Reportedly, Australian Chris Vermeulen is in the middle of contract talks with Suzuki to renew his current Suzuki MotoGP contract. Vermeulen wasn't exactly setting the woods ablaze via the results sheets earlier in the season and by May was thought to be on the outs with Suzuki in the last season of his current contract.

Vermeulen's double podium finishes at the German and American MotoGP rounds seem to have turned the tide for him at Suzuki. It's also said that Kawasaki, Ducati WSBK and other teams want to sign him as well.

Vermeulen re-signing at Suzuki isn't a world-shattering event for most people working in MotoGP or fans of the series. It will, however, have a huge impact on whether Ben Spies goes MotoGP racing next season. Suzuki isn't (and, please, was never destined to in the first place) going to run three MotoGP bikes in 2009 and knowing Loris Capirossi and his manager, Carlo Pernat, they are working the situation hard. It was rumored at Laguna that Capirossi had re-signed with Suzuki for '09 but that they were waiting to announce it.

If Suzuki's rider stable is filled for 2009 it obviously closes a door for Spies to get into MotoGP.

Meanwhile, Fausto Gresini told members of the Italian press at Laguna Seca that he would be interested in talking to the Texan racer about 2009 and possibly seeing Spies slinging his lanky leg over Gresini's Honda RC212s. Gresini did drop the caveat that the interest was there on his part but the ability to pay Spies' rumored two million dollar per season salary was not.

Spies will be in action this weekend at Mid-Ohio.