<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (yamaka46 @ Jan 8 2008, 06:37 AM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I'm not convinced that Ezpeleta was behind the 2007 rule changes. The manufacturers (MSMA) were for the 800cc rule and the reduction in fuel capacity.
As far as the tyre thing goes, I can't imagine it was Michelin that started it all off....
See "Burgess defends Rossi's tyre move" post 84 for how the votes etc all work. (BTW - how do you link to other threads?)
Read Noyes thoughts on how things work and "how things work" in his other writings. Dorna runs the show. The IRTA is irrelevant and the FIM have given Dorna it's blessing for financial reasons. MSMA is the only check on Dorna's power but they are outnumbered and they are in competition with one another so they rarely organize to block any changes.
That's a composite of Noyes' thoughts on the matter, he used to work for Dorna.
All I'm trying to say is, Ezy is very much in control of what is happening imo. The MSMA is the only other vote with any significance (de facto significance) but the MSMA is comparatively weak. I know you only need 1 filibuster to hold up tech legislation, but it seems that something within the MSMA is not functioning properly.
Why do I think the MSMA is broken? I find it hard to believe that the MSMA would allow 3 different formulas to be run in a 7 year spread.The change to 4-strokes makes sense b/c is correlates with their production machines. But the change to 800s has been nothing but expense for expenses sake. I can't imagine the theoretical reduction in tire expense offset the cost of new bike development.
Noyes has said before, and rightly so that racing dies when the fans believe the outcome has become predictable.
So the change to 800s makes sense from a promotion perspective (assuming you incorrectly judge the impact on the spectacle). After 2005 no one anticipated that 2006 would be so close but Dorna had already jumped the gun and made a move to 800s.
Dorna have made the same assumption twice now. They seem to believe in the face of great change, that racing will more or less remain the same. The incompetence required to make that mistake, and to make it twice is unfathomable.
What I find even more egregious that Dorna once again are making rules to bail themselves out of a rules related jam. I don't think there is any doubt they were behind the spread of the RC211V to multiple riders. There is no doubt they were behind the move to 800s with the idea that it would make more young riders immediately competitive. Now they are handing Rossi tires to reverse the moves they made to help people compete with him.
As a result of the 800s, big market riders have suffered greatly (Rossi and Hayden) while riders with relatively little pull have been greatly escalated (Stoner, Hopper, Vermeulen). I suspect the stock ECU is a result of Hayden's fall from grace as well as Rossi's. Many people wouldn't suspect that, but outside of Rossi, I'm pretty confident Hayden is the only other rider with the ability to capture a large North American fan base even before he was champ.
I think it's obvious that Dorna, and Dorna alone are running the show (outside of Fiat Yamaha, do you think anyone in the IRTA or MSMA really care what happens Rossi?). I think the stock ECU will go through if the fans want it, b/c the manufacturers don't care if they get to drop their electronics budget. They can develop TC and such more slowly and more cheaply with their production development budget.
