What are rules and regulations worth in MotoGP? Apparently nothing, because British website MCN has revealed that the Rizla Suzuki team will be getting a dispensation to use an extra three engines this season.
Loris Capirossi is already on his fourth engine and rookie Alvaro Bautista is on his fifth and with another nine rounds to be raced, they simply won’t make it through the rest of the season without being penalized with the 10 second pitlane start penalty and apparently there was an unwritten agreement that if Suzuki couldn’t hack the six engine rule they would get an exemption.
Why will Alvaro Bautista and Loris Capirossi be getting this special treatment in face of what the six engine rule clearly states and agreed on by all the manufacturers, including Suzuki as a cost saving measure and not withstanding the unwritten agreement? According to the excellent motomatter.
com the dispensation for Suzuki is simply an attempt to keep Suzuki alive and running in MotoGP.
The Japanese firm’s contract with Dorna runs out at the end of 2011 and Dorna would not like to relive another Kawasaki pullout situation and giving Paul Denning’s team extra engines would guarantee that the team remain in MotoGP, or at least until the 2012 rules come into effect, when we’ll probably see other manufacturers come in such as BMW or Aprilia.
The idea of Suzuki pulling out of MotoGP clashes with World Superbike Alstare Suzuki team manager Francis Batta has been publically going on the record as saying lately.
The Belgium manager has repeatedly insisted that Suzuki isn’t supporting his WSBK effort because they’re throwing in millions and chasing technical updates to support Suzuki in MotoGP while leaving his team in the lurch, despite the fact that Leon Haslam is or was fighting for the championship title and Capirossi and Bautista are barely making it to the finish line.
The Suzuki ‘rule’ is expected to come into effect immediately with the Laguna Seca GP and we’ll see how the FIM will explain to MotoGP fans that rules don’t count for everyone.