MotoGP teams given time to confirm 2008 plans

MotoGP teams who fail to meet a September 15, 2007 deadline to confirm their plans to contest the 2008 MotoGP world championship will not be jeopardising their place on next year’s grid.

Independent teams like Gresini Honda, Tech 3 Yamaha and D’Antin Ducati have been set the date to confirm their bikes, sponsors and rider line-ups.

But International Race Teams Association boss Mike Trimby said failure to confirm detailed plans for the 2008 season on that specific date was not a final cut-off point.

September 15 is merely a review date according to Trimby, and was set as a result of the Barcelona sponsorship summit that took place in mid-April.

The date was set to give the independent teams exclusivity in terms of they could approach and negotiate with potential sponsors knowing they have their bikes secured, with Dorna agreeing to cover lease costs to the manufacturers.

Mike Trimby told MCN: “That is supposed to be the time when teams say they have the sponsors in place and riders in place and so on, but there are also certain undertakings beyond that from Dorna which sort of moves in to help out.”

Mike Trimby confirmed all existing teams were almost certain to contest the 2008 premier class MotoGP world championship.

Even if teams are struggling to find the budget to compete in 2008 by the time the mid-September review arrives, Dorna has pledged further financial assistance to prevent any of the current independent teams from going to the wall.

Mike Trimby added: “The policy is that existing teams stay and if one team doesn’t find the money there is a strategic fund available which was deployed this year which would then be deployed to help that team to carry on.

“It’s not shit or bust on September 15. In my opinion the existing teams will be the same teams next year because that’s all that everyone is saying.

“But there is another dialogue behind that going on to try to protect the existing teams with the money that we already have. It gives the existing teams the ability to go out and negotiate with sponsors and say ‘look we are exclusive at the moment.’

“There is that money available to help them if they don’t manage to find sponsorship. That date exists but just because somebody doesn’t come up with the money by that date it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are out.”