More MotoGP rulebook madness

The latest – and it is to be hoped, final – iteration of the Moto GP rules package has finally been issued, a mere three days before the start of the 2014 season at the Losail Circuit in Qatar.

Ducati’s decision to switch to the “Open” class in order to take advantage of its rules advantages, but particularly the bigger number of engines allowed and the in-season development permitted (not allowed in the “Factory” class), got everyone else excited.

Honda was furious that Ducati was twisting the spirit of the Open class, originally intended as a cheaper “production” class of bikes. In fact, Honda has spent a fortune developing such a machine, with four having been sold (not leased) to teams. The bulk of the Open teams were just as unhappy, as the latest spec software from Marelli (the only “penalty” to choosing the Open class) proved far too complex for the smaller teams to master, particularly in view of the short lead time allowed for getting used to it.

There was considerable suspicion as well that much of the added complication of the 2014 spec package came via upgrades suggested by Ducati – hinting that the new package was relatively close to Ducati’s actual factory package, so it wouldn’t be a handicap to them at all. After two weeks of angry lobbying, meetings, conference phone calls, and hints and rumours about what would finally happen, the official decision, agreed to by the manufacturers and series organizers, comes to this:

(1) for 2014-15, the factory class remains the same, with fuel, tire, and engine limits, and the ability to create their own software (albeit they must use the spec Marelli ECU)

(2) the Open class also remains the same, with more fuel and engines, a softer rear tire, and the requirement to use the spec ECU and software – their choice of the 2013 or 2014 software

(3) an in-between class that should well be called the Ducati rule. Entrants in the Open class will start to lose advantages (less fuel, the soft tire option) if they start getting successful. Specifically, the new proposal sees manufacturers without a dry weather win in three years to compete as Factory entries (i.e., using their own software), but with all of the advantages of the Open class – more fuel, more tires, no engine freeze, and unlimited testing. If the team scores one win, two second place finishes or three third places during dry races, then all bikes entered by that team (Ducati) will have their fuel cut from 24 to 22.5 liters for each race. Should Ducati win three races in the dry, they will also lose use of the softer rear tires. If Ducati were to lose the extra fuel or tires during 2014, they would also have to race under the same conditions in 2015.

Suzuki will be able to enter under the same rules package in 2015, when they’re expected to return. And in 2016, a year earlier than originally planned, all teams will be required to use the spec software as well as ECU, but all will also be encouraged to contribute to the code.

Whew. Now that that’s apparently all out of the way, here’s a quote from Nicky Hayden, entering his 12th year of Moto GP – “it’s time stop complaining and go racing.” Amen to that.