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Carlos Ezpeleta laid out his cards and clearly told Radio Catalunya that "Dorna is working to help Honda and Yamaha". That is, it is trying to modify the concessions system to ensure that the two Japanese manufacturers can benefit from it. How is a mystery, in the sense that not even the other manufacturers involved in MotoGP know anything about it.
Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati's sporting director, clarifies the situation: "honestly, I'm not aware of any proposal on the matter - he explains - It seems they talked about it first with journalists instead of with the manufacturers".
What should the procedure be in such cases?
“This sort of proposal should be discussed in the Grand Prix Commission and discussed by its members: Dorna, FIM, IRTA and MSMA. The commission met last Thursday to talk about the technical regulations for the future, no proposal was made. When Dorna decides to update the concessions system to cater for manufacturers in difficulty, it will have to explain how and what impact they will have. Do they want to grant more days of testing or allow the official riders to test? We don’t know".
What is Ducati's position on this issue?
“We are willing to evaluate a proposal in a collaborative spirit when there is one, but we must keep in mind some points. We, like Aprilia and KTM, got where we did by working our butts off and respecting the regulations, while the two Japanese manufacturers couldn’t keep up. I repeat, we are willing to evaluate a proposal, but it must not be on a personal basis, it must work for all the manufacturers who could find themselves in that situation in the future. We will talk about it between us manufacturers and we will see if there will be a positive or negative majority ”.
In the GP Commission, however, Dorna, FIM and IRTA have the majority of the votes, that of the MSMA could be worth little if the others were to agree to change.
“In general, making a change without having the agreement of the majority of manufacturers is not nice. We are open to evaluating a proposal, bearing in mind that we must not excessively benefit those who have not done their job like the others. We need a proposal that is articulated, precise and above all fair and shareable”.
Is it possible to lend a hand to those in difficulty?
“Right now, there are two Japanese manufacturers in difficulty and three European ones in a good situation. In the past they were unable to take advantage of the concessions and then they lost their way a bit. It is in everyone's interest, even the championship’s, that all manufacturers can have their say on the track, but those who have worked well shouldn't be penalized. We think that meritocracy must have a value in MotoGP".
