Solution offered to KTM despite a bid for a fifth bike being bluntly rejected
Factory duo 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Jack Miller and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Brad Binder, Tech3 GASGAS pair 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Pol Espargaro and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Augusto Fernandez, and Moto2 graduate Pedro Acos🧔ta are all contracted for a premier class seat in the 2024 MotoGP rider line-up.
However, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has again refused KTM’s wish to have a fifth bike next season - but he has offe𓆏red them hope with a new idea.
"Let's see if it's clear,” Ezpeleta was quoted by𝄹𓆉 about KTM expanding their presence on the grid.
“There has never been 🎀a fifth b𒁏ike for KTM and there isn't one. Okay?
“I don't know where you get that from because I've told everyone who 🎃has asked 🎀me: There are no more bikes because the existing system is working very well.
“Independent teams have rights and value that they wo🃏uld not have if you gave everyone who arrived a motorcycle.
Ezpeleta said about how KTM can solve the issue of having an extra rider: "That's not a problem. It's as if Barcelona had 12 𝓀playerꦫs and said: 'Now what do we do?'
“Well, one stays on the b🌃ench. Well, it's the same.
“They have four positions and five riders.
“I think that having, in a world championship as long as we have now, having five riders prepared to be able to get on any of those four♊ bikes, is ♊a good solution.
“That, together with the fact that there are some wil𒀰d card🍎s, as it will help all the riders to be busy for most of the time.
“We ar🥃e going to propose that there be more wild cards.
“These are not concessions, the💞y are wild cards 𒈔for everyone.”
The quantity of injuries this season in MotoGP, and the addition of sprint races into the format, has been plenty of reserve riders competing in raꦏces.
This weekend at the Catalunya MotoGP for example, Iker Lecuona wil💜l fill in for Alex Rins 🌃again.
It will be Lecuona’s fifth MotoGP ou🦋ting🍎 of the season.
So, KTM could use one of their five contracted🐬 riders in a ‘reserve’ role, ready to step in for either their factory or sat🔯ellite teams in the case of an injury.
And the addition of extra wildcards means that the r🐼eserve rider could 🍌rack up the equivalent of half-a-season or more, depending on injuries.
Now, KTM must work out whi⭕ch of their five riders - Miller, Binder, Espargaro, Fernandez or Acosta ꦓ- to use in that role.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade cov🤪ering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
