Forget about all the excitement surrounding the actual racing in this year's MotoGP Championship—fans have had enough to focus on when it comes to manufacturers alone. For the past few years, no one dared utter the idea that Honda or Yamaha might leave the series in case it happened, and everyone agrees that eight Ducatis on the grid is far too many.
Well, it's like Christmas and your birthday have come at once as rumors are swelling regarding Suzuki and BMW entering the championship. As a fan, there's not much else you could ask for. If these major OEMs want it, all Dorna has to do is find a way to make it work. But it doesn't seem quite that straightforward.
Dorna Sporting Director, Carlos Ezpeleta, told Relevo, "With more factories it would be better, maybe yes... Maybe we don't know, it depends on the performance, the investment, the promotion that that brand does."
The part regarding performance is pretty fair. You don't want a manufacturer entering the Premier class but running at Moto2 pace. But the exact requirements are still hazy, and when it comes to "investment" and "promotion", well, you could probably replace both those words with "money".
Ezpeleta went on to say, "What we are clear about is that the door is open, but it has to be with an agreement with the existing teams because our goal is not to exceed the number of 22 riders and not to exceed the number of 11 teams... We have 11 teams, they all have a value, and if someone wants to enter, they will have to reach an agreement with one of those teams."
So, there's no direct barrier to entry, but if the existing teams don't agree to use a new manufacturer's bikes, then the manufacturer's hopes are dead in the water. It's frustrating for fans to see such blurry requirements when there's the potential to have two of the biggest brands in motorcycling enter the premier class of MotoGP.
It's absolutely fair to exclude manufacturers who can't provide machinery that competes—Watch out, Honda. But when it comes to teams agreeing, investments, and promotions, it sounds like if an OEM isn't willing to get its checkbook out, fans won't see its bike on the grid. Does this sound about right to you? Let us know in the comments.
