Valentino Rossi: MotoGP qualifying tyre ban impossible to police

A ban on qualifying tyres in MotoGP would be impossible to police, according to MotoGP world title rivals Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. 

Prohibiting soft qualifying tyres has been discussed in the three-rider safety commission as an option to extend the current number of race tyres available under the new premier class tyre regulations in MotoGP.

Riders are currently picking two or three soft qualifying tyres, which have to be included in their allocation of 17 rears under the new for ’07 restrictions.

That slashes the number of race tyres left to only 14 or 15 for the entire weekend.

Valentino Rossi recently expressed his desire to modify the new tyre rule, suggesting an increase in the number of tyres available.

Banning qualifiers is one idea being discussed but even Valentino Rossi admits it will ‘impossible’ to monitor.

“A lot of people don’t like qualifiers, but I think it’s difficult to control. If you say don’t make the qualifiers but make a soft tyre for three laps, it’s not a qualifier but very close.

“I agree no qualifiers – no problem. The problem is it is impossible to control,” said Valentino Rossi.

Casey Stoner agreed and added: “I was pushing very hard last year to have the qualifying tyres taken out. The people told me last year when I was trying to get rid of them, it’s impossible to take them out.

“So if they do manage to take them out, they’re eating their own words. I’ll just see what happens.”