In The Paddock Column
Cycle News In The Paddock
COLUMN
A Leg-Up For MotoGP’s Struggling Giants
How the mighty are fallen. This is the only possible interpretation of the news that Dorna is considering making concessions available to Honda and Yamaha. “Concessions” being exceptions to restrictive regulations, intended to give weaker competitors a chance to catch up. And “weaker competitors” now being the long-standing motorcycle grand prix giants, who are currently getting a good kicking from Ducati in particular and Europe in general.
This smacks of desperation on both sides. Not only are the factories faltering, so too Dorna, at least potentially. The leveling-down rules, introduced to hamstring the all-dominant factory teams and to attract new manufacturers, have now gone too far. There’s a real fear that the floundering Japanese duo will lose