Cycle News

P30 IN THE WIND means the cost of testing will be a lot less, and we have to consider that it will be fair for all teams in that regard. For next year the season will be one long test, and you will use the races as a test." Carlo Fiorani: Honda Europe Racing Manager: "We have agreed to a concept, but how we apply the technical rules still has to be decided. In reality we want to go in the Evo direction and that means different rules from the current Superbike rules. But not Evo like we intend in Superstock in 2014. So, we agree to go in this direction, but not with exactly the same rules. It should be easy to find a way to find a balance between the performance and the costs. Now we are talking about a Honda machine or Kawasaki machine that costs around 15,000 Euros on the road, against an Aprilia or Ducati that costs 38,000 Euros. So it is not possible to compare. We have on one hand a ready to race machine versus a machine that is ready to take you to the seaside, on holiday, etc. This is not matched. We need to find a way to upgrade the machines to have at least the chance to have equal conditions. So in the next months, as the MSMA, we have to discuss and find a common agreement, but I think it will be easy. "We have to bring our proposals to Dorna and the FIM. After that together we decide to achieve the best way for 2015. My personal opinion, not the Honda opinion, is that British Superbike is at the moment the best model to follow. If you look on the podium everybody has the chance to be on the podium. For the electronics I think we can find the solution. Everybody can keep their own electronics, but like a kit, with less performance and less sensors. So we will have a price cap to make it available for everybody the same. If you are a Honda customer you can buy our electronics system for a fixed price. If you are a Ducati customer you buy from Ducati. This seems the right way." Ernesto Marinelli: Ducati Corse SBK Director: "I think it is essential for the championship to reduce costs. It is going in that direction and to level the performance of everybody, including private teams that want to join the championship. They will be on more or less the same material that everybody else has. This is good for the series in order to increase the numbers of riders. I do not see any big disadvantage in this. At the moment numbers of riders is an issue so I hope we will have the happy problem to put a maximum limit on the numbers of riders next year! I don't how many Evo bikes we will have in 2014, but I think it will be a transition year, where Evo bikes will be on a platform, like CRT is in MotoGP at the moment. But, in 2015, if this regulation is extended to everybody, then every team knows they have the same potential. "To do a season in Superbikes you need a big budget to do it. Personnel and logistics is the biggest part of the budget if you travel around the world with 15 people. Tire initiatives? I never heard about, I think Pirelli is doing a good job and the 17-inch wheels has been a step up and is closer to production. Thinking toward the product, which is what we always do, it allows you to extend every development you do to the racing to do to the product, because you are working with the same size 'shoes,' more or less. Similar ones at least. There will be restrictions on testing, but the limitation on tests is with regard to the full time teams and riders. Every manufacturer is allowed to test whatever they like. They go testing normal production bikes and technology. But for budgets for teams competing in the championships then this is something else that will go in that direction of savings. Mondays after the race are the cheapest tests you can do because you are already there, and just stay for one more day in the hotel." Luigi Dall'Igna: Aprilia Racing Director: "At the moment the new rules are not so clear. The FIM press release it is written that the Evo rules will change in a technical sense, so at the end it is only words. We have to wait for the final version of the rules. So maybe we do something in the middle of Superbike like now and Evo, which is reasonable. The

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