Guintoli on verge of D'Antin deal

The French rookie has been with Tech 3 Yamaha this season, but the team is set to run current factory Yamaha rider Colin Edwards alongside World Superbike convert James Toseland in 2008.

Guintoli believes his deal with D'Antin could be secured before the end of the Estoril meeting.

"I hope to settle it quickly, this weekend maybe, but all is going well at the moment," he said.

"We've been talking for some time, but I think that some of my performances this year have shown what I can do.

"This (D'Antin) is a ride where I could really move forward."

Guintoli has impressed the MotoGP paddock with his performance this season, particularly in his home race at Le Mans where he charged through from 11th on the grid to lead in just six laps in wet conditions.

Chaz Davies, who deputised for the injured Alex Hofmann at Laguna Seca, has also been strongly linked to Pramac D'Antin for 2008.

The team's current rider Alex Barros said he was unsure about his future with the team, amid rumours that he might return to Superbikes next season.

"I don't know, the future is 50-50 so far," he said. "I hope in Japan alrady I can have some answers for that."

The Brazilian veteran had a strong start to the season and beat factory Ducati rider Casey Stoner to third at Mugello, but has struggled in recent races.

"The first part of this year went quite well," Barros said.

"I was unlucky in some races. But the second part didn't go some well. We've really had some problems finding the best set-ups for the tracks.

"In Australia and Malaysia I had good tests at the beginning of the season, so I hope I can be competitive at these tracks. It won't be easy, but I hope there can be some good races before the finish of the year."