Loris Capirossi: Phillip Island must move in 2012

Italian veteran Loris Capirossi is adamant there will be no climb down from the powerful MotoGP Safety Commission over demands to move the date of the Phillip Island race in Australia next year.

A debate over when the 2012 Australian Grand Prix has raged for weeks with Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta exerting intense pressure on the Australian Grand Prix Corporation to move the date.

Ezpeleta and the Safety Commission, which Capirossi sits on with Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner, is demanding the race be moved from its traditional October date to an earlier slot on the calendar.

The request follows safety concerns that temperatures in October are too cold, with Ezpeleta and a host of top riders wanting the race to be moved to March.

Negotiations over where Phillip Island will sit on the 2012 schedule are still on-going, but triple world champion Capirossi says there is no room manoeuvre.

“In 2012, the race can’t run in October, simple as that, “he told MCN. The Pramac Ducati rider added: “The temperature is too cold and the Safety Commission has asked for the date to be changed. We accepted that the race couldn’t be changed for 2011, which is what we originally asked for. But we can’t accept it won’t be move to earlier in the season for 2012.”