De Rosa moves to WSBK
Raffaele de Rosa will move from Moto2 to World Superbikes for 2012 after the series' provisional entry list was announced.
Italian De Rosa will ride a Pro Ride Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR.
"I am very happy to be part of this project," said De Rosa. "Changing championship does not scare me at all. I do not expect to be fast at the very first moment, but for sure I am looking for results and satisfaction.
"I would like to be one of the first among the rookies of 2012 and honestly I think this can be done. But as the World Superbikes is a new situation for me, I do not have much idea of the way the other bikes behave and the challenges I'll face ahead."
Pro Ride failed with bids to enter WSBK in 2009 and 2010 but, after working with MZ Racing in Moto2 last season, has made the jump.
The provisional entry list saw 24 entries officially confirmed - De Rosa was the only rider not previously confirmed by their team - but Noriyuki Haga was not on it.
Haga, eighth on a PATA Aprilia last season, could retire from the sport.
The World Supersport entry list was also revealed, with 32 full-time riders. Ten Kate Racing, who have won eight titles, will run just one bike for Broc Parkes.
WSBK entry list
3. Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing)
4. Hiroshi Aoyama (Honda)
7. Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati)
17. Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing)
19. Chaz Davies (ParkinGO Aprilia)
21. John Hopkins (Crescent Suzuki)
33. Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad)
34. Davide Giugliano (Althea Ducati)
35. Raffaele De Rosa (Pro Ride Honda)
36. Leandro Mercado (Pedercini Kawasaki)
44. David Salom (Pedercini Kawasaki)
50. Sylvain Guintoli (Effenbert Liberty Ducati)
58. Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing)
59. Niccolo Canepa (Ducati Roma)
65. Jonathan Rea (Honda)
66. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing)
78. Lorenzo Zanetti (PATA Ducati)
84. Michel Fabrizio (BMW Italia Goldbet)
86. Ayrton Badovini (BMW Italia Goldbet)
91. Leon Haslam (BMW Motorrad)
96. Jakub Smrz (Effenbert Liberty Ducati)
121. Maxime Berger (Liberty Effenbert Ducati)
TBA. Leon Camier (Crescent Suzuki)
TBA. Mark Aitchison (Grillini Progea BMW)
WSS entry list
3. Jed Metcher (RivaMoto Yamaha)
8. Andrea Antonelli (Lorini Honda)
9. Patrick Jacobsen (PTR Honda)
10. Imre Toth (Toth Honda)
11. Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda)
13. Dino Lombardi (PATA by Martini Yamaha)
19. Pawel Szkopek (Bogdanka Honda)
20. Mathew Scholtz (Bogdanka PTR Honda)
22. Roberto Tamburini (Lorini Honda)
23. Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Honda)
24. Eduard Blokhin (RivaMoto Yamaha)
27. Thomas Caiani (Kuja Honda)
28. Giacomo Micheli (VFT Yamaha)
31. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Suriano Triumph Daytona)
32. Sheridan Morais (Kawasaki DeltaFin)
33. Yves Polzer (MRC Austria Yamaha)
34. Ronan Quarmby (PTR Honda)
38. Balazs Nemeth (Toth Honda)
40. Martin Jessopp (Riders PTR Honda)
52. Lucas Pesek (ProRace Honda)
54. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki DeltaFin)
55. Massimo Roccoli (Bike Service by WTR Ten 10 Yamaha)
61. Fabio Menghi (VFT Yamaha)
64. Joshua Day (GoEleven Kawasaki)
65. Vladimir Leonov (Yakhnich Yamaha)
69. Ondrej Jezek (SMS Honda)
71. Thomas Berghammer (Berghammer Honda)
73. Oleg Pozdneev (RivaMoto Yamaha)
95. Robert Muresan (East European Honda)
98. Romain Lanusse (Intermoto Step Kawasaki)
99. Fabien Foret (Intermoto Step Kawasaki)
119. Janos Chrobak (East European Honda)
Comment 1 - 3 of 3
WSS ............no Gino??????So hopefully this means he is going to turn up for Moto 2
Without Haga it will be a little less interesting.
Mind you - without good machinery we did not see as many bizzare passing manoeuvres or that inch perfect stalking.
As his T-Shirt put it
The Dog's Borrocks.........................
Yeah, that's what I call a grid... or two grids actually, although Moto2 regularly has over 30 starters. Could be fun in 2012especially with a fit again Max + the usual suspects: Marco, Eugene, and Carlos....how many manufacturers? - Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Aprilia, BMW, where's MV Agusta and KTM? Really, motogp should just pack up and go home.....
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