Veteran crewchief Gary Medley, who helped resurrect Eric Bostrom's Ducati career and currently works with Ben Bostrom on the Parts Unlimited Ducati team, is talking with several teams about 2007.

Ducati announced at VIR that they will cease racing US Superbike after 2006.

"I'm talking to some people about working for them next season, sure," Medley said yesterday. "Mostly I'm just trying to get over the shock of the announcement. I could kind of see the writing on the wall but hoped it wasn't true. I really hoped to finish out my career with Ducati." Medley has been a crewchief to riders such as fellow Daytona winners John Ashmead and Scott Russell, Doug Chandler and the Bostrom-brothers.

Medley was party to an incredible string of success in the 1990s: assisting Scott Russell to win Daytona, the Suzuka 8 Hours and the World SBK championship, he then followed that up with three US Superbike championships with Doug Chandler.

Medley chose his words carefully when asked whether he believed the Ducati 999 is uncompetitive in Superbike because of the technical rules. "I'm not going to get into it, but I will say that it's my opinion that it's not the bike. Not now. Maybe Ducati could use some help in the rules department in the future, but as of right now, this bike we have is capable of winning races and should be on the box (podium) every weekend. A very important factor changed here between last year and this year and in my opinion that's why we're not running so well." Medley refused to identify what factor had changed but stated it wasn't Ben Bostrom. "No, it ain't Benny. That guy rides hard."

Medley expressed sadness at the prospect of no Ducatis in the paddock next season. "Let me put it this way, I've worked at a lot of teams and in a lot of different series all over the world and Ducatis are the only ones that I've seen that fans sit outside the tent and wait for you to roll the bikes out to start them. Sometimes they will wait for an hour. Just so they can hear them run. It's like four-deep at some races. To me that's a powerful and amazing thing."

"Yeah, I'm mad," Medley said. "A little mad because Ducati has stopped racing in the US, but I'm more mad because what we have here now is good enough to be on the podium every weekend, and winning races."