INTERVIEW
P80
WORLD SUPERBIKE DIRECTOR DANIEL CARRERA
We are in a low situation but
we see the potential to grow…
slowly. We think that this will take
at least two or three years. Now
we are focusing on the technical side. Why? Because the fight
between MotoGP and Superbike
meant that the technical costs
for the teams has increased a lot
because they were always trying
to reach a performance gap to
MotoGP bikes, which are prototypes.
We want to keep these championships separated because
one is prototype class and one
is a series-bike class - this is why
we are focusing on the technical
regulations. We can find a maximum price for the technical package that the manufacturers will
supply to the teams and slowly,
in three year's time we can start
reducing. We are trying to find a
balance with the manufacturers
because obviously they made
investments to reach this performance and now you cannot cut
this.
Why did you do it over a
three-year period and not a
straight change?
We would like to do it faster
than three years, but we had to
give them three years to go slowly to reduce the costs. We are
also aware that the final technical
package on offer next year, for
some private teams, will not have
a big impact because right now
their technical package is lower.
Their actual budget is lower. But if
we can reach this agreement with
the manufacturers, that they are
able to provide the same technical package for each team. Then
at least the private teams can go
to the sponsors and say 'look,
with this technical package there
are real possibilities that I can be
on top of the grid.' Nowadays you
have some teams, like Aprilia and
Kawasaki, and then you have the
rest. They are really, really far, so
what we want to do is reduce the
costs and give opportunities to
all the teams on the grid. To have
the performance and possibilities
to compete.
Everybody understands the
needs for technical cost reduction, but it seems that the
championship will do even
more long hauls to races. Is
there a plan in place for the
teams to get assistance for
these extra long trips?
This is in our plans because
