Electronics reduction not answer to MotoGP cost cuts

Ducati’s MotoGP technical guru Filippo Preziosi believes a reduction on the influence of electronic rider aids is not the answer to helping MotoGP slash costs.

Reducing costs has become a focal point ahead of the 2009 campaign with the global economic crisis starting to have a big impact in MotoGP.

Earlier this month, Kawasaki announced it would withdraw its factory team from the world championship with immediate effect.

And now MotoGP bosses are about to embark on the biggest cost-cutting drive in the history of the sport to ensure the series has a future beyond the credit crunch.

But Ducati Corse technical director Preziosi is dead against any plan to involve an electronics reduction in the cost-cutting measures.

Preziosi, who has been the technical mastermind behind Ducati’s MotoGP and World Superbike success, told MCN: “If we want to keep the costs under control the best thing to do is try and freeze the rules and have some stability. Every modification to the rules pushed us to spend more money.  

“If we have rules that push us to spend more money to try and obtain good results in a different way, then this is not good. And having rules for less electronics has got to be fair for everybody.

“It would be hard to control and I think we would have to see what the options are. We’d have to see what the rules would be but I think electronics should stay the same.”