Capirossi to announce future on Thursday

Capirossi has struggled to match the pace of Ducati Marlboro teammate Casey Stoner all season, and made no secret of his unhappiness that Ducati announced a 2008 deal for Marco Melandri without informing him first.

Although there remains the possibility of Capirossi staying at Ducati on board a third bike, his manager Carlo Pernat told Italian news agency AGR that he was likely to agree a deal to join Suzuki.

"We have three offers: one from Suzuki, one from Kawasaki, one from Ducati," Pernat was quoted as saying. "But Loris seems inclined to accept Suzuki's.

"It's perfect for his characteristics and he could immediately give his maximum there. In any case we wait: on Thursday in Brno we'll make the definitive announcement of his choice."

Pernat echoed Capirossi's criticisms of the manner in which Ducati announced the signing of Melandri.

"A company rightly takes its own decisions, but I don't accept the timing and the way they did it. They got rid of Loris almost covertly.

"We learned about everything from a cold press statement, while Loris gave his all for Ducati, contributing to the growth of the bike and also risking his life."