In Australia we have a network of rural retail outlets that specialise in providing goods and services to the people on the land. Many of these belong to a franchise called CRT, Country Rural Traders. I couldn’t help thinking this morning how appropriate the the initials are when applied to the FIM’s new team structure idea for 2012. If ever there was a hick, hayseed idea, it’s the Claiming Rule Teams idea.
As I noted the other day, the claiming rule idea was tried in the AMA years ago after (legitimate) complaints that the “works” teams were getting the best stuff and the privateers were struggling to make do on the rest. So, for a fee, I think it was $1000 (I could be wrong), any team could “claim” a “works” engine or motorcycle part. The privateers cheered, the factories booed and the whole thing rapidly degenerated into farce. From memory, the claiming rule was only instituted a couple of times and even then, it didn’t seem to benefit either the claimer or the claimee.
This time, the FIM is doing it in reverse, which seems to me to be even more stupid than the way that the AMA went about it. In its 2012 iteration, the factories will be able to claim a privateer’s engine!! Now why a factory would want to admit in public that a private team has a better engine than them is quite beyond my somewhat limited comprehension, but that’s the way they want to run it. Quite bizarre.
Wayne Gardner, former 500cc World Champion, has made his thoughts on the matter very clear, read what he thinks here.
I seem to be providing lots of links today. Here’s another one. A really good article from the gpone web site that discusses the ongoing development of the Ducati GP12. Well worth a read.
And here’s former 500cc Grand Prix competitor Randy Mamola’s assessment of the first third of this year’s MotoGp season. Very enlightening, I think.
One thing I do disagree with in Wayne’s article is the future of Aussie riders in MotoGp. Im my mind we have several potential MotoGp stars of the future and I’ll limit my comments at this stage by just naming two, the Cudlin brothers, Damian and Alex. Remember, you read it here first.
