I don't know the specifics of Dungey's or any other rider's contracts or money. I do know that when Dungey won 2 championships last year for Suzuki in the 450 Class, he had huge bonuses in his contract for winning titles (which no one thought he would) and then Suzuki had a tough time coming up with the bonus money to pay him. I think that when you win a championship for a company and they promised a big payout if you do........... and then they can't pay you right away........ it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, even if you're a nice guy. You did your part, and they are not upholding their part of the bargain.
I also see the other side of it from Suzuki's standpoint as a company. You hire an up and coming guy, hoping he'll grow into a champion in the premier class and pay him less than he's worth with big "bonuses" if he wins a championship. You figure with proven winners like Stewart, Reed, and Villipoto in the class already that you won't have to pay those huge bonuses out after all. But all of a sudden, he's the last man standing and runs the table on both series and now you have hefty bills to pay that there is no money for........... what do you do?
Overall, money is down in the motorsports divisions of the Japanese companies and the teams are much smaller with less guys getting support than just a few years ago. You need some other sponsors to pick up the tab too, but with global economy down....... those dollars are harder to come by too. If Dungey was riding 10 years ago, he'd have more money in his contract than he does right now based on his record so far....... but things change and he has to go where the money is best for him right now............. 1 crash is all it takes to end his career right now and then he's only got the money he's made since he turned 16 to live on for the rest of his life.
If I was in his shoes, I'd go with whoever paid me the most since I'm doing this for 10 years max and I need to maximize my 10 years to last for 50 more after that. It's as simple as that.
Let's not forget that Dungey also just watched Chad Reed go without any team offers this year and have to reach into his own pocket to show that he was still a Top 3 guy indoors and out. If he can't get a ride on a team....... Dungey is just one bad season away from no money too. Good guy or not, that has to weigh in on your decision process. In my book if I was running a factory backed race team, I'd rather have Chad Reed than Andrew Short, Josh Grant, Mike Alessi, Jake Weimer, Bret Metcalfe, or Kevin Windham........... but he was overlooked after a poor showing with Kawasaki last year in favor of all those riders who still had backing. None of those guys could hold a candle to Reed and Reed was paying his own way........... if you're in Dungey's position and see that you're one bad season away from no ride................. MAXIMIZE YOUR DOLLARS NOW! I feel that the top guys right now are Villipoto, Dungey, Reed, Canard, and Stewart......... everyone else is a not really a podium threat unless these 5 guys are out and I feel they should make the most money and have the most sponsorship options based on their skills, records, and speed. Anyone else has to prove their way into that group to be top paid guy in my book.
Simple as that.