The Grand Prix Commission or GPC (representatives from Dorna, IRTA, the MSMA, and the FIM) must unanimously agree upon accepting a CRT team. This year the GPC members have been Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna CEO), Takanao Tsubuchi (MSMA General Secretary), Ignacio Verneda (FIM Executive Director, Sport), and Herve Poncheral (IRTA Presdent). Any one of these men can refuse to accept a CRT team and that team will then have the option of entering as a factory team. At any time during the year the GPC can reclassify a team from CRT to factory status by majority vote. Given that the GPC consists of four members, a majority would seem to require a 3 to 1 vote, but, in fact, in case of tie, Dorna has the additional tiebreak vote. This gives Dorna a controlling hand (as befits the championship commercial rights holder) because it is difficult for this insider to imagine a situation that would find IRTA voting against Dorna.
How many tiers of bikes will be allowed on the MotoGP grid in 2012?
Four.
1. Factory 1000cc bikes from manufactures participating after 2007 (up to 1000cc, they can be smaller if the factory wants to give up capacity by shortening stroke in order to increase rev capacity) whether entered by factory teams or leased to satellite teams. These bikes limited to six engines for the 18-race season and to 21-liter fuel capacity.
2. Factory 1000cc bikes whether factory or satellite from factories participating for the first time since 2007. These newcomers or returning manufactures will be allowed an additional three engines over the 18 race season, but limited to the same 21-liter maximum fuel load as other factory and satellite MotoGP entrants.
3. 800cc bikes currently participating in 2011 will be allowed as factory or satellite entries in 2012 running under the same six-engine/21-liter limitations. These 800cc engines must, however have a cylinder bore no greater that 81mm.
4. CRT class machines must conform to general MotoGP rules but cannot be supplied directly by factories. There is nothing in the regulations that requires or prohibits that these CRT engines be “production-derived” but it is generally understood that they will be. A private engine specialists could, under these rules, build and provide a prototype engine that, because it does not come from a “motorcycle manufacturer” could run as a CRT -- but only if the GPC unanimously accepted it.
