FIM confirm testing restrictions
Added on Friday, January 8th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
FIM confirm testing restrictions
The FIM have confirmed new testing restrictions on MotoGP riders for the 2010 season, with contracted riders unable to test except for post-race tests in Brno, Valencia and Jerez.
Under new regulations, teams will only be allowed to use test riders to put their machines through their paces during the season, with regular riders only permitted to practice in pre-determined events. These include any tests which form part of a regular race weekend as well as official post-race one day tests at Jerez in round three and Brno in round eleven. Riders contracted to the 2011 season will also be permitted to take part in the two day test following the final round in Valencia.
Other than those events, riders will be forbidden from testing at any circuit on the MotoGP calendar.
The rules, which had been discussed with teams last year, have been rubber-stamped in a meeting between the FIM and Dorna today and have also confirmed restrictions for winter testing. These include bans on regular riders testing in the first day of two three-day testing sessions in Sepang. An outright testing ban from December 1 of one year until January 31 of the following year has also been introduced for all riders except rookies.
In 125cc and Moto2, wildcard riders will be exempt from practice restrictions which apply to contracted riders in these categories. Until this decision, wildcard riders had been unable to practice or race at any Grand Prix circuit in the 14 days before the race.
