Both the teams and the riders in the series have lobbied for such a change ever since this summer. Although not many details have emerged over the engine switch, what has been made available to the bike makers were the basics: 1000cc engines, 4 cylinders and a maximum of 81 mm in bore.
This will be the third engine switch of the series since the 500cc class became the MotoGP category in the FIM rule book. Initially, the bikes went from 500cc to 990cc, after which the championship officials decided to bring the engine capacity down to 800cc in an effort to reduce cornering speeds. However, this move was joined by the use of several electronic systems, which was regarded by many riders – including 9-time champion Valentino Rossi – as a step backwards for the series.
“This has been approved and between now and the start of the 2010 season we will have another two meetings to define the rest of the specifications for this new class,” said MotoGP commercial rights-holder Carmelo Ezpeleta after the move was made official by the FIM.
As we've mentioned to you before, several details on the new engine regulations will emerge during the next few months, in order to give the manufacturers plenty of time to develop their machineries by the start of the 2012 season.
“This base will give all the manufacturers the opportunity to start work. At the beginning of next year we will produce the new rules in a more complete format, but that is the basis; 2012 will be the year of a new era of MotoGP,” added the FIM president Vito Ippolito.
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