MotoGP Rule Changes Introduced

Cycle News Staff | November 10, 2012

The long negotiations regarding rule changes for the MotoGP World Championship have ultimately ended with compromise as evident in the new rule package for 2014 that was introduced today in Valencia, Spain, the site of tomorrow’s final round of the MotoGP World Championship.

With much of the focus surrounding what many believed would be a Dorna-induced standardized ECU and rpm limit (16,000 rpm), it turns out that wasn’t the case after all as just the Magnetti Marelli ECU and data logger will be mandatory beginning in 2014 with the manufacturers able to use their own software package. Thus traction control, wheelie control and launch control won’t be hampered by the new rules.

The fuel limit, however, has been reduced with the factory teams – Honda, Yamaha and Ducati – tagged with a four-liter fuel penalty (when compared to the CRT teams) as the limit will go down to 20 liters. CRT bikes will continue to be able to start the races with 24 liters of fuel.

In addition, the non-CRT teams will also have to make do with one less engine as the new rule package takes them down to five engines per rider, per season instead of the six that were allowed this year. CRT teams, meanwhile, will still be allowed to use 12 engines over the course of the season. New manufacturers coming into the series will be able to use nine engines per rider per season.

Engine development during the season will also be stopped as the engines are frozen for all the races during the season.

It also appears that Honda will now go ahead with plans to build CRT-type bikes based on the RC213V and Yamaha is said to be planning to offer engines to teams.

The new rules also keep bore and stroke dimensions the same for the three-year period 2013 -2015.

“The regulation changes are subject to the satisfactory conclusion of ongoing negotiations between FIM, Dorna and the Manufacturers concerning the supply of additional machines and engines for use by other teams from 2014,” the press release issued by the FIM said. “Contracts for the supply of these machines, engines, parts and technical support must be concluded between Dorna and the Manufacturers prior to the first event of 2013. Only then will the technical regulation changes be finally adopted.”

The significant change in the Moto2 rules package is that effective immediately the class will feature a 215 kg weight limit (rider, bike, leathers, on-board camera, etc) with ballast to be added to achieve the minimum weight. This should help bigger riders in the class like Brit Scott Redding.