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The off season is a good time for motorcycle racing organizations to do a spot of housekeeping. There is time to look back over the year, and figure out what was missing from the rules, and what was unclear, an issue made more pressing by the number of rule changes in recent years. And so that is what the Grand Prix Commission, MotoGP's rule-making body, did, at a meeting in Madrid on 30th November.

Though it took a 3-page press release to cover all the changes made during the meeting, most of them are fairly minor in their effect. The biggest change was not even in the press release, although that is because it is a consequence of the switch from Honda to Triumph engines in Moto2, and from the Honda ECU to the spec Magneti Marelli electronics kit. That switch means that the Moto2 technical regulations need to be updated to reflect the situation going forward from 2019. Nothing in those changes is new, however: the changes have long been debated and agreed between the FIM, IRTA, and Dorna, as well as the suppliers and chassis builders for the Moto2 class.

Perhaps the change with the most direct and potentially significant impact is the change to the MotoGP wet tire allocation. From 2019, the number of wet tires available to each rider has been increased to 6 front tires and 7 rear tires, the riders getting one extra front tire and one extra rear tire. Concerns had been raised at Valencia over the number of tires available, especially on a weekend which was mostly wet.

The wet tire allocation has been clarified for Moto2 and Moto3 as well. Although there are no limitations on the number of wet tires supplied to the teams, the rules have been modified to state explicitly that the official tire supplier - in this case, Dunlop, for Moto2 and Moto3 - will have at least 4 sets of wet tires for every rider on the grid.

One change which will annoy some of the MotoGP factories - notably Honda - is the requirement that engines be started in pit lane, outside the pit box, and not inside the garage. The change - sensible, given the risks of starting engines inside a partially closed environment - means the bikes will stationary and visible to rival factories and photographers for longer. Currently, Honda starts their bikes inside the garage, and then the riders ride out of the pit box, leaving little opportunity for rival engineers and photographers to get a close up look at the bikes, especially in terms of bike setup (geometry, suspension, etc) being used.

There were changes made to clear up some confusion of concession points, the points awarded to manufacturers for scoring podiums, and giving straggling factories more freedom to test and develop, allowing them to catch up. The first change is that when a manufacturer which has concessions scores enough podium points to lose those concessions, their freedom to test at any GP circuit is only lost for the following circuit. They do still lose the right to do unlimited testing, but they can still do so at any GP circuit, instead of just one of three officially nominated GP circuits. This prevents costly situations where factories have booked tracks to test at, but lose the right to test there after losing concessions.

The other change will be more significant in the longer term. Inspired by KTM's surprise podium at Valencia, when Pol Espargaro nabbed a superb third place in a race interrupted by the rain, a time limit has been placed on concession points. From 2019, concession points will expire after 2 seasons. This will prevent factories from losing concessions after a few lucky results, rather than as a result of sustained success, which is the purpose of giving concessions in the first place.

The remaining changes merely clear up previous anomalies. The lap record names have been made a little clearer, to distinguish between the fastest lap during a race, and the fastest lap set during any session on a Grand Prix weekend. 

The official criteria for finishing a race has also been changed. Previously, a rider had to be in contact with their bikes when they crossed the line to be be classified as a finisher. That has been changed, so that if both rider and bike cross the line separately, then the finishing time will be determined by the moment either rider or bike crosses the line, whichever of the two does so last. This would mean, for example, that Bo Bendsneyder would have been classified at Assen in 2017, when he crashed just before the finish line and then slid across the line apart from his KTM Moto3 machine.

There are also changes clarifying that substitute riders taken from, for example, the FIM CEV championship or the CIV can compete at Grand Prix if they take place inside of the 14-day window  after the national or regional series they compete in. Normally, all activity at a Grand Prix track is banned 14 days before the event. 

The press release from the Grand Prix Commission appears below:

FIM Grand Prix World Championship
Decision of the Grand Prix Commission

The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna,Chairman), Paul Duparc (FIM), Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA) and Mike Trimby (IRTA), inthe presence of Carlos Ezpeleta (Dorna), Corrado Cecchinelli (Director of Technology),Mike Webb (Race Director) and Danny Aldridge (Technical Director), in a meeting held in Madrid on 30th. November 2018 made the following decisions:

Sporting Regulations – Effective Immediately

Race Classifications
Previously, in order to be qualified as a finisher, the rider had to be in contact with hismachine when crossing the finish line. There have been situations when, due to a crash,the rider and machine have crossed the line separately. In future the finish time willdetermined by the first part of the rider or his motorcycle, whichever crosses the finishline last.

