Doohan supports new GP rules

Australian motorcycle legend Michael Doohan today pledged his support for the proposed new technical regulations set to radically change the 500cc world championship series he dominated in the 1990s.

The five-times world champion, now Honda Racing Corporation's General Manager of Racing, said the proposal to allow four-stroke prototype machines up to 990cc with six or more cylinders into the premier grand prix category from 2002 would add variety and attract more manufacturers to compete.

"This is something I've been pushing for over the last few years because we need to open things up and make the sport more technically interesting for the manufacturers and the fans," he said.

Under the proposed regulations the two-stroke 500cc machines that have won every world championship title since 1975 for Japanese manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki, will be eligible to continue to compete, alongside the four-stroke prototypes.

"No one is buying two-stroke technology any more and the bikes we see out there racing now haven't really changed much for eight years," said Doohan.

"Bringing in four-stroke prototypes makes the sport more appealing for manufacturers and engineers, and I'm sure they can make them as fast, or faster, than the current bikes."

"In Formula One we've seen changes with engine configurations over the years, such as the turbo era, and then a mixture of normally-aspirated V12s, V10s, and V8s, and it's been a success."

"There's no reason why it wouldn't work just as well in our sport, and it's time for a change after more than 20 years of the two-stroke 500s dominating everything."

The world controlling Federation Internationale Motocycliste (FIM) announced last Sunday (April 9) that, following a proposal from the Grand Prix Manufacturers Association (GPMA), it had agreed to submit the proposed regulation changes to the Grand Prix Commission for adoption from 2002.

Doohan, who won 54 grand prix races up to his retirement in 1999, pointed out there had been a lengthy tradition of four-stroke racing in the 500cc category.

Italian Giacomo Agostini won seven of his eight 500cc world championship titles on four-stroke V4 MV Agustas in the 1960s and 1970s. The most recent appearance of a four-stroke machine at a 500cc grand prix was when multiple world champion Freddie Spencer attempted to race an oval-piston Honda NR500 in 1981.

Doohan believes the establishment costs manufacturers would face developing new four-stroke engines would be off-set by the long-term benefits.

"If you want to lease a current-day 500 for a season you're not going to get much change out of $(A)3-million, so companies who get involved in grand prix racing realise this is the elite level and they generally have a budget," he said.

"It won't be cheap getting a four-stroke prototype up and running, but in the long run it could lead to cheaper bikes for the privateers and that would be good for the sport."

Doohan said four-stroke prototypes had the potential to generate increased horsepower, compared to existing 500 machines.

"Potentially you could get more than 250-horsepower with a three-cylinder 990cc four-stroke, which is about 50 (horsepower) more than they are running at now," he said.

"In reality you probably wouldn't do that because the wheels and tyres are going to be the same size so you would drop the horsepower to make the bike more rideable."

"Getting the power to the ground around a racetrack will still be more important than horsepower figures on a test-bench."

Doohan said the only aspect of the new regulations he did not agree with was the noise restrictions of 115 dB/A pre-race, and 120 dB/A after a grand prix.

"Noise-pollution is something I'm aware of, but you have to remember we only race once a year at each track during the season," he said. "It's not like we're going to be there every weekend annoying the locals."

"Motorsport junkies are attracted to noise - you can see that by how many people buy CD's of engines."

"We could run motorcycle engines as loud as Formula One cars if we were allowed to, and I think we should because we are a similar prototype series to them."

Doohan said if the new regulations were adopted it could lead to motorcycle manufacturers becoming primarily engine suppliers to grand prix teams, as in Formula One.

"Mercedes-Benz have a successful partnership as an engine supplier to McLaren in Formula One, and there are many other teams doing the same thing with large car companies," he said.

"Maybe in the future we will see motorcycle manufacturers supplying existing grand prix teams with engines."

Doohan said that the proposed prototypes would not be similar in any way to the four-stroke machines raced in the World Superbike Championship.

"They (Superbikes) are modified production street bikes, whereas the prototypes will be specifically built for racing," he said. "You can't compare the two - they are completely different."