News Roundup - Hacking Gets Laguna Wildcard, Edwards To Stay At Tech 3, Hayden Close To Ducati Deal

News coming in thick and fast prior to the Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring, as the MotoGP paddock assembles once again for the final leg of the summer slog.

First up comes official confirmation from Kawasaki that Jamie Hacking will replace John Hopkins at the US GP at Laguna Seca. The American - though British fan will claim him as their own, having been born in England - is currently the only man in the AMA Superbike series capable of taking the fight to Ben Spies and Mat Mladin. Hacking has already tested the Kawasaki in Japan for two days, but will have a lot of work to do once he gets to Laguna Seca. Roger Lee Hayden set the benchmark last year, finishing in 10th while running as a wildcard at Laguna, but with this year's Kawasaki not looking anywhere near as good as the 2007 bike, a top 10 finish looks out of the question.

Chaz Davies looked like a strong favorite to be given the ride initially, as the young British rider already has experience with both the Bridgestone tires and in MotoGP, having ridden the Pramac Ducati for the injured, and then fired, Alex Hofmann. But with Hacking doing so well in AMA Superbike, the MotoGP ride is likely to have been a fitting award for the 37 year old.

The next news is that Colin Edwards is getting close to signing a new deal with Tech 3 Yamaha. The Texan confirmed that discussions were near to a conclusion at the pre-race press conference in Germany. The sticking point so far has been money, with Herve Poncharal still so far unable to clinch a substantial sponsorship deal. But both Yamaha and Michelin are very keen on Edwards, and both companies are likely to offer the Tech 3 team some form of financial support to keep the Texan at the team. Yamaha are already picking up Edwards' tab this season, although the Tech 3 Yamaha paint scheme, which bears an almost eerie resemblance to Michelin's corporate colors, hint at the involvement of other parties as well.

Finally, Dean Adams of Superbikeplanet.com is reporting that Nicky Hayden is looking a very strong candidate to take Marco Melandri's seat at Ducati at the end of the year. Hayden has been with Honda for most of his racing career, but fell out of favor with the Japanese factory after the arrival of his Spanish team mate Dani Pedrosa. With Hayden's riding style very similar to the reigning world champion, Casey Stoner's, it is widely felt that Hayden is one of the few men who could be capable of taming the Ducati. Although Melandri is only halfway through the first year of a two-year deal with Ducati, it is inconceivable that Ducati would stand in Melandri's way if he wanted to leave, which he surely must. Indeed, Melandri is widely rumored to be quitting after Laguna Seca, with Sete Gibernau being lined up as a possible replacement.