Carmelo Ezpeleta, the big boss of Dorna, took stock with Gazetta dello Sport during this summer break.
Manufacturers and calendar are reviewed, and the one who constantly works to make the MotoGP World Championship ever more attractive would like to eventually rely on 22 events while the teams currently have a contract binding them for a maximum of 20 Grands Price.
Does he have the means to convince them? There is little doubt about it, when you hold the purse strings...
In 2016, MotoGP was exciting, with 9 different winners, and this season is getting there, with 4 riders in 10 points…
“I'm not interested in having many race winners, but rather a competitive and fun championship. It seems we made the right choice with the rule changes in recent years. »
Yamaha, Honda and Ducati have won at least two races each. This is not the case with Suzuki.
“Suzuki, but also Aprilia and KTM. Aprilia demonstrated to be quite close. They suffered a bit of reliability issues, but they can fight up front. While I think Suzuki suffered due to Rins' injury. Racing with just one rider is not easy, and this shows, given the current level, that it is very important for a factory to field at least 4 motorcycles. »
Are Suzuki managers reluctant, are you able to convince them?
“I don’t have to convince anyone, they do it on their own. »
We haven't seen the 2018 calendar yet. Is Qatar a problem?
" Currently not ! »
Will Thailand enter the championship?
“As for Thailand, we are working on that, but nothing is final. »
Will Finland be on the calendar in 2019?
“At the end of the month I will go to the Kimyring and see what progress has been made. The goal is to race there in 2019, but if that's not possible it will be in 2020."
Is 20 the maximum number of races per season?
“No, we will get to 20 soon, but we are aiming for 22 races per season. »
