Tires !

I agree with that on some levels. If you go to a spec tire rule you eliminate one variable and more focus is put on a rider's talent which leads to better racing. Which is without a doubt a good thing. However, I think the tire wars bring out the best in performance. It is hard to compare the spec tire rule in WSB to anything because they run Pirellis which in comparison make Dunlops look like the greatest tire ever produced. But I think when that level of competition between tire manufacturers comes down, the level of performance and development goes down too. If there were to be a single tire rule, for example let's say Michelin is the exclusive tire supplier for 2006. What is to stop Michelin from simply continuing to use 2005 spec tires? They only need to compete with themselves and as long as the riders and teams are happy who cares. The Q tire could very well be eliminated to save costs as it has been barring a revival in 2004 when Dunlop had to defend itself against Eric Bostrom and the Michelin shod Ducati effort. I see this as a problem, being a follower of the AMA series I watch races that may as well have a single tire supplier rule because everyone races Dunlop tires. That all works fine and dandy as the riders don't complain but look at their results in other series. In their penultimate season in WSB they never won a race, (I can't remember if Tamada was Dunlop or Michelin shod) if he was a Dunlop rider he was the only one to score a victory for them in 2002, BB, Hodgson, Haga, and Toseland all came up short that season. And look at they're performance in MotoGP. I've never seen a Dunlop shod machine on the podium in a premier class event since I've watched the series closely. I know the racing would be better but the level of performance could possibly suffer due to it.

I always find it amazing in motorsports how much time, money, equipment goes into the mechanics of the car/bike.............then races can be lost becasue of the "rubber" they are wearing!

I think a control tyre would be interesing for motoGP..........but as Ooost says development may stifle.

I dont follow WSB as much as I should, what effect on the racing has it had in that series?

That's very true teomolca, Nakano's accident was a wake up call to MotoGP. It was something long overdue as similar things are happening in the ultra fast development world of F1. If a spec tire rule was instituted with a good brand such as Michelin that would be ok because they make a good product. Where in WSB they use the Pirellis and are consistantly at least a second if not two or three seconds off the lap records. However the racing is very, very close.