MotoGP chief unconcerned by size of grid

Although the future of Team Roberts remains uncertain, Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has made it clear he is unconcerned if only the 18 confirmed entries make it to the grid in 2008.

"In 2008 we'll probably have 18 bikes and for me this number is enough to guarantee a spectacle," said Ezpeleta in an interview with Italian magazine Motosprint. "If one day we'll get to have 20 or 22 it will be fine, but we don't need much more."

Ezpeleta claims that the satellite operations in MotoGP are very important for the future, even as he eyes greater involvement from the manufacturers.

"They (satellite teams) make sense if they are tied to the manufacturers, but they all are more or less. Obviously, it's unlikely a customer team can win the title, but the work they do is fundamental.

"That's why we help them, financially too, and we are looking for solutions to help them more and more. I'm also working towards having Suzuki and Kawasaki building more bikes in 2009 and 2010, so that they too will have a satellite team."

Ezpeleta has also praised the input that Valentino Rossi has had in making MotoGP popular, as well as driving forward safety improvements.

"We have enormous luck in having Valentino Rossi. I'm not just talking about him as a rider. I'm talking about his effort in making motorcycling grow, improve, and becoming safer.

"He says what he thinks, whether you like it or not, and he does that with us too. Since he is an intelligent guy, he knows how to help us improve things. When they tell me I'm a fan of Valentino, I can't hide: I am a fan of Valentino... for everything he's done for our sport, at all levels."