MotoGP Bosses Confirm Testing Rule Change; Add Brake-Guard Regulation
MotoGP bosses have today confirmed that changes to the 2012 testing rules mean that any rider can carry out testing for next season so long as they do not exceed the 240-tyre limit - and that any rider can also complete a manufacturer's test schedule meaning Rossi is no longer limited by the eight-day rule on the Ducati.
Minimum weights have also been changed with MotoGP now at 150kg and CRT bikes three kilos heavier. Moto2 is 140 and Moto3 148 for combined bike and rider. There are also changes to the rules regarding carbon discs for CRT teams and, for 2012 only, they are allowed to use discs of other sizes than the prescribed 320mm. There was also some bobbins about not being any more than two per cent of ceramic in the disc mass followed by some boring periodic table chemistry stuff which is of interest to Scott Smart and other Tefal heads only.
But the most important change is the mandatory use of handguards on front brake levers for 2012 in an effort to stop crashes like Hector Barbera and Marco Simoncell had at Mugello (see below) when Barbera's front wheel locked at 220kph and he was lucky not to be seriously hurt.
Changes to testing regulations in MotoGP
The Grand Prix Commission agreed on changes to the 2012 testing regulations for MotoGP class machines in a meeting at Valencia last week.
Following a meeting in Valencia on November 5th the Grand Prix Commission made a unanimous decision on changes to the regulations on the testing of 2012 MotoGP machines.
The GP Commission, which is made up of Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Ignacio Verneda (FIM Executive Director, Sport), Hervé Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA) met during the final round of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship. Also in attendance were Javier Alonso (Dorna) and Paul Butler (Secretary of the meeting).
The FIM announced in a statement that the Commission had “agreed that with effect from 2012 private testing of MotoGP class machines may be carried out by any rider, subject to a limit on the total number of tyres being supplied by the official MotoGP tyre supplier”.
Final details will be confirmed at the next Grand Prix Commission meeting in December.
It was also agreed that manufacturers may used any rider for the completion of their 2011 testing programme during November 2011.
Spanish Champions to be crowned at Jerez
The seventh and final round of the 2011 CEV Buckler takes place this weekend at the Jerez Circuit, with the 125GP, Moto2 and Stock Extreme titles all to be decided.
In 125GP/Moto3 Alex Rins and Alex Márquez are separated by 12 points, the former holding the advantage over the latter, as the pair look to put the seal on a season that has combined moments of brilliance in the shape of superb victories with the kind of errors that have at times compromised their title hopes. The pair are being heralded as two of the hottest prospects in Spanish motorcycling in recent years, and either of the two could easily succeed Maverick Viñales.
At Jerez the evolution of the Moto3 machines will also continue, following the exciting scenes witnessed at Valencia where Miguel Oliveira started from pole position, set the fastest lap in the race and took victory. There can be little doubt that the Portuguese, riding a Honda, will be challenging for the top positions at Jerez. Whatever the Moto3 bikes achieve this weekend will not get in the way of the title fight between Rins and Márquez however, as the four-stroke machines cannot score points in the race.
Carmelo Morales' crash on the last lap of the Moto2 race at Valencia, which resulted in an eighth-placed finish in the previous round, saw the closeness between he and team-mate Jordi Torres in the standings become less so. The difference between the pair is now 13 points in favour of Torres, whose chances of taking the title are much more favourable. The Moto2 class will field 42 riders this weekend, young German Jonas Folger one of the ones to watch.
Enjoying the same points advantage as Torres is Iván Silva, who leads the Stock Extreme category going into the weekend. After enjoying three consecutive victories, Silva arrives at Jerez 13 points ahead of Santiago Barragán. The man chasing Silva in the standings was the winner of the race held at Jerez back in April, when Silva finished fourth; a repeat of that result would hand Silva the title by just a single point.
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