MotoGP: Jerry Burgess urges caution on one-make tyre proposal

Valentino Rossi’s crew chief Jerry Burgess said switching to a one-make tyre rule for 2008 is nothing more than a knee jerk reaction by Dorna which has no guarantee of improving MotoGP as a spectacle next season.

Jerry Burgess said the proposal gave Michelin no chance to respond to the onslaught from Bridgestone this season, and was also effectively punishing the Japanese factory having spent millions to become the dominant tyre brand in the premier class.

“I think that competition always improves the products. You don’t have all the 100 metre runners running on the same shoes.

“They didn’t change the rules of tennis because Pete Sampras was winning and they don’t change golf because somebody else is winning,” said Burgess.

“It’s up to the people who are getting beaten to put the effort in to try and win because everybody wants to win. I can’t speak on behalf of Yamaha but I think there has got to very, very careful discussion.

“It’s very clear it’s a knee jerk reaction. A few years back Carmelo (Ezpeleta) created a rule where the tyre companies had to give him one year’s notice if they were going to leave, now he’s saying I’m going to kick two out, or even three maybe.

“That’s certainly a knee-jerk reaction.”