Gresini puts forward plan to deal with downturn
Added on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Satellite teams such as Gresini are most likely to be hit in a funding shortage.
The boss of Gresini Honda believes that MotoGP must follow the lead of Formula One and cut costs in order to ensure the survival of the sport.
Fausto Gresini believes that MotoGP organisers must look to cut costs “by 30%” if the championship is to avoid losing manufacturers as has been the case in F1 and the World Rally Championship.
Following the financial collapse of the Super Aguri team earlier this year, Honda have already announced their intention to pull out of F1 for 2009 whilst in the WRC, both Suzuki and Subaru have opted not field teams next year.
Honda, Suzuki and Subaru have all blamed the current economic downturn as the reason for cutting costs and so far at least, MotoGP has avoided the accountant’s axe. Indeed, the MotoGP entry list will increase next season from 18 to 19 riders following the entry of Onde 2000 Ducati.
However, Suzuki is thought to be struggling to tempt Rizla into continuing their sponsorship whilst the most of the factories are expected to tighten their belts in 2009.
But Gresini believes that changes in the rules and regulations are required to ensure that the sport remains sustainable amid the economic pressures, rather than relying on teams to voluntarily cut budgets.
“Surely we can’t carry on the way it’s been up to now,” he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“If F1 felt the need to find some limitations, then we must do that too. We can’t wait until the crisis becomes too bad before thinking of some measures, also because little can be done for 2009. We must talk and try to think which way to go.”
The satellite Honda team boss certainly wasn’t short of ideas for how costs could be brought down either.
“The objective should be reducing costs by 30%,” said Gresini.
“With the measures I have in mind we could already spend 20%. First of all we should get rid of one of the four bikes we have in the garage: there would be just one spare bike for the two riders to be used after a failure or a crash. This means less weight to transport around the world and a couple less technicians.
“Then we should eliminate carbon brakes and move to steel ones, which are also used in road bike production. This would save €250,000.”
He also suggested that MotoGP adopts similar measures to F1’s engine freeze and multi-race engine rules.
“We must do something similar too, by freezing the construction of new bikes for four or five years, while only allowing development of the current bikes,” he added. “Most of all, we must lengthen engine life: less revs, more kilometres. Let’s say 17,000 revs.”
