[theophil]

MotoGP introduces tyres restrictions for 2007.

The MotoGP World Championship will introduce tyre restrictions for the 2007 season - but, at present, they will only apply to Michelin and Bridgestone riders.

That's because a clause has been included which states that the 31 tyre weekend maximum (14 front and 17 rear) only applies to: "Teams that are supplied by a tyre manufacturer that has achieved at least two MotoGP race wins in dry conditions since the first race of the 2005 season."

MotoGP's third tyre supplier, Dunlop, has not taken a single win since the start of 2005 and its riders will thus be exempt from the new restrictions until it "achieves two MotoGP wins in dry conditions". This exemption should help Dunlop close the gap on its competitors and encourage new tyre suppliers to enter the sport.

The 31 dry tyres to be used during a race weekend must be made available "between 12.00 hrs. and 17.00 hrs. on the day prior to the start of official practice" when "the Technical Director will mark the tyres available to each entered rider." This means that Bridgestone and more specifically Michelin will no longer be able to manufacture new tyres overnight after gathering practice data. There will still be no restriction on the number of wet tyres that can be used during a grand prixweekend.

Finally, to avoid the type of farce seen at the 2005 US Formula OneGrand Prix - when all the Michelin shod drivers were forced to withdraw from the race, due to the risk of tyre failure caused by a tyre design error - the new MotoGP rules allow an exemption to be made "should an exceptional and unpredictable safety problem arise" whereby three additional sets of tyres (of a different construction) will be given to each rider affected, but those riders will have to start at the back of the grid.


http://www.crash.net/news_View~t~Mot...~id~138028.htm