The Fedreation Internationale Motocyclisme has announced the 19 riders entered to contest the 2009 Championnat du Monde FIM des Grands Prix de Courses sur Route, also known as the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix schedule. Joining the series as the one and only privateer will be MotoGP veteran Sete Gibernau. The Spaniard will ride under the banner of the new Grupo Francisco Hernando MotoGP effort. Gibernau’s arrival means there will be a total of five Ducati GP9 motorcycles on the grid sheets (Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden of the Marlboro Ducati team, Mika Kallio and Niccola Canepa of the Pramac Racing squad and Sete Gibernau on the privately run GP9).

Three rookies will be on the grid in 2009. Former Ducati test rider Niccolo Canepa and 250cc star Mika Kallio make their MotoGP debuts with the Alice Ducati squad, whilst Yuki Takahashi follows Kallio from the 250cc class replacing Andrea Dovizioso at Scot Honda Racing.

The 2009 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix will commence on April 12th at the Losail circuit in Qatar, and two weeks later, on April 26th, line up at the Motegi circuit in Japan. The world tour will then head back to its spiritual home in Europe, racing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Spain on May 3rd. The 18-race schedule will conclude on November 8th in Valencia, Spain.

Eric Johnson

No.      Rider                  Team   Bike

3       Dani Pedrosa          Repsol Honda, Honda
4       Andrea Dovizioso    Repsol Honda, Honda
5       Colin Edwards         Tech 3, Yamaha
7       Chris Vermeulen     Rizla Suzuki, Suzuki
14     Randy De Puniet      LCR Honda, Honda
15     Alex De Angelis       San Carlo Gresini, Honda
21     John Hopkins           Kawasaki Racing, Kawasaki
24     Toni Elias                San Carlo Gresini, Honda
27     Casey Stoner          Ducati Marlboro, Ducati
33     Marco Melandri        Kawasaki Racing, Kawasaki
36     Mika Kallio              Pramac Racing, Ducati
46     Valentino Rossi       Fiat Yamaha, Yamaha
52     James Toseland      Tech 3, Yamaha
59     Sete Gibernau        Grupo Francisco Hernando, Ducati
65     Loris Capirossi       Rizla Suzuki, Suzuki
69     Nicky Hayden         Ducati Marlboro, Ducati
72     Yuki Takahashi      Scot Racing, Honda
88     Niccolo Canepa      Pramac Racing, Ducati
99     Jorge Lorenzo        Fiat Yamaha, Yamaha