The
MotoGP World Championship will become a single tyre brand series from the 2009 season, it was announced at Motegi on Sunday morning.
The rule - which mirrors that of the World Superbike Championship and
Formula One World Championship - came close to being introduced for 2008, after new tyre regulations introduced at the start of last season saw a series of races where
Bridgestone (and occasionally Michelin) held a clear performance advantage.
Despite a promising start to this season, Michelin once again struck severe problems due to unsuitable tyres - resulting in cut slicks being seen in dry morning practice at Laguna Seca, whilst world champions
Jorge Lorenzo and
James Toseland were unable to lap inside the 107% qualifying time next time out at a wet Brno.
Dani Pedrosa, who had led the world championship for Michelin until he fell from the lead of a wet German Grand Prix on July 13, then deflated the once all-conquering French brand further when he made a shock switch to Bridgestones after August's San Marino Grand Prix.
It is for competitive reasons that the majority of MotoGP riders support the introduction of a one-tyre rule - despite Bridgestone and Michelin being strongly opposed to it - but improving competition is not why the new rule has been introduced.
Instead Michelin, Bridgestone - or perhaps even both - will be forced out of the MotoGP paddock 'for safety and cost reasons'.
"For safety and cost reasons, the Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Claude Danis (FIM), Hervé Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA), in the presence of Mr. Paul Butler (Secretary of the meeting), in a meeting held today at the circuit of Motegi, unanimously decided to introduce the following change to the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations," read a statement from the FIM.
