Following a meeting in Valencia held on November 5th the Grand Prix Commission passed a unanimous decision on the changes to the regulations on the testing of 2012 MotoGP machines. Up until the rule change, only official test drivers were eligible to test motorcycles that were competing in MotoGP, while the official riders were granted access only during off season and during mid season breaks. Most manufacturers were not happy with the earlier setup as the caliber of the test rider in several cases were not same as the official rider, thus hindering the development of their bikes.
The abolition of this particular regulations does not mean that Rossi and company will be able to ride the bikes on daily basis, but there is a fixed number of tires that are permitted by Dorna, either ways it’s better than waiting for the official test day to get to ride the bike. This change will significantly increase the competitiveness of teams. Final details will be confirmed at the next Grand Prix Commission meeting in December.
