Photo: motogp.com
In case you thought the regulation mayhem for the 2014 MotoGP season was already more than you could handle, take a deep breath and sit down. GPOne got wind that Dorna might be looking forward to allowing the teams currently entered as Factory Option to switch to Open or Factory 2 when they want, in any moment during the season.
Season which, we must remind you with a smile, is set to kick off thus very Thursday, March 20, to be precise, with the Free Practice 1 ahead of the debut race at the Losail Circuit in Qatar, on Sunday 23rd. Now, the FIM regulations initially had the teams decide between the Factory and Open entries by the limit date February 28th, which they did. However, it appears like the regulations framework was not ready for such a bold move, and further changes were rumored to be on their way.
Namely, Doenam said they’d like to create a new class for Ducati, the Factory 2. A hybrid class between the Factory and the Open one, the Factory 2 was said to suit Ducati’s position, which, truth be told, was itself a hybrid one, though without any ill intentions of behalf of the Borgo Panigale. Ducati just played by the rules, the same rules Dorna is now forced to change under pressure from the other teams.
The Factory teams had a 5-engine allocation and could use 20 liters of fuel, but got to write their own software for the Magneti Marelli ECUs, with testing restricted to several events and engines having to be sealed for the entire season, prior to the Qatar round. The Open entries were allowed to load 24 liters of fuel, had 12 engines per season at their disposal and no testing or development restrictions, in exchange for using Marelli’s software.
Factory 2 had the same regulations as the Open entries, but would see the engine allocation reduced to 9 and fuel limit to 22.5 liters in case Ducati wins a race, 2 second or 3 third positions. It’s hard to tell what will happen, but I guess this Thursday puts an end to all this weirdness. This is going to be one interesting season…
Namely, Doenam said they’d like to create a new class for Ducati, the Factory 2. A hybrid class between the Factory and the Open one, the Factory 2 was said to suit Ducati’s position, which, truth be told, was itself a hybrid one, though without any ill intentions of behalf of the Borgo Panigale. Ducati just played by the rules, the same rules Dorna is now forced to change under pressure from the other teams.
The Factory teams had a 5-engine allocation and could use 20 liters of fuel, but got to write their own software for the Magneti Marelli ECUs, with testing restricted to several events and engines having to be sealed for the entire season, prior to the Qatar round. The Open entries were allowed to load 24 liters of fuel, had 12 engines per season at their disposal and no testing or development restrictions, in exchange for using Marelli’s software.
Factory 2 had the same regulations as the Open entries, but would see the engine allocation reduced to 9 and fuel limit to 22.5 liters in case Ducati wins a race, 2 second or 3 third positions. It’s hard to tell what will happen, but I guess this Thursday puts an end to all this weirdness. This is going to be one interesting season…
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