Dorna pledge cash boost for MotoGP teams

MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has pledged to help with the lease costs incurred by independent teams in 2008.

Ezpeleta, boss of Spanish rights owners Dorna, will make a financial contribution to all six of the current non-factory teams contesting the premier class world championship should they require additional financial assistance.

It is a move to stabilise grid numbers in MotoGP and will help safeguard the future of the existing independent teams like Gresini Honda, LCR Honda, Tech 3 Yamaha, D’Antin Ducati, Konica Minolta Honda and Team Roberts.

Dorna already makes a multi-million pound contribution to factories to help them keep the costs of leasing bikes as cheap as possible.

But Tech 3 Yamaha boss Herve Poncharal, confirmed to MCN that Ezpeleta is willing to step in should the independent teams need extra funding.

He said: “We have been working as independent teams with Carmelo to secure our future.

“Carmelo is ready to do that and he has already spoken to all the manufacturers to stabilise the grid and help the independent teams by engaging himself as a financial guarantee for the lease costs to the manufacturers.

“That way it ensures teams like mine, Fausto Gresini’s and Lucio Cecchinello’s are helped to stay on the grid if they need it.

And Poncharal added: “The factories need to be sure they will get paid and for us we need to be sure that we are getting bikes to carry on with our marketing research. Carmelo is ready to confirm to the factories that in the worst case scenario, Dorna will agree to pay for the bikes, but only of the teams can’t find their own solution.”