, taking deals with the  … Americans that own Ducati, jeez that seems weird to say. anyway, he’ll be back tomorrow and will know what his deal for 1999 will be and how much Duck will pay for a rider. Expect him to jettison Tom Stevens, hire Pridmore for the B-rider position and hire a big gun for the A-place. Gobert? Yates? Bostrom?
So, here we are, with, as usual, the off-track predicaments taking precedence over the on-track ones. Plenty of rumors: Harley to WSC? Rob Muzzy making a big decision? TLRs out of the picture next year? SuperPoles? No Qualifying Tires? Double races at Four Rounds? Riders Boycott Loudon?
It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure.
Dean Adams