Substitute Riders
On occasions a Moto3 or Moto2 team will substitute an injured with a rider contracted toparticipate in another Championship, for example FIM CEV. In future such riders will bepermitted to fulfil their entry obligations in the other series and track activity at suchevents will not count as rider test days for the GP class and may take place within 14days of a GP event at the same circuit.

Riders classified to Restart an interrupted Race
To establish clearer criteria on which riders may restart an interrupted race certainclarifications to the regulations were approved. It is confirmed that riders may obtainassistance from marshals to restart the machine or to move the machine on track,trackside or in the service road.

For the purposes of the regulations covering this matter “active” and “actively competing”are defined as the rider riding on track, or attempting to repair/restart the machine, or tore-join the track or return to pit lane. The FIM MotoGP Stewards will be the sole judge ofwhether a rider is actively competing and such judgements are not subject to appeal.

Passing Under a Yellow Flag
When a change of position penalty is imposed for passing under a yellow flag, or for anyother infringement, the information will be communicated via the dashboard display andon the finish line during a maximum of three laps. (Previously five laps).

Starting Machines
For Safety reasons it is not permitted to start the engine of a racing motorcycle inside thepit box at any time. Engines must be started in the pit lane.

Official Titles for Circuit Lap Record and Race Lap Record
New official titles were approved for the following circuit records:
“All Time Lap Record” – The fastest lap time in history including all Grand Prix sessions.
“Best Race Lap” – The fastest lap time in history made during a race,

Concession Points – MotoGP Class
When a Manufacturer gains sufficient concession points to lose concessions then theright for test riders to test at any GP circuit is cancelled. The regulation has been clarifiedto specify that this applies to testing in the following season when the manufacturer mustnominate three current GP circuits for testing.

In order that a manufacturer who only accrued concession points on a spasmodic basisdid not lose concessions after several years it has been decided that concession pointswill expire on the two-year anniversary of the date on which the points were gained.

Generators used on the Grid
Currently, regulations limit the use to a hand carried generator with a maximum output of2 kw. Current practice is for generators to be incorporated into a service cart withtoolboxes, spare wheels and other equipment.

Accordingly, the current regulation has been cancelled and the Technical Director willhenceforth be responsible for determining the acceptability of the generator/equipmentcart brought onto the grid.

Technical Regulations – Effective Immediately

Moto2 Class Technical Regulations
To recognise the change of engine supplier from Honda to Triumph the technicalregulations for this class have been modified. Full details will be available within the nextdays in the official regulations published on line by the FIM.

Tyre Allocations
After consultation with the Safety Commission and the official suppliers of tyres thefollowing changes have been made to tyre allocations:

MotoGP Class
The standard allocation of rain tyres will increase from 11 to 13 being six front and sevenrear tyres.

Moto3 and Moto2 Classes
In these classes the number of rain tyres is not limited. However, the official suppliermust now have available of a minimum of four sets of rain tyres per rider.

Disciplinary Regulations – Effective Immediately

Penalties not subject to appeal
The Disciplinary Code contains a list of penalties that are not subject to appeal, usuallythose penalties given during a race. However, the FIM Stewards may also impose a timepenalty in lieu of another penalty, typically when the standard penalty (e.g. changeposition, ride through, etc.) cannot be complied with because there is insufficient time leftin the race. The regulation covering such matters has now been changed so that whentime penalty is given in lieu of any non-appealable penalty, the time penalty alsobecomes non-appealable.

A regularly updated version of the FIM Grand Prix Regulations which contains the detailed text of the regulation changes may be viewed shortly on:

http://www.fim-live.com/en/sport/regulations-and-documents/grand-prix/

Ten Kate Racing BV, the private limited company housing the Ten Kate Racing team's racing activities, has been declared bankrupt by a Dutch court. The Ten Kate team had been forced to file for bankruptcy after last-minute attempts to put together a WorldSBK effort for 2019 had failed.

Ten Kate placed the blame for the bankruptcy squarely on Honda. The Dutch racing team had started out competing on Honda Supersport bikes, a natural choice given the team was a spin off of Ronald and Gerrit ten Kate's Honda motorcycle dealership in Nieuwleusen, in the east of The Netherlands.

