CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
P134
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
W
e have observed
before, and doubt-
less shall again, that
the major role played by tires in
motorcycle grand prix racing is
that of scapegoat.
Unless there is a painfully
obvious smoky engine blow-up,
then whatever goes wrong, it is
very seldom that tires don't get
blamed. A crash, a bad lap, a
poor race—tires again.
They also took the blame—or
at least a chunk of it—for escalat-
ing costs, back when Bridges-
tone, Dunlop and Michelin were
all battling in the premier class.
Not only was their own spending
out of control, but the amount
of testing required took another
chunk out of factory or team
budgets.
That is why Dorna decreed
a single tire rule back in 2009.
Even though nobody wanted it.
Makes you wonder why any
company would step forward to
be that sole supplier. Now they
will get all the blame.
Nonetheless, while Michelin
haughtily stated that it would
never take part in a single-brand
series, Bridgestone did so, ex-
pressing reluctance all the while.
Finally, after six years, Bridge-
stone decided they had had
enough. Declining to renew their
three-year contract for a third
time, the Japanese company of-
fered instead to go for one extra
year, to allow their replacement
time to get up to speed.
RUBBERY IS AS RUBBERY DOES
