MotoGP: Burgess: Control tyre is a big mistake

The brains behind Rossi's bike setup says teams have no need to be forced by a rule book

JERRY Burgess, Valentino Rossi's Crew Chief has spoken out against the single-make tyre rule that will come into effect in 2009.

Burgess reckons that Carmelo Ezpeleta, MotoGP's commercial director, has forced through the ruling to try and make the racing more competitive, but Burgess stated that trying to level out the playing field in this way won't work; because he believes Rossi is streets ahead of closest rivals Stoner and Pedrosa, who are also using Bridgestone tyres.

In an interview with Italian Motosprint magazine, Burgess said: "The single tyre rule is a big mistake. It's a sport for prototypes where we develop technology, so we need the confrontation between the highest possible number of technical partners and not the other way around.

"Also, we must not force the teams to make certain technical choices, because teams will usually make the right choices when left to make their own decisions. You just need to look at this tyre case: Ducati, Yamaha and Honda have all gone for Bridgestone autonomously. There is no need to be forced by a rule book."