Henny Ray Abrams | May 1, 2011
ESTORIL, PORTUGAL, MAY 1 – The MotoGP grid will certainly be healthier in 2012 than the current 17 after a host of teams expressed interest in joining the class as Claiming Rule Teams (CRT).Applications from 16 teams currently not in MotoGP were submitted, with two of the teams dismissed after an early review by teams association IRTA and Dorna, the MotoGP rights holder.That leaves 14 teams containing 21 riders, many of which are currently in Moto2 and are looking to move to the premier class. The final number is expected to be around 24, according to various race officials.Those 14 teams will now be provided with a prospectus containing full details of the terms and conditions of participation and have until the Saturday of the French GP weekend at Le Mans, May 14, to submit comprehensive details of their plans to take part. The relevant parties will review the applications and notify the teams an acceptance, a rejection or pending status.Teams that have been accepted will have a further three weeks, until June 3, the Friday of the the Catalunya Grand Prix weekend, to lodge a security deposit with IRTA. A final list of accepted teams will then be published.The rules for the CRTs will be different than for the current MotoGP teams in a number of ways. The major technical differences are that they’ll have 12 engines instead of six and 24 liters fuel capacity instead of 21. Other teams will be able to claim an engine with gearbox for 20,000 euros, about $29,600, or the engine without the gearbox for 15,000 euros, about $22,200.
Henny Ray Abrams | Contributing Editor
Abrams is the longest-serving contributor at Cycle News. Over the course of his 35-some years of writing and shooting photos, he’s covered events from MotoGP to the Motocross World Championship - and everything in between.
