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Honda boss angry at new engine penalty

Joined Feb 2007
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Rovrum S,Yorks Eng
Honda boss angry at new engine penalty

By Matthew Birt -

MotoGP

09 October 2009 13:52

Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto has spoken of his ‘disappointment’ at recent changes to MotoGP engine durability rules.

Cost-cutting rules introduced for the final seven races of 2009 meant riders could only use five engines from the Brno GP onwards.

Any rider using more than the allocated number would be punished by a 10-point deduction from their world championship tally.

But in Estoril last weekend, new sanctions were unveiled with a rider using more than five engines before the end of the season punished by starting a race from the back of the grid.

A constructor too will also have 10-points deducted.

And is the constructor penalty that has upset HRC, which supplies six bikes on the MotoGP grid and is therefore more susceptible to the new penalty.

Yamaha has also fallen foul of the new rule too and is understood to be deeply unhappy with the penalty change. The Japanese factory should have wrapped up the all-important constructor title with Jorge Lorenzo’s Portuguese GP victory earlier this month.

But Yamaha can’t celebrate with the potential for losing ten points if any of one of its four rider’s has to use an extra YZR-M1 motor in the final three races.

Nakamoto told MCN: "I am really disappointed by this. Only Honda is supplying six bikes, so we have more chance to have a problem. Maybe we have to cut back our involvement."

mcn

i wonder what will be said the first time a team are hit with this

more gesturing but it is a stupid rule for teams n riders,ffs
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pigeon @ Oct 10 2009, 06:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>i wonder what will be said the first time a team are hit with this

more gesturing but it is a stupid rule for teams n riders,ffs
The law of unintended consequences again operating with a dorna rule change, how surprising. Perhaps they should try a new approach and actually think things through, or perhaps even consult before making rules.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Oct 10 2009, 02:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>The law of unintended consequences again operating with a dorna rule change, how surprising. Perhaps they should try a new approach and actually think things through, or perhaps even consult before making rules.
Plus One! But... can't really see Dorna changing its modus operandi without first changing faces...
 
Does the reverse not apply - with more bikes on the grid there are more points to be won! Maybe the constructors championship should only be contested by factory bikes, end of problem.

People say Stoner is a whinger. This sport is full of bloody whingers. I can't think of one person or team who has not had a good cry of late.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TP70 @ Oct 10 2009, 08:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Does the reverse not apply - with more bikes on the grid there are more points to be won! Maybe the constructors championship should only be contested by factory bikes, end of problem.

People say Stoner is a whinger. This sport is full of bloody whingers. I can't think of one person or team who has not had a good cry of late.

Agreed... Plus 1!

I say and strongly believe that the constructors championship should be only for the factory teams... other than that..... Anything that makes Honda whings is a bonus and should be kept..
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TP70 @ Oct 10 2009, 03:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Does the reverse not apply - with more bikes on the grid there are more points to be won! Maybe the constructors championship should only be contested by factory bikes, end of problem.

People say Stoner is a whinger. This sport is full of bloody whingers. I can't think of one person or team who has not had a good cry of late.

I may sound as a whinger… But Duhrna is Stupid!
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Oct 10 2009, 12:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>The law of unintended consequences again operating with a dorna rule change, how surprising. Perhaps they should try a new approach and actually think things through, or perhaps even consult before making rules.

No doubt. I was happy when they made the rule change b/c it meant that a rider wouldn't be forced to sit out the championship once they had clinched. A lot of people around the paddock were worried about the possibility of one of the riders carrying a 26 point lead into the final round, only to have an engine failure. Given the circumstance, that team would certainly have sat out the final round in order to win the championship.
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Unfortunately, that unlikely scenario has been traded for a scenario that is much more likely to generate a penalty.

The entire situation is a game of chicken. Dorna are allegedly furious that Honda won't sign on to the engine leasing plan and Dorna is also quite upset about the proposed price for customer engines. While they certainly don't want Honda to scale back support, Honda won't cut support b/c the series would no longer be a world championship.

How much longer until Dorna finds someone to supply a customer engine?
 

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