Unhappy Rossi calls for rule changes

The Yamaha rider has been unable to match the pace of the Ducati-Bridgestone package used by Australian Casey Stoner, who now leads the championship by a massive 85 points with five races to go.

Rossi, whose bike runs on Michelins, has been unhappy with the rules since the start of the season, with the new regulations forcing tyre manufacturers to select a limited amount of tyres for the weekend ahead of the event.

The Italian has again called for a change.

"The technical conditions are not favorable so something has to be changed," Rossi told Italia1.

"We must work hard and Yamaha must put in a big effort, and most of all there's a tyre situation I think nobody likes except Ducati, because the races are very ugly to watch and there's no fighting anymore.

"The good thing of our