Related to this is the situation where the four-cylinder guys appear to be saying they are stressing their engines to keep up with you and therefore they have slowed you down with the weight.

Colin Wright:
I think this is an argument they are using but, again like Darrell said, in October last year, we were asking for some leniency on pistons and all bar none objected to it. Now six months later, they are asking for it.

Crash.net:
So it's a bit of a u-turn?

Colin Wright:
Very much so.

Crash.net:
Missing Donington could have a big impact on Shane Byrne's title bid. How do you feel about that and how does he feel about the situation if you have to miss it?

Colin Wright:
We entered the championship with the intention of winning it. That is our job and is what we are paid to do. I really can't answer that yet as right at this moment but lets put it this way. I've heard it from Stuart Higgs directly and he said they are not going to reconsider the immediate introduction of the rule and we cannot possibly test and confirm that everything on the bike with this additional weight will be safe.

Therefore, like Darrell said, on the grounds of safety, we cannot be there.

Crash.net:
There is no way out then in terms of this weekend and no way of finding a compromise?

Colin Wright:
At this late stage, no – I don't think there is. The two main points really are that we are being penalised for being successful and the other teams are putting pressure on the organisers to do something about the gap. The gap has been caused by us doing our job, and others not doing theirs.

Crash.net:
Shakey and Leon have finished every race haven't they?

Colin Wright:
And so has James Ellison which is why he is ahead of Leon Haslam in the standings. So has Stuart Easton which is why he is ahead of some quality riders. Those four guys have finished every race and okay, there is a difference between Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton as far as experience and everything else is concerned, but nevertheless, Stuart and Kawasawki – and Nick Morgan in particular – started off the season publically saying that they wouldn't be tuning the engine because he believed the best way to attack this year was to have consistency and get good results from the tyres.

That is they have done and it means Stuart is equal on points with Michael Laverty and three points ahead of Tom Sykes. That in itself speaks volumes as far as I am concerned. Okay he only has 52 points, but he is scoring on average eight or nine points a round. If he continues that way, he will be in the top six at the end of the year. James Ellison is probably scoring ten or twelve points a round and will be in the top four if he continues. The point of any championship is to be consistent and score points and you'll be there at the end.

Crash.net:
This ability to add the weight sounds like it has come as a shock to you guys. Did you expect a penalty during the year?

Colin Wright:
Like I say, there is no provision in the rules to penalise a team that is doing well. Whilst I accept that the rules are new for this year and would need some fine-tuning, I don't see adding ten kilos to the Ducati as fine-tuning.

Cal Crutchlow crashed in the first race at Oulton and finished sixth to get ten points and then crashed in the second race while leading and lost 25 points. If he had scored in those two races he would be four points behind Shane – would they have still given us a penalty then?

Whether they should or shouldn't have given it and whether we knew or we didn't know isn't the argument. The argument is purely that on the grounds of safety, we cannot jeopardise our riders or any others for that matter. If you bolt five bags of sugar onto a bike which is basically what we are being asked to do, you potentially could have problems. That is what we aren't prepared to put ourselves through.