The measure was aimed to reduce the gap between MotoGP teams in terms of tire performance, considering that Michelin-equipped riders have been consistently slower than the rest of the pack in the last two seasons. As the French manufacturer abandoned the race for becoming sole tire supplier starting 2009, Bridgestone will provide all MotoGP teams with the same rubber for the following 3 seasons.
Nevertheless, Yamaha's Jerry Burgess – also Rossi's chief engineer – insists that the new rules will not make his rider more vulnerable to MotoGP rivals and that he will always be the man to beat for the world title.
“Carmelo (Ezpeleta, MotoGP commercial boss) is trying to orchestrate everything, including the spectacle, but the problem is that Valentino is better and always will be. Casey and Dani are not at his level, so making regulations to even out the playing field is useless. Valentino remains always the number one,” said Burgess in an interview for Italian magazine Autosprint.
Despite insisting he has no worries for Rossi's next year campaign inside the MotoGP, Burgess admits he does not agree with FIM in allowing a single tire manufacturer to activate in the sport. He backs Michelin's official stand on the matter, saying that any sport should be about competition and getting the best out the efforts of two or even three tire suppliers.
“The single-tyre rule is a big mistake. This is a sport for prototypes where technology gets developed, so we need the confrontation between the highest possible number of technical partners. Not the other way around. We must not force the teams to make certain technical choices, also because the teams usually make the right choices on their own. You only need to look at this tire case: Ducati, Yamaha and Honda have all gone for Bridgestone autonomously. No need to be forced by a rule book,” concluded Burgess.
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