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The fact that the rule became known as the Spies rule is pure journalism as it never affected him getting a factory Yamaha ride. Both seats were under contract signed in 2008 whereas the rule was first written in 2009. You are normally the first to call such stuff, rather than rely on it for arguments
I already pointed out that an exception was made (and I understand that a RULE existed), but it was not made for Bautista per se, rather for Suzuki on the tenuous grounds that they had no satellite team. So the rule had been broken in its first year. I've also already argued that if HRC had wanted Simoncelli on a factory ride then they would not have signed Dovi & Pedro for 2 years in 2009 - surely they'd have signed at least one of them for only 1 year to allow Simoncelli to enter the factory team asap. Bradl, Pedrosa and Stoner were already signed for 2012 so no factory seat available, just like Spies.
Analogy? Exclusive competitive edge over whom? Not Lorenzo, nor Pedrosa for sure as they went straight to factory teams and that's who he's fighting for wins with. Who, in your opinion did he gain a competitve edge over?
You still haven't commented on the other point I made, ie if the rule had not been eliminated then would you have been happy for Marques to have a defacto "factory" team, almost certainly with Stoner's crew a la Rossi in 2000? Or would that also have been proof of favouritism? BTW who in your book, other than Hayden doesn't have an asterisk after his WC due to favouritism of one type or another?
