Dorna announce compulsory brake lever protection

MotoGP looks to minimise the chances of another incident a la Gibernau & Capirossi at Catalunya 2006

BRAKE lever protectors are to become compulsory for all MotoGP teams in 2012.

The new ruling states: Motorcycles must be equipped with brake lever protection, intended to protect the handlebar brake lever(s) from being accidentally activated in case of collision with another machine. Acceptable protection includes the fairing extending sufficiently to cover the brake lever, as viewed from the front.

Toni Elias ran Rizoma Pro Guard lever protectors on his Moto2 bike throughout the 2010 season, you can see his Moto2 brake lever setup here. We also fitted the same system to our longterm test 2011 ZX-10R.

We expect that most teams will run a similar setup to what Elias had, although the new ruling may encourage manufacturers to extend their fairings.