Grid filler rules will not solve MotoGP's troubles

Opinion/Commentary
by Pete Hitzeman
R6Live.com

A significant portion of the epic silly season in MotoGP this year involves the future of the series itself, as Dorna seems poised to yet again revise the class rules, starting in 2012. While we're nowhere near any final version of the '12 rulebook, it seems clear that 1000cc engines will be returning in some fashion, be they true prototypes, production engines in prototype chassis (a la Moto2), or some sort of spec engine. Some talk has been heard of even allowing some of these bikes to enter races, on an exhibition basis, in 2011. There are also rumors of claiming rule teams, who would be allowed to claim the equipment of other teams for a set fee.

Dorna's motivation to put more bikes on the grid is certainly understandable. A mere twelve riders have finished the last two races at Sachsenring and Laguna Seca. With only a total of 18 riders on the permanent entry list and wildcard entries being a financial impossibility, it's clear that the size of the grid is the most glaring problem facing MotoGP's tenability as a world championship.


However, the notion that allowing less-expensive (and ostensibly slower) motorcycles onto the grid will cure what ails MotoGP is misguided, at best. The root cause of the perennially anemic grid is not the cost, though it is incredibly steep. It's the fact that only five or six bikes are even remotely capable of challenging for race wins. The last satellite bike to take a race win was Marco Melandri aboard the Fortuna-sponsored Gresini Honda at Philip Island in 2006, during the last year of the 990 era. In the four years since, we have not seen a satellite rider on the top step, and they rarely feature on the podium at all. Ben Spies' dramatic 3rd place finish at Silverstone is the only appearance on the podium by a non-factory rider this year. Including Melandri's epic 2nd place in the wet last year at Le Mans on board the Hayate (Japanese for Dornasaki), and Colin Edwards' battle to a second place finish over Randy DePuniet at a soggy Donnington, there have been only 17 podium finishes for non-factory riders out of the 62 races (186 podium spots) run thus far in the 800cc era.

Potential sponsors know that TV air time for motorcycles outside the top six is sparse, at best. Top-level riders have little desire to race each weekend, knowing that if they're lucky, they might score an underwhelming fourth. Even the MotoGP.com commentators, known for being a bit over-enthusiastic, sound a bit forced when describing someone’s 11th place finish as a good result for the weekend. Creating an environment that may put a few more bikes at the back of the order will not improve the series.

And let’s not pretend that the proposed rule changes will suddenly make racing at that level affordable. Bridgestone will have to develop tires to work across an even wider variety of platforms. New chassis and engines will have to be developed, from scratch in some scenarios. And the generic costs (travel, hospitality, crew salaries, equipment rental) of running a world championship team will not change. All of that is said to ask this: What sponsor, flush with all the cash that abounds in our current economy, wants to dump a few million dollars into a program destined to generate thrilling battles for 16th?

If Carmelo Ezpeleta wants to see the MotoGP grid grow, and the show become as exciting as it once was, three things have to happen. First, the rule set needs to be left alone long enough for the series to stabilize. Small changes are to be expected, of course, but the basic formula needs to be allowed to work. Second, some sort of effort needs to be made (either by electronics or tire construction) to make the racing less single-file.

Last and most importantly, the stranglehold of the factories on the series has to be broken. It’s clear to any close observer of MotoGP that the number of competitive riders on the grid far exceeds the number of competitive motorcycles. So long as the factories are, for whatever reason, giving substandard equipment and support to their satellite and customer programs, the racing will continue to be poor, and the same riders and teams will be on the box, week after week. While that continues to be the case, sponsors, teams and riders will continue to look elsewhere to spend their time, talents and effort, and the future of MotoGP will continue to look both dark, and short.