Looks like two folks may be coming back from the brink of MotoGP extinction…

Rumors posted this evening on superbikeplanet.com hint that Kenny Roberts’ Team KR may have gotten a last minute miracle fromDorna, KTM and Michelin and will be able to run a one rider team for the 2005 MotoGP season. That one rider? Ex-Aprilia rider Shane “Shakey” Byrne. This means that one of GP’s eldest statesmen and one of its newest stars are still gonna be with us for another season.

It seems that Dorna, the rights holder for MotoGP, wanted another British rider in the series for 2005 to help satisfy the folks that agreed to pay for the five year television rights for the series in Merry ‘Ole. KTM presumably wanted to see their engine actually run in race competition and can’t fund their own effort with the Team KR frame they traded for an engine. Michelin wanted….uh….I have no idea. I can’t imagine what Michelin is getting out of this deal, unless they are committed to only provide their second string tires.

Unfortunately, they have already missed the first test of the season at Sepang and may well miss the second if they don’t get their act together quickly. Like WCM, these small teams need twice the testing of the big companies to be competitive and are only going to get half. That doesn’t bode well for MotoGP ever expanding their appeal beyond the established and well funded factories.

Still, if this rumor is true, it will be great to have TeamKR and Shakey around for another summer if only because of King Kenny’s “straight shooting” style and to have another underdog out there trying to stick it to the man.

[image from Shane Byrne web site.]