'Controversial MotoGP rule change blocked after strong Steiner criticism'

MotoGP’s controversial single-bike proposal appears to have hit the rocks. The idea of teams locking away their riders’ second bikes for practice sessions gained momentum early in the season, but KTM’s opposition has changed things. Now, Spanish outlet El Periodico report that a lack of uniformity has shelved the idea for 2027. KTM blocks controversial MotoGP proposal They add that Italian manufacturers Aprilia and Ducati were behind the cost-saving idea and had the support of Honda and Yamaha. However, all five manufacturers are needed to prompt a rule change, and KTM’s opposition stopped the idea from moving through the MSMA (Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association). The initial idea was to limit riders to one bike in every session, but a compromise emerged in the spring that would have applied the restriction only to practice sessions. As details of the proposal began to emerge, riders started to respond, with Pedro Acosta the most vocal. Acosta branded single-bike plan a 'really bad idea' “It’s a really bad idea,” he said. “I understand the championship and brands want the costs to go down. “The problem is now this means if you crash in warm-up, you won’t race. If you crash in FP2, you won’t make qualifying. And if you crash in FP1, which is quite easy to do because you’re not using the best tyre option, you destroy the bike and don’t go to pre-qualifying. “I understand MotoGP is expensive. But there’s no way that three guys in the box rebuild the bike from zero in three hours. “I can understand you only use one bike per session, maybe. But you need to have a spare bike in the background just for these cases. If not, your weekend already ends on day one.” Many riders criticised the proposal, with Acosta the most vocal (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool) Many riders criticised the proposal, with Acosta the most vocal (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool) Questions raised over Ducati and Aprilia motivation El Periodico’s report also claims there are rumours of an ulterior motive behind Aprilia and Ducati’s pitch. The Italian brands are believed to be ahead of their rivals for the 2027 rule changes, and a single-bike rule could slow their rivals' rate of development as they would no longer be able to contrast new parts during practice. Furthermore, it’s claimed that some executives reportedly argued that a 4-1 vote should represent unanimity, but they were shut down by MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. "Unanimity means 'without disagreement, unanimously'. Five out of five,” he’s quoted as saying. With Acosta’s damning response to the proposal making headlines, he was then backed by another famous face in the shape of Tech3’s Guenther Steiner. Steiner joins Acosta in attacking MotoGP proposal The former Formula 1 team principal said: “Maybe I'm too dumb to understand it, but I don't know what the savings are by having one bike or two. “Why fewer mechanics? I mean, you need a second bike anyway, but now you've got all the bits and pieces behind a wall. So, if you need to put the bike together, do you need more or fewer people? I don't think you need less. Maybe you don't need more in the beginning, but it will end up that you will bring more people, actually. “Because if you have a crash. Okay, let's get the spare bike together, which is half-built in the back. But now you need to fix the main bike and build up the spare bike. So I don't think there is any saving to be made. I don't get it. “And we steal from the show for the spectators. Who is the most important part of any sport? The fans. I think we are taking away from the spectacle for no good reason. “I personally think there is no saving. I was told there is a small saving: one mechanic a year. But we are taking away a lot of spectacle for very little gain. So I'm quite passionate about this one, because I don't get it.” He added: “I'm against it, but the manufacturers are for it, it seems. I haven't understood what is really driving this. Because Dorna [MotoGP rights holder] is not for it. It's obviously taking away from their show. “But the manufacturers don't understand; they are taking away from their own show, where they can show their product. “You need the same amount of spare parts anyway. Because if you crash, you still need to build the second bike. But instead of being in one piece, it's in 200 pieces. “I hope people come to their senses and realise that it was actually one of these ideas which wasn't very good.”