Despite racing in both the World Supersport and World Superbike championships, and winning titles in both classes, the team never received much backing from Honda, and none at all from HRC in Japan for most of their existence, support coming from Honda Europe, the European distributor. Ten Kate were never HRC's choice, and so when HRC decided to make a return to the championship, they were always going to want to make their own choice about which structure to use.

The fact that Ten Kate only found on 30th October that HRC had chosen Althea and Moriwaki to partner with for the 2019 season, and HRC would not be providing any support for the Dutch team next year, mean that it was impossible to find other alternatives at such short notice. Contacts with other manufacturers faltered, and they could not find the necessary budget to continue in their present condition.

That situation has forced Ten Kate to consider legal steps to address the situation

In the press release - show below - Ten Kate expressed their desire to keep racing in the World Superbike championship, hopefully in 2019, but otherwise in 2020. That is contingent on a lot of other factors, of course.

The announcement was met with almost universal shock, and with enormous sadness. Jonathan Rea, who raced for the Ten Kate team between 2008 and 2014, had many kind words to say about the team, and the people involved. "It’s really sad," Rea said at the Jerez test. "I’m gutted for both Ronald and Gerrit. They’ve put their heart and soul into the Honda brand and now a curveball decision has put them in this decision. I’m gutted for Ronald and Gerrit and all the guys."

"I feel really bad for the team because when Honda undervalued WorldSBK and didn’t support the championship it was Ten Kate that stepped up," Rea said. "They sourced engine development with Cosworth and developed their electronics strategies and invested a lot in swingarm and chassis developments. That’s hard for the team to accept because when HRC decide to play suddenly Ten Kate get left aside. When I was there I was always keen to say it was a private team. I spent a lot of time there and the team has a soft spot in my heart." 

The structure of the company is such that the bankruptcy of Ten Kate Racing BV has no effect on either the Ten Kate Honda dealership, nor on the Ten Kate Racing Products company, which supplies specialist racing parts.

The press release from Ten Kate appears below:

Honda World Superbike team comes to an abrupt end

Nieuwleusen, November 27th 2018

Ten Kate Racing BV, the company that for 18 years has been responsible for Honda’s racing activities in the World Superbike and World Supersport series, during which time the team won 10 world championship titles, has today been declared bankrupt.

This sad situation is the direct result of very late notification given to Ten Kate Racing that Honda wished to end its association with the Dutch firm. Honda stated that it wished instead to continue its activities with two other companies who would assume responsibility for the company’s technical and logistics requirements in the World Superbike championship. This notification was given to the management of Ten Kate Racing on October 30th 2018 with no earlier indication or further explanation.

Until the last race of the 2018 World Superbike season, on October 27th in Qatar, the relationship between Honda and Ten Kate Racing was ‘business as usual’, with staffing, technical development, winter testing and all other aspects of the team operation for the following season discussed in detail and with most of the important decisions already made.

Indeed, the biggest question mark was the level of technical support from Honda and the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in Japan. A visit from HRC representatives in April to the Ten Kate Racing workshop in Nieuwleusen made it clear that, after many years, the team would no longer be solely responsible for the development of engines, chassis and electronics and that technical support would be forthcoming from the factory. Honda’s decision to stop the co-operation therefore came as a complete surprise and went totally against all the team’s expectations and beliefs.

During recent years, a clear understanding between Ten Kate Racing management and Honda established that any notification of a desire to terminate collaboration between the two parties would need to be made early (i.e. before the World Superbike championship’s summer break). This would allow Ten Kate Racing to explore opportunities for co-operation with other manufacturers and, in a worst case scenario, to manage human resources and potential redundancies within the team. During ongoing discussions Ten Kate Racing also made clear its willingness to become a logistics partner in the event that Honda wished to return to the World Superbike championship as a factory team.

Since receiving notification from Honda on October 30th, the management of Ten Kate Racing has, of course, had many conversations with other manufacturers and sponsors. However, as was feared by the team, World Superbike budgets and machinery were already fully allocated by the beginning of November.

While it was clear that there was genuine, high-level interest from a number of manufacturers, the timing was wrong. Consequently, it appears that Ten Kate Racing has been put in check-mate consciously by the world’s biggest motorcycle manufacturer. Pending legal proceedings relating to this situation, Ten Kate will make no further comments at this time. The team’s management will, however, continue to work on plans to race at world championship level, hopefully for (part of) the 2019 season, but otherwise for 2020.

Gerrit and Ronald ten Kate wish to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of every single member of the team over the last 18 years and to thank them for the huge successes and championship wins that those efforts have made possible.

The Ten Kate organisation also wishes to state that the end of its co-operation with Honda in World Superbikes will have no effect on the Honda dealership in Nieuwleusen or the Ten Kate Racing Products and Tuning department.

Valencia was an occasion for goodbyes. MotoGP bade farewell to Dani Pedrosa, MotoGP Legend

Marc Marquez' shoulder is his Achilles heel

Desmo Dovi will get another chance next year

Alvaro Bautista's last MotoGP ride before heading off to WorldSBK

Petrucci's last ride at Pramac, before stepping up to the factory team

Alex Rins worked wet weather wonders on the Suzuki GSX-RR

Problem solved? Maverick Viñales found speed in the wet too

Another departure: Bradley Smith headed to Aprilia on Monday, after leaving KTM on Sunday night

We see you, Valentino

Temporary returnee: Stefan Bradl filled in for the injured Cal Crutchlow

Wet weather? Unpredictable grip? Best call Marc Marquez

Not quite like a fish in the water in MotoGP for Hafizh Syahrin

What does going fastest on Saturday get you? A chance to chat to damp reporters in Parc Ferme

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The Grand Prix Commission, MotoGP's rule-making body, has decided to change the qualifying system used for the Moto2 and Moto3 classes and adopt the same system used in MotoGP. From next year, the fastest 14 riders across all three free practice sessions will pass directly into Q2, the rest going into Q1. The four fastest riders from Q1 will then also go to Q2, meaning 18 riders will fight it out for the front 6 rows of the grid.

The changes are aimed at achieving two ends. Firstly, to homogenize the qualifying procedure across all three Grand Prix classes, and helping Moto2 and Moto3 riders prepare for MotoGP. Secondly, to improve the show in qualifying, and make it more attractive and exciting for viewers, as has happened in MotoGP. 

Though both these aims are laudable, the new system may have an unintended negative consequence as well. At the moment, towing is mainly a problem during qualifying, as riders - especially in Moto3 - try to find a fast rider to follow in an attempt to improve their own qualifying position. It has created many dangerous situations during qualifying, with near misses as slower riders sit on the racing line while riders going full speed approach.

However, by raising the importance of FP1, FP2, and FP3, there is a real chance that riders will start looking for a tow in all three practice sessions. There is more to gain from finding the right tow in FP2 and FP3 than there is currently in chasing a tow in qualifying. A tow in free practice is now more likely to gain you a position in the first six rows than it might have when you have only one shot at it during qualifying.

On the positive side, it should reduce the number of riders waiting for a tow in qualifying, especially for Moto3. With Q1 and Q2 lasting just 15 minutes, riders don't have much time they can afford to waste looking for other riders for a tow.

The press release from the FIM with the new schedule appears below:

FIM Grand Prix World Championship
Decision of the Grand Prix Commission

The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Paul Duparc (FIM), Herve Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA), in an electronic meeting held on 17 November 2018 made the following decision:

Standard Schedule for Events – Effective Season 2019

Format of Qualifying Practice in Moto2 and Moto3 Classes

After discussion with teams and reviewing the current situation in Moto3, with many riders waiting and riding slowly and considering the experience in Moto2 at various races where the fastest times have been set at the beginning of the Qualifying Practice, it has been decided to change to a qualifying format similar to that of the MotoGP Class. It is expected that this system will also bring a more entertaining format for the fans as well as preparing the young riders for the same system of classification as the premier Class. This will also make for a homogenous qualifying format across all Grand Prix classes.

Riders in Moto2 and Moto3, will continue to have three Free Practice sessions. The fastest 14 riders from the combined standings will qualify directly for Qualifying 2. The other riders will compete in Qualifying 1 and the four fastest riders will join the other 14 in Qualifying 2.

For both Moto2 and Moto3 the Free Practice sessions will last 40 minutes, and both Qualifying sessions will have a duration of 15 minutes.

The 4 riders that participate in both Qualifying 1 and 2 will be allowed to use one extra rear, soft tyre.

The standard schedule for Sunday will remain unchanged. The new standard schedule for Friday and Saturday will be: