MotoGP’s single-bike proposal on brink of collapse

A lack of unanimity among MotoGP manufacturers has dramatically altered the outlook for a proposal led by Aprilia to limit riders to a single bike during Friday and Saturday practice sessions.

Until a couple of grands prix ago, most manufacturers believed that, starting next season, teams would remove one of the two bikes from the front of the garage during practice before reverting to the usual two-bike set-up for both the sprint race and Sunday’s grand prix.

However, Autosport understands that divisions within the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association (MSMA) have forced a rethink on a proposal that had been all but approved. As things stand, the initiative has reached a dead end and now appears highly unlikely to be introduced.

The proposal, initially put forward by Aprilia and backed by Ducati, was presented as a cost-saving measure. Those opposed to the idea, however, believe the real motivation behind the two Italian manufacturers’ push is their confidence that they already hold a technical advantage with the all-new 2027 prototypes.

In theory, restricting riders to a single bike during practice would slow development work and make it harder for rivals to close what they see as an existing performance gap.

The decisive factor behind the proposal losing momentum has been KTM’s firm opposition. Although the Austrian manufacturer appeared at one stage to be softening its stance, it has ultimately remained categorically against the idea. The independent teams also oppose the change, seeing no tangible benefit in the proposal.

Honda, meanwhile, has avoided taking a firm position throughout the discussions, consistently stating that it would support whatever the majority decided.

The situation has changed dramatically in little more than a month. During an MSMA meeting held on the Sunday morning of the Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park, the manufacturers left believing they had reached an agreement on what was initially dubbed the “WorldSBK rule” – a reference to the production-based championship, where riders have only one bike available in the garage – before the proposal was later rebranded as the “second-bike limitation”.

While the manufacturers shook hands on the deal, nothing was formally signed with sufficient legal weight to make the agreement binding. That allowed KTM to reverse its position, something it communicated to the other MSMA members at Assen, breaking the unanimity required to take the proposal to the Grand Prix Commission.

The commission, made up of representatives from the FIM, the MSMA, IRTA and promoter MotoGP SEG, is responsible for approving changes to the championship’s regulations through a simple majority vote. Without unanimous backing from the manufacturers, however, the proposal has effectively been blocked before reaching that stage.

“The single-bike proposal isn’t dead yet, but right now it looks much more difficult for it to be introduced,” one of the key figures involved in the process told Autosport during last weekend’s German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring, the final round before MotoGP’s summer break.

The divisions between the manufacturers could not be resolved there, partly because Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna and Yamaha boss Paolo Pavesio were both absent.

Discussions will resume in three weeks’ time at Silverstone, where a definitive verdict on a proposal that has kept the entire paddock – riders included – on edge is expected. Several riders have privately described the idea of using only one bike in practice as little short of madness.

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– The Autosport.com Team