Ezpeleta not expecting further pull-outs

The winter saw the factory Kawasaki team announcing a shock withdrawal from the sport and the satellite Pramac Ducati team losing Alice as its title sponsor after just one year.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he was concerned about the situation, Ezpeleta replied: "No. If you can understand we are in close contact with the teams every day.

"We are helping the teams as much as we can and we consider they are comfortable right now but in any case we must continue talking.

"For us this is the main crucial thing, not just for this year but for the future. We need to have that in order to go to 20 bikes (next year) and to make the leasing of the bikes cheaper and these are the things we are working on right now."

Many teams' budgets for the 2009 season were secured in April and May last year before the financial crisis hit, but Ezpeleta is sure that the new FIM cost-cutting rules published over the weekend will ensure that 2010 budgets are approved by the manufacturers.

"For me this is a forecast, but we are right now making the necessary measures to make 2010 more comfortable than 2009," he said.

Under the new regulations spare bikes are banned, each rider can only use six engines for the 2010 season, testing and practice time has been reduced, and restrictions on the use of exotic material have been introduced.