I have a lot of respect for JB, but at the end of the day, he's MSMA. He gets paid to spend other people's money, and that arrangement doesn't often lead to unbiased opinions regarding the direction of the sport. Imo, rules changes are not the cause of Suzukis woes or Yamaha's decision not to build a V4. The 1000cc rules didn't cause Kawasaki to withdraw at the end of 2009. The rules aren't the reason Michelin left. Stability is a red herring anyway b/c as soon as the MSMA and Dorna agree on stable rules, the competitors set about the business of introducing new technologies that destabilize the contest. The Ducati-Bridgestone alliance in 2007 turned the sport on its ear.
I know that the MSMA are simply looking for a difficult contest to pass the time and keep the money flowing from corporate. I also know they want engineering excellence from their own crews and from their competitors, but I don't understand why they are so hellbent on keeping other people away. Honda and Yamaha could beat other motorcycle companies quite handily even if they were handicapped, yet they choose to further their xenophobia at every given opportunity.
If the MSMA want a challenge and some extra spending cash, they need to reduce technical complexity. The influx of competitors will raise the stakes and give these guys a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. The extra technical partners and commercial rights money generated by superior racing and new manufacturers will enable them to build what they want to build. The MSMA refuse simply b/c this is not the way they imagined international FIM competition would work.
Seriously. It's time to get rid of the Japanese manufacturers for good if necessary. The cartel is failing, and it's taking down nearly every series on earth with the exception of WSBK which has seen the addition of European manufacturers.
