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Suzuki's MotoGP return is drawing closer. Speaking to Crash.net's Peter McLaren, Suzuki test rider Nobuatsu Aoki confirmed that testing on the brand new bike - an inline four with a big-bang firing order - was progressing well and that the bike would make its first public outing at the post-race test at Barcelona, after the MotoGP round there in mid-June. Aoki himself would be riding at the test, he said, alongside 'one European rider'. That is widely expected to be Randy de Puniet, though Aoki refused to name the rider.

The bike had already undergone extensive testing in Japan, Aoki told Crash.net, both at Suzuki's private test track and at Motegi. A new version of the bike had been tried last week, and Aoki pronounced himself happy with both the engine and the chassis. Suzuki's plan is to enter as a full MSMA team, which means that the factory will have just 5 engines per season and 20 liters of fuel per race at their disposal. The benefit of competing as an MSMA entry is that they will be allowed to write their own software for the spec Magneti Marelli ECU, and compete on the same terms as Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.

There is still no news on exactly how the team will be run or who will manage it. Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has made it clear a number of times that Suzuki is welcome to come back to MotoGP, but that if they enter, they will have to use an existing team. Given the involvement of Randy de Puniet, and Aspar's previous association with Suzuki, paddock speculation centers on Suzuki linking up with Aspar for 2014.

Despite the fact that the World Superbike series kicks off on Sunday, the provisional calendar is still very much in a state of flux. Rumors emanating from the WSBK paddock, gathered at Phillip Island for the 2013 season opener, suggest that major changes could stilll take place to the calendar. The biggest change is that the UK round, set for Silverstone on 4th August, could be dropped altogether, and replaced with a round in Turkey, at the spectacular Istanbul Park Circuit in mid-September.

The rumors, reported by German-language website Speedweek and confirmed by other WSBK sources, state that Silverstone is to be dropped because the circuit cannot afford to pay the sanctioning fee previously agreed with Infront, and now being demanded by Dorna. Crowd numbers at Silverstone for World Superbikes were always low, in part because the flat nature of the circuit made viewing difficult, and in part due to relatively high ticket prices, which meant that ticket sales did not generate sufficient revenue to cover the circuit's costs.

The round scheduled for Silverstone could now take place at Istanbul Park in Turkey. The circuit, once run by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, is under new management since Ecclestone withdrew at the end of last year, and is in need of events to host at the $200 million dollar facility. While the new management is negotiating with Ecclestone over a return of Formula One, adding a World Superbikes round would be logical, given that Turkey has a reigning champion in the World Supersport class in Kenan Sofuoglu, and a candidate to repeat in 2013. Acording to Speedweek, the Turkish round of WSBK could be held on 15th September.

The rest of the calendar is also far from finalized. The round scheduled for 23rd June and marked as "to be announced" is now certain to be dropped, with the Brno circuit already having confirmed that they will not host a round of the series. Both Imola and Portimao are still marked as being subject to contract, and given the economic situation in both Italy and Portugal, still under severe doubt. The Portimao circuit continues to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy, while doubts remain over the future of Imola.

The disappearance of Silverstone reduces the Superstock season - run at European rounds only, to keep the series cheap - to just 8 races. With both Superstock 1000 and 600 classes set to be scrapped for 2014, several riders and teams are taking a look at the rival series being set up in Central Europe, and based around the Brno circuit.

The problems at Silverstone highlight a key concern at the center of the business of hosting motorcycle racing. Crowd attendances at motorcycle racing have been historically good, and as tobacco advertising was still allowed at motor sport events, the circuits had extra ways of generating revenues. But a combination of the ending of the loophole which allowed tobacco sponsorship, the decline in attendance as the sport became more clinical and professional, and the global economic collapse in 2008 meant that circuits started to struggle to pay the sanctioning fees charged by both Dorna and Infront (or FGSport, as it was then called) to organize MotoGP and World Superbike rounds. The iconic WSBK round at Brands Hatch was one of the first casualties, the circuit being dropped from the WSBK calendar in 2009, after a dispute between the Flamminis and the MSVR, who run the circuit, over the level of fees to be charged.

The situation has grown worse since then. Several circuits, both on the WSBK and MotoGP calendars, continue to complain of the cost of hosting rounds, with several rounds under threat as a result. The Sachsenring circuit has struggled to pay the sanctioning fee for the German round of MotoGP for several years now, and is subject to constant negotiation with local government over subsidies. Despite its history and the existence of a contract, the Jerez round of MotoGP has been in doubt for the past three years. Even the iconic Assen circuit has struggled to pay the fee required by Dorna, and is looking at ways of increasing crowds and building revenues again.

The problem is very much a chicken-and-egg situation: to recoup the sanctioning fees, the circuits need to set ticket pricing at an uncomfortably high level. But those higher prices are keeping some fans away, who simply cannot afford it. Finding the right balance between ticket prices and attendance number is extremely complex, and not entirely under the control of the circuits. That the demand for racing is there is certain: at the Estoril round of MotoGP last year, the circuit - knowing it would be losing MotoGP - set its prices at extremely low levels - between 2 and 20 euros, in comparison to 90 euros and upwards for most other circuits. They filled the circuit, something which had not happened for many years at Estoril, which has traditionally had poor attendance. However, the revenues generated with such a low ticket price are simply not enough to cover costs.

