Rabat given heavy Japanese MotoGP start penalty

Tito Rabat has been handed a five-second plus pit lane start penalty for the Japanese MotoGP for exceeding engine allocations.

The Avintia Ducati rider sat out FP4 and qualifying in Motegi after a heavy fall during the wet FP3 session.

While Rabat had been set to start from the back of the grid, his Avintia Ducati team has exceeded his maximum allowance of engines across the 2019 MotoGP season which has earnt the Spanish rider additional penalties.

Rabat has been given “the penalty of starting the Motul Grand Prix of Japan from pit lane five seconds after the green light is on at the pit exit.”

The decision was made following a hearing with FIM MotoGP Stewards Bill Cumbow, Freddie Spencer and Peter Goddard along with Rabat and the Avintia Ducati team manager, with the Spanish rider falling foul of Article 2.4.3.3.4 of the FIM World Championship Grand Prix Regulations.

“Should a competitor, for any reason (e.g. mechanical failure, crash damage, etc) require the use of another engine above their allocation, the Technical Director must be informed before the new engine is used and Race Direction will apply the appropriate penalty according to the Sporting Regulations,” an FIM statement read.

All MotoGP riders are limited to seven engines per season, with each engine use over the allowance resulting in the pit lane plus five seconds penalty. 

Rabat currently sits 20^th in the MotoGP riders’ world championship, just five points behind Repsol Honda’s Jorge Lorenzo, having secured six points finishes across 15 races so far this year.

Earlier this season at the French round, Rabat’s team-mate Karel Abraham was disqualified from the race after being black flagged for leaving the pit lane on his spare bike after the lead rider crossed the finish line at the end of Lap 1.