Rossi criticises 'elitist' MotoGP+ other news

Yesterday was supposed to be the last part about Rossi.
But I just found this article in autosport.com and just had to share.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73666

Rossi criticises 'elitist' MotoGP

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 11th 2009, 09:45 GMT

Valentino Rossi has called on MotoGP and its manufacturers to supply more bikes to privateer teams to increase the grid size and stop the factory teams dominating.

None of the satellite or privateer teams have won a MotoGP race since Toni Elias's victory for Gresini Honda at Estoril in 2006, and Rossi is concerned that the gap between the factory and private teams has now become too great.

"Our bikes are so sophisticated that only a few manufacturers can do them," the reigning champion told Motosprint. "So the riders are few as well, and there are no privateers anymore.

"Until 2006 a privateer like (Marco) Melandri could fight for the title, but since 2007, with the 800cc bikes, the gap between works teams and privateers has become huge. MotoGP has become too elitist and that's not good."

He urged the manufacturers to make more ex-works bikes available to other teams.

"Why do my bikes get crushed under the presser at the end of the year, instead of being sold to a privateer team that would then be able to field two more riders?" said Rossi.

"We've reached such a high level that Yamaha doesn't want others to see how it makes its bikes, so it would rather crush them. But this way it's difficult to get a nice grid, which in my opinion should have at least 24 riders."

The Italian believes this problem must be addressed as part of the programme of radical cost-cutting that is being planned for 2010 and beyond.

"We must spend less, and make the bikes go slower," Rossi said.

"The situation with the economy is very ugly, the bikes aren't being sold anymore, and we can't pretend nothing is happening."

Well, this is what Rossi wants, and the question is, Will Rossi get what he wants?
Let's hope so

2009 Hungarian Grand Prix officially cancelled

Following consultation with the FIM, the scheduled 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix has been removed from the MotoGP World Championship calendar. The request to postpone the inaugural race at the Balatonring circuit until 2010, owing to the delay in construction of the track, was accepted by the FIM.

There are no plans to replace the race with another Grand Prix event, reducing the calendar for the year to seventeen rounds.

2009 MotoGP Calendar

April 12th Qatar Losail
April 26th Japan Motegi
May 3rd Spain Jerez
May 17th France Le Mans
May 31st Italy Mugello
June 14th Catalunya Catalunya
June 27th Netherlands Assen
July 5th United States Laguna Seca
July 19th Germany Sachsenring
July 26th Great Britain Donington Park
August 16th Czech Republic Brno
August 30th Indianapolis Indianapolis
September 6th San Marino & Riviera di Rimini Misano
October 4th Portugal Estoril
October 18th Australia Phillip Island
October 25th Malaysia Sepang
November 8th Valencia Ricardo Tormo - Valencia