On the surface, the news that the Ducati factory team will have Neil Hodgson as one of two 2003 factory riders is bad news for Ben Bostrom and Ruben Xaus. The Ducati press release issued yesterday ominously reads, "... contacts with the other rider are still being defined." Since, in the press release, neither Bostrom nor Xaus were confirmed for the other factory slot for '03, rampant speculation is that both are off of the official team at Corse for next year.

Bostrom, the winner of six Superbike races last season, hasn't won this year and has been generally outpaced by fellow Dunlop runner Hodgson. Xaus, on the same factory 998/Michelin set-up as Troy Bayliss, is also winless. It would not be a stretch to categorize the season for either rider as disappointing.

Of course, there still remains the chance that one of those two could be the rider to team with Hodgson. If not... Where Ben ends up next season is anyone's guess. Surely there are WSC squads that would nab the charismatic American rider, but will they be willing to pay Bostrom at his currently rumored $1 million per season salary? The GSE team will have Corse's 2002 equipment next season and, with Hodgson called up to the full factory team, is on the lookout for a new "A" rider. Perhaps Ben could be their man and will stay in WSC.

Bostrom, after all, has looked to have been down for the count in Europe before. In 2000, he was bounced from the factory team mid-year, only to regroup with the NCR team.

What about a return to the US? Doug Chandler, Miguel DuHamel, Mat Mladin, John Kocinski and Anthony Gobert went AMA racing when their careers stalled out in Europe, came to the US and all earned salaries commensurate to their skills. Gobert is said to have a base salary this season of one million dollars.

Could Bostrom, the last man to win on a Ducati in AMA Superbike, be the next man to win on a Ducati in AMA Superbike?

For Xaus, a switch to MotoGP could take place, given the seemingly ever-present need for quick Spaniards in that series. Or perhaps he could move to the Foggy Petronas team, since Carl Fogarty has always been one of Xaus's biggest backers.