MotoGP consider move back to 1000cc

Added on Monday, November 9th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor | 2 Comments

MotoGP could return to 1,000cc machines as early as 2012 after Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta revealed that a move away from 800cc prototypes is being considered. Just two years after moving to 800s.

The change is part of a number of considerations being considered by the MotoGP promoter in an effort tom increase competition and reduce costs in the series, with more relaxed technical limitations thought to be part of the proposals being considered.

Speaking to Spanish television broadcaster RTVE, Ezpeleta said: “Right now, it is not going to be possible to switch in 2011, because the agreement with the manufacturers means that we could only make that change before the end of the 2011 season if there was unanimous agreement among the manufacturers. But we are thinking about a return to a 1000cc capacity from the start of the 2012 season, and we will start discussing it this weekend.”

One of the key differences that organisers believe will drastically lower costs in the premier class competition and allow privateer teams to be more competitive is the allowing of production-class motorcycles to race alongside prototype machines. That, it is believed, will make it more affordable to lease engines, after some in the paddock believed that a new scheme introduced earlier in the year had made it more difficult to lease engines from manufacturers.

The more will also appeal to riders, who have largely criticised the move from 990cc machines to 800cc in 2007, blaming the move and the growing influence of electronic rider aids for an increase in the number of processional races seen in the championship. Earlier this year, Valentino Rossi described the move to 800s as “the greatest error of the World Championship in the last 15 years”.

Yamaha Tech 3 team principal and IRTA president Herve Poncharal was also receptive to the move.

“All the manufacturers have a 1000cc bike in their range, and there could be a lot of involvement from the factories for development,” he told GPWeek. “The manufacturers are now a lot more supportive. What was impossible to think of one year ago is now possible.”

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2 Comments

Jeff

November 16th, 2009

I think this is a great idea!

Ivan

November 28th, 2009

Sounds like a good idea to me. If it’s going to give the opportunity to other teams to come into racing and be competitive, get rid of the electronics launch and traction controls, letting the rider prove his worth and stop the boring processions that we are so used to seeing, then the sooner it starts the better.
All manufacturers have got a 1000cc bike in their production range and so it should be relatively easy to make the jump to racing.
Lets go.