Getting out of this precarious situation will be difficult. For Dorna, the way forward may not lie in continually raising sanctioning fees for both motorcycle racing series. Instead, they may have to try and capitalize on the intangible assets, raising income from sponsors by selling higher crowd attendances, and generating higher crowd attendances by lowering ticket prices. But with Dorna under pressure from their owners, Bridgepoint and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, to generate income to pay off the loans which the private equity firm has burdened it with, the Spanish company has little room for maneuver.

The first test at Sepang was a disheartening affair for Ducati. The times of all four Ducati riders - Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso in the factory Ducati team, and Andrea Iannone and Ben Spies in the Pramac Ducati junior team - were well off the pace of the fastest men at the test, with Hayden, fastest Ducati rider, ending the test two seconds behind Dani Pedrosa on the Honda. Ducati acknowledged that they had a lot of work to do, and that there would be no quick fixes. Serious improvement would not come in the short term.

But Ducati Corse boss Bernhard Gobmeier was at pains to stress that improvement would be made, and that Ducati is working on a number of solutions. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro joined Pramac's Andrea Iannone at Jerez this weekend for three days of private testing at the circuit, trying out some modifications which could be tried at the next MotoGP tests at Sepang, just over a week from now. Parts tested included new chassis parts, as well as some electronics updates, which Ducati declared had performed 'according to expectations'.

Italian technical blogger "Manziana" on the Motocorse.com website explains some of the changes which Ducati could have made, including a modified fairing and chassis, to accommodate a modified exhaust system. The changes could have been made as part of the first steps towards a new design, which would solve some of the issues highlighted by Valentino Rossi's crew chief Jeremy Burgess, which include not being able to locate the output shaft correctly, causing the swingarm to be too short and the frame too long. The Italian electric bike blog Moto Elettricheblog posted a diagram on Facebook explaining some of the issues.

We should see at least some of the changes tested by Ducati at the following MotoGP test at Sepang. It should also be clear whether those changes have helped or not. Real change, however, is unlikely to come until the middle of the year, when Ducati is rumored to be introducing a completely new bike.

Below is the press release from Ducati after the three-day test at Jerez:

Ducati Team development test concludes at Jerez

Three days of private testing concluded today for Ducati at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain. The riders present at Jerez for the Italian factory were Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone, whom it was decided to send late last week in order to provide further development input for the Ducati Desmosedici GP13 bike, together with test-rider Michele Pirro.

During the three days, several new components on the chassis side of the ‘laboratory’ bike were tested successfully and everything went according to expectations. In addition the riders tested some different electronic strategies and they also went according to plan, leaving the team satisfied with the outcome. The success of both of these solutions indicate that the Ducati Team is working in the right direction, in what is just the first phase of its development programme for this year.

The next appointment for the Ducati Team and Pramac Racing Team riders will be next week in Sepang (Malaysia) at the second round of IRTA-organized pre-season tests, scheduled for February 26-28.

After the MotoGP class kicked off the 2013 preseason at Sepang, testing season is now well and truly opened. From Tuesday, the Moto2 and Moto3 teams assemble at Valencia for their first group test of the year, a test which should provide a few clues to the way the 2013 might develop, while raising more questions to be answered at the following test next week at Jerez.

It is not the first time on the track for everyone, however. A gaggle of KTM-mounted Moto3 teams have already posted laps at Almeria, joined there by the reigning Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese on his Kalex Moto2 machine, while another group of Moto3 boys had a shakedown test at Cartagena. As neither Almeria nor Cartagena, both located in Southern Spain, appear on the Grand Prix calendar, the lessons learned will be useful, but limited, the bikes still needing work once the teams arrive at Valencia for the three-day test, from 12th to 14th of February.

What was apparent from the test at Almeria was that Maverick Viñales will be fast. The JHK T-Shirt LaGlisse team were the only team to release times from Almeria, and Viñales was well under the lap record with a 1'39.1, three tenths quicker than he went at the same circuit back in November, the first time he got to ride the factory KTM machine. To try to put that time in some kind of perspective, Jonas Folger posted a fastest lap of 1'40.1 at Almeria back in November.

Comparing times at Valencia will also be difficult. Though a list of times will be published at the end of the day, its accuracy will be subject to question. For some inexplicable reason, the teams will be riding without official transponders and timekeeping, meaning that times will be collated based on what the teams say they did. Though usually in the same ballpark as the times the riders actually post, teams have many reasons to either exaggerate or understate their times. Such misstatements are never wildly off the mark, however, so some usable data will proceed from it. [Editor's note, 12th February: it appears we were wrong. Dorna are providing official timing for the Moto2 and Moto3 test, so timing will be accurate. Follow it on the official MotoGP.com website.]

The two big questions to be answered in Moto2 are who can challenge 2012 runner up Pol Espargaro, and what effect the new combined rider/weight limit will have on leveling out the playing field for the heavier riders. The latter question is of some significance for the former; Scott Redding looked strong throughout the 2012 season, but the Marc VDS Racing rider clearly struggled at tracks where hard acceleration was key. Hampered by his size and extra body weight, Redding was on average 5km/h down on top speed along Motegi's long back straight, something which staying with the front runners very difficult, despite matching their sector times around the remainder of the circuit.

The weight increase will make things more difficult for the lighter riders - for exactly why, see the excellent explanation of the issues involved over on the Live From Pit Lane site, run by Marc VDS press chief Ian Wheeler - as finding the best place to stow the extra weight is a problem. So a significant part of the test for riders such as Mika Kallio, Pol Espargaro (at least, to some extent) and Toni Elias will be taken up by experimenting with placing ballast. At the other end of the scale, heavier riders like Redding are investing in the lightest possible helmets, leathers and boots to keep the extra weight they still carry down to a minimum.

After a standout season in 2012, Pol Espargaro will start this year as hot favorite. Espargaro will want to stamp his authority on the class from the very start, and hope to leave as the fastest man. With his HP Tuenti Pons team virtually unchanged since last season, all the building blocks are in place to excel. Leading the chase for Espargaro will be Thomas Luthi, the Swiss rider's situation similarly identical to 2012. With the weight situation equalized, at least in part, Scott Redding will start the year with his best chance of being competitive. Valencia is not one of the tracks where Redding suffered most with his weight disadvantage, so the effects of the equalization will not be immediately clear. Julian Simon will be another rider to watch, the Spaniard having swapped a Suter for the Kalex of the Italtrans team. Simon was very quick at the test in Valencia last season, and should be fast again this week. 

Ant West could be one rider who could throw up a few surprises, the Australian having gelled with his QMMF Speed Up machine towards the end of the season. If he can be quick out of the box at Valencia, he might finally get his season off to a strong start, and be competitive all year long. Then there's the usual suspects: men like Alex de Angelis, Mattia Pasini and Simone Corsi, who are often fast, but also lack consistency. They will have to get a good test under their belts to get their season off on the right foot.

There will be much interest in the Moto2 rookies as well, especially on Sandro Cortese. The German arrives in the class as reigning Moto3 champion, in a strongly-backed team aboard a Kalex. This will be the first time we get to see how well Moto3 operates as a feeder class for Moto2, after the first season of the four-stroke Moto3 class. Others arrive with him: Cortese's former teammate Danny Kent joins Frenchman Louis Rossi at Tech 3, giving the team an all-rookie line up. They will have their work cut out, aboard a bike which has a distinct disadvantage over the rest.

In the Moto3 class, Maverick Viñales is the man to beat. After a tough year chasing the KTMs on the underpowered FTR Honda, Viñales now has full factory backing from KTM. His direct competitors will also be on factory KTMs, Luis Salom prime among them. The battle between the two Spaniards could get very tense, both having proven to be very hotheaded young men in 2012. Calmness and concentration will be needed this season, but that is a quality which is less easy to measure on a timesheet. They face more Spanish competition in the form of Alex Rins, the youngster who showed flashes of brilliance in his first season in the class, as well as Alex Marquez, brother of the shockingly talented Moto2 champion and MotoGP rookie Marc. The Italians are well represented too: promising youngster Francesco Bagnaia joins Romano Fenati at the Team Italia squad, and Fenati will be expected to make a step forward in his second full season in Grand Prix.

A lot of the interest in Moto3 will come from the gaggle of youngsters moving up from the Red Bull Rookies and the Spanish championship. German riders Florian Alt and Philipp Oettl are expected to do well, as is Lorenzo Baldasssarri and young Belgian rider Livio Loi. Loi will be testing with the Marc VDS Racing team, but the Belgian rider will have to wait until the Jerez round to make his Moto3 debut, as he only turns 16, the minimum age for Moto3, a few days before the Spanish GP.

One final rider to watch at the test will be Maverick Viñales' teammate Ana Carrasco. Several females riders have had a shot at Grand Prix racing, but few have made much impression. Carrasco could be the first to earn a regular place in the paddock; unlike many of the female riders which have proceeded her, the young Spaniard is just 16 years old. She has already made good progression, improving her best time at Almeria, set in November of last year, by over two seconds. A time of 1'41.8 puts her on course to be fighting for points once she settles in to Moto3. That would be a boost not just for her, but for all women riders, and open the door a little for an increase in the number of females in the sport.

The weather for the test is looking positive. No rain is expected, and the temperatures should be positively balmy by the afternoon. The only worrying factor is the wind: very strong today, as the teams were setting up, the wind can cause real problems for both tire and track temperatures at the Valencia circuit. It will die down a little as the week progresses, with the best weather expected on the final day of the test on Thursday.

Below is the testing schedule for Moto2 and Moto3: