I’ve little doubt that there are compromises and deals worked out but those sorts of agreements are all made within the context of the relative leverage each party has. In this case, the MSMA really has the control while Dorna does not. Dorna is in a position where it needs the factories (I am not arguing that there is anything wrong with the factories having some level of control) and there is also the issue of this contract..
For the first time Dorna actually doesn't need the factories, and Moto2 has proven that. It would be a big hit to go it alone in this series, but if the MSMA was insisting on rules that didn't provide a good show
and they aren't even filling the grid properly, then I can see it happen - WSB basically did this back in 03-04, although that scenario was dominated by the Ducati angle. The factories don't entirely need MotoGP, they could switch alliances to WSB, but that has never been a friendly venue for the Japanese. And I do believe the technical rules control by MSMA really is a technicality and not a functional reality. It's all a negotiation, and Dorna is the bull in the chinashop, the 800lb gorilla in the room...
Why would the factories (particularly the Japanese) have any interest in reproducing a supersport class? This is just additional costs with no additional benefit. I can’t identify a reason why any of the current factories would have any interest in any sort of underclass..
It supports the show and gives them further promotional opportunities. And a 600 class with more open modification rules than SS and prototype chassis isn't the same as SS, and doesn't require a financial commitment even remotely like MotoGP - they could support it with a minor motor development program and not much more, or they could run a full factory team with factory-designed chassis, it's their call. Honda and Yamaha used to build RS250s and TZ250s for sale, plus built NSR250s and YZR250s run on factory or factory-supported teams; why wouldn't they see any value in something cheaper today that actually helps promote and develop their streetbikes?
I completely agree. Dorna needs something to make its product more compelling and marketable. IRTA and Ippolito want cheaper racing. The rules as they stand today, won’t meet the goals of any of these parties. And here is where things get interesting: the MSMA/Dorna contract runs out in 2012.
Yep, very big changes could be just around the corner, everything is set up for that - the 800 disaster, the Moto2 experiment, the recession-driven reduced factory budgets, the perception of the WSB "success story", fear over the post-Rossi future...
