Gresini urges MotoGP to cut costs

Although MotoGP has not yet suffered any of the team losses that have rocked F1 and the World Rally Championship amid the global economic downturn - and indeed is set to see its regular field rise from 18 to 19 bikes in 2009 - Gresini believes the series should take action now to avoid problems in the future.

"Surely we can't carry on the way it's been up to now," he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

"If F1 felt the need to find some limitations, then we must do that too. We can't wait until the crisis becomes too bad before thinking of some measures, also because little can be done for 2009. We must talk and try to think which way to go."

The satellite Honda team boss said he already had ideas for how costs could be brought down.

"The objective should be reducing costs by 30 per cent," said Gresini.

"With the measures I have in mind we could already spend 20 per cent less. First of all we should get rid of one of the four bikes we have in the garage: there would be just one spare bike for the two riders to be used after a failure or a crash. This means less weight to transport around the world and a couple less technicians.

"Then we should eliminate carbon brakes and move to steel ones, which are also used in road bike production. This would save 250,000 euros."

He also wants to see MotoGP adopt similar measures to F1's engine freeze and multi-race engine rules.

"We must do something similar too, by freezing the construction of new bikes for four or five years, while only allowing development of the current bikes," said Gresini. "Most of all, we must lengthen engine life: less revs, more kilometres. Let's say 17,000 revs."