The FIM and the Grand Prix Commission have modified and added a few more rules for the upcoming 2012 season.

The most important item on the agenda which we already knew, but has now been officially confirmed, is that testing rules have now been relaxed. Any rider can now privately test a MotoGP machine as long as manufacturer doesn’t exceed the tire allocation (which should be 240). This will no doubt make Ducati and Valentino Rossi happy as they’ve been pushing for more testing days and that factory riders shouldn’t be banned from doing the testing outside scheduled dates.

It was 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 GPC meeting in December. It was also agreed that manufacturers may use any rider for the completion of their 2011 testing programme during November 2011.

The Commission has also added a new rule which involves safety issues and specifically, that all the GP motorcycles must be equipped with a brake lever protection. The idea of a brake protection has been bounced around since 2006, following the horrific incident at the Catalunya GP set off between Sete Gibernau and Loris Capirossi (see video after the jump). Several teams already have them like LCR Honda, but now they’ll be mandatory across the board.

Continue reading: 2012 MotoGP rules: more testing, safety add ons and weight changes

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The FIM announced that they will be holding their annual Gala Ceremony (the first announcement was made less than 24 hours after Simoncelli’s funeral) on December 4th at Estoril, Portugal where fans can vote for three categories: 2011 Rookie of the Year, Woman of the Year and Personality of the Year (Casey Stoner, Carlos Checa, Antonio Cairoli, Ryan Villopoto, Toni Bou, Juha Salminen, Mika Ahola, Greg Hancock) and they are also offering drawing prizes which include:

1st place - 1 “LINK - Calibre S” TAG Heuer Watch
2nd place - 1 one-year subscription to FIM-TV.com
3rd place - 1 one-year subscription to the FIM Magazine “Ride with Us”
4th place - 1 FIM Comic book “Continental Circus”
5th place - 1 FIM “Jym Bag” (with FIM pencil and FIM USB stick)

If you’re interested, just follow this link to find out how to vote.

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The FIM has released the entry lists for both Moto3 and Moto2 classes which will be officially confirmed at the Valencia GP.

Moto3 will be replacing the 125cc World Championship with 250cc four-stroke bikes and includes an entry by Gresini Racing, who already runs teams both in MotoGP and Moto2. While the Moto2 class which will be in its third year, will see a slight cut back in the massive number of riders that currently compete to ‘just’ 32.

Moto3 class - 20 teams, 32 riders

1. Ajo Motorsport Red Bull
2. Avant Airasia Ajo
3. Bankia Aspar Team
4. By Queroseno Racing
5. Caretta Technology (Techno Racing)
6. CBC Corse
7. Gresini Racing
8. Ioda Racing Project
9. Mahindra Racing Team
10. Monlau Competicion
11. Moto FGR
12. Moto Racing Matteoni
13. MZ Motor Co
14. Racing Team Germany
15. RW Racing GP BV
16. Team Italia FMI
17. Team Machado
18. Technomag CIP
19. TT Motion Events Racing
20. Worldwide Communications (Phonica Racing)

* Reserve Entry: Technomag CIP – Second place

Continue reading: FIM reveals 2012 provisional Moto3 and Moto2 entry lists

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The FIM announced today that World Superbikes is getting some technical tweaks that will go into effect immediately and with just three rounds left in the 2011 championship.

One includes the use of ride-by-wire electronic system even for those teams who do not currently have the system on their homologated models.

The new (okay, updated version) of the 2012 CBR 1000 RR is expected to have it, so the Superbike Commission is giving Castrol Honda the nod and letting the team get a head start on using it.

Jonathan Rea tested the ride-by-wire system for the first time during the World Superbike two-day test at Misano this week and since the new technical tweaks are in immediate effect, the Castrol Honda team can use it next weekend at Imola.

FIM press release after the jump:

Continue reading: World Superbikes gets technical tweaks

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While today’s major news websites are reporting the latest update on the Fukushima disaster, with a research report from Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan stating that radiation leaks from the power plant has now spread over an area of 600 square kilometers, the FIM and Dorna have released ARPA’s final study and are again confirming that the Motegi GP will take place on October 2nd, barring that there be no further serious incidents.

As previously indicated ARPA’s final conclusion is still the same, and “based on the estimate dose it can be said with no doubt that the radiation risk during the race event is negligible.”

The final report can be read here.

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As everyone knows the GP riders and paddock personnel are very relectant about going to Motegi this October, with Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo stating that they will boycott the race, even if Lorenzo has slightly backpedalled and saying he’ll go to Japan to race, but won’t do it at the Twin Ring circuit.

Dorna and FIM commissioned a study by an independent body and the study with the preliminary results have been posted on the FIM’s website that you can read here.

Cutting to the chase, the Japanese GP is definitely on, radiation risks are negligible unless the current situation changes in these next few months and now it will be up to the team owners to get the riders to change their minds or face some consequences from their bosses.

FIM statement after the jump.

Continue reading: Motegi GP preliminary study released - Japanese GP is on

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Late last month the FIM issued a press release saying that all the scheduled races in Japan were going be held and that they would be making a definitive announcement during this weekend’s Italian GP regarding the Motegi race, and right on schedule a new statement has been issued which more or less says the same; that they are still monitoring the situation and will not take any risks, but Motegi is still a go.

The Japanese GP which is scheduled for 2 October, is still causing apprehension amongst the riders and the entire paddock regarding radiation risks and a petition is now circulating amongst the riders to present to Dorna and the FIM stating their concern over running the race in proximity to Fukushima nuclear disaster.

FIM press release after the jump.

Continue reading: FIM confident that Motegi GP is still on

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The FIM has finally released the list of CRT teams which will be allowed to participate in the 2012 MotoGP Championship, and from the sixteen that originally claimed interest at Estoril and then skimmed to eleven have been further whittled down to a mere six, with those teams already in Moto2 GP getting the priority and it seems that there may even be new manufacturers applying, but they are still under discussion on whether they can enter under CRT rules (24 lt and 12 engines).

Here’s the entry list:

- By Queroseno Racing (BQR)
- Forward Racing
- Kiefer Racing
- Marc VDS Racing
- Paddock GP Racing (Interwetten)
- Speed Master

As expected Marc VDS Racing is present because they’ve been working on the Suter/BMW Moto1 for several months and been testing extensively, but the other teams have yet to produce anything concrete, Speed Master is making the jump with Andrea Iannone (the team is run by his father) and is expected to use an Aprilia RSV4 engine with a FTR chassis.

Continue reading: Six new teams in MotoGP in 2012, so far

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We have to admit that the FIM has great timing. After the list of the new teams eligible to join the new Moto1 championship in 2012 was once again delayed, the FIM felt the urgent need to repeat itself regarding the terms of using production based motorcycles in MotoGP, and the statement was issued coincidentally while the World Superbike round was running at Misano.

On the occasion of the San Marino Round of the 2011 FIM Superbike World Championship in Misano (ITA), and with reference to the interviews recently published on some motorsports web sites, FIM President Vito Ippolito reiterated what has already been stated several times:

Any complete motorcycle model derived from series production, homologated or not for the FIM Superbike/Supersport/Superstock is not eligible and will not be accepted in the FIM Grand Prix World Championship classes.

While carefully worded, it’s those three key words ‘complete motorcycle model’ that will allow CRT’s to run in Grand Prix without running afoul of the FIM rules and will keep the Flammini brothers from running to court, since CRT’s will be running production based engines, but they’ll be in prototype chassis’ and since they accepted the Moto2 class without any complaints, they’ll have to let Moto1 slide too.

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Whatever anyone expected from the outcome of the Race Direction discussion with Marco Simoncelli regarding his highly controversial pass on Dani Pedrosa at Le Mans, was just a stern lecture and some sound fatherly advice to help correct the hairy Italian’s aggressive and erring ways.

Which really boiled down to: try to not commit the same mistake in the future, think twice before you decide to overtake anyone and for the love of God keep you mouth shut, don’t criticize our judgement because we are not influenced by anyone, be more politically correct when you talk to the press or else you’ll be needing more than two cops to escort you when you’re racing in Spain.

Here’s the statement that the Race Direction released after this afternoon’s meeting:

Continue reading: MotoGP Race Direction lectures Marco Simoncelli

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Following their press release at Estoril regarding the 2012 MotoGP, the FIM has released another after the Le Mans GP stating that the number teams are still interested in partecipating in the new 1000cc MotoGP class in 2012 have now become eleven with sixteen riders.

At Le Mans the teams were to formalize their interest and by next month’s Catalunya GP are to lodge a €30,000 security deposit, but it seems that a small number of these new teams are already backing down due to the lack of clear and precise rules.

FIM press release after the jump.

Continue reading: 2012 MotoGP entry list skimmed

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The FIM has ‘ruled’ (big laugh here) regarding the actions of the marshals at Jerez after ‘The Incident’ when Casey Stoner complained about the marshals playing favourites and not helping him as much as they did Valentino Rossi to try to restart the race.

The FIM has come to the following conclusion:

“After reviewing various videos of the incident between Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner during the race of the Grand Prix of Spain on 3 April 2011 and hearing the explanation from Juan Alvarez, Director of the Circuito de Jerez, the Race Direction has decided that the behaviour of the track marshals was safe and appropriate.”

“The Race Direction recommends the current rules be reviewed by the Grand Prix Commission in order to study possible solutions that may results in better procedures.”

Stoner has decided that he’s not going risk again what happened in Jerez, so Honda has modified the slipper clutch so that the bikes can now be bump-started.

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