MotoGP decides on future rules

MotoGP News
Date: 10/November/2012

The long-running saga over MotoGP’s 2014 technical rules looks to be nearing a conclusion after a compromise was reached between the manufacturers and Championship organiser Dorna Sports.

Dorna is under pressure to spice up the racing and close the performance gulf between the twelve official manufacturer bikes - from Honda, Yamaha and Ducati - and the privateer ‘Claiming Rule Teams’, whose cut-price bikes are powered by modified superbike engines.

A control ECU and rev limit, as used in Formula One, was threatened by Dorna - and strongly opposed by the manufacturers, whose main justification for MotoGP is advanced R&D, especially in the area of electronics.

Ultimately the two sides have met in the middle.

A standard ECU and datalogger will be made compulsory in MotoGP from 2014 - but the manufacturers will continue to use their own software. In return for that concession, the manufacturers face a fuel penalty of four litres less (per race) than the privateers.

At present there is a three-litre difference.

The manufacturers will also have one less engine - from six to five - available for each of their riders during the 2014 season, while the privateers stay on twelve engine changes.

On track, after a wet Friday and damp Saturday morning practice, the final qualifying session of the year was held in dry and bright conditions.

2012 Championship runner-up Dani Pedrosa set a record-breaking lap time to claim pole ahead of Yamaha’s newly crowned double Champion Jorge Lorenzo on the newly resurfaced circuit.

Pedrosa’s Repsol Honda team-mate Casey Stoner will start his final grand prix from third place, but all eyes will be on the weather, with further rain forecast for Sunday.

Pedrosa said: "It was almost a perfect lap and I gave 100%. I'm very happy with the pole position and the new record because Valentino's old record was done with qualifying tyres.

“A lot depends on the weather - if it rains tomorrow we will need to use what we learned yesterday. I really would like to win here and finish the season with a good race."