Providing sufficient data about next year's tyres is supplied to the manufacturers for use by their 2009 design teams then it's really just an engineering challenge to build a bike to best suit the rubber on offer to all.
Whilst fine tuning and development of the tyres will take place before and during the 2009 season - and this will need to be conducted as fairly as possible by Bridgestone to avoid creating a specialised range of 'Rossi tyres' - it is worth remembering that (unlike in Superbike racing) there is no limitation on the modifications a manufacturer can make to its
MotoGP machines. If the bike doesn't suit the tyres, then they can change it.
2009 should therefore provide a chance for the
MotoGP manufacturers to show who really can build the best bike, now that the veil of tyre performance has been removed.
But what about those new to Bridgestone tyres, won't they be at a disadvantage over the established Bridgestone teams? Possibly, although Yamaha's ability to win races with both Bridgestone and Michelin tyres this season has proven that the Bridgestone rubber is not particularly 'quirky'.
Honda, being the only team without a factory rider on Bridgestones at the start of this year, might be at the biggest disadvantage in terms of 2009 design - but
Dani Pedrosa (the lightest rider on the grid) took a podium in only his second Bridgestone race and then a pole and podium in his fourth, whilst the satellite Gresini team has gathered Bridgestone data from the start of the 800cc era in 2007.
The tables below show the number of different riders and machines that have won races in
MotoGP and World Superbike since 2002, when the four-stroke
MotoGP class began.
WSBK switched to a single tyre in 2004 and, if the
WSBK experience is anything to go, fears of domination by one or two favoured riders appear unlikely - although it may take one season to 'settle down'. 2005 was also the first season, after the one-tyre rule, in which all five manufacturers had a factory-backed
WSBK presence.
MotoGP World Championship - different race winners:
2002 (Open Tyre): 4 (riders)
2 (manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha)
2003 (Open Tyre): 4 (riders)
2 (manufacturers - Honda, Ducati)
2004 (Open Tyre): 4 (riders)
2 (manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha)
2005 (Open Tyre): 5 (riders)
3 (manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha, Ducati)
2006 (Open Tyre): 7 (riders)
3 (manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha, Ducati)
2007 (Open Tyre): 5 (riders)
4 (manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Suzuki)
2008 (Open Tyre): 4 (riders)
3 (manufacturers - Honda, Yamaha, Ducati)
World Superbike Championship - different race winners:
2002 (Open Tyre): 3 (riders)
2 (manufacturers - Ducati, Honda)
2003 (Open Tyre): 5 (riders)
1 (manufacturer - Ducati)
2004 (Pirelli Only): 6 (riders)
2 (manufacturers - Honda, Ducati)
2005 (Pirelli Only): 7 (riders)
4 (manufacturers - Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha)
2006 (Pirelli Only): 8 (riders)
5 (manufacturers - Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki)
2007 (Pirelli Only): 5 (riders)
4 (manufacturers - Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha)
2008 (Pirelli Only): 8 (riders)
4 (manufacturers - Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha)
Both championships have one round still to go in 2008.
Bridgestone, which also has the exclusive tyre contract for the
Formula One World Championship, currently highlights its softer compound F1 tyres with a white line. This makes clear to the watching fans which driver is using which type of tyre. It is not known if Bridgestone will introduce this feature in
MotoGP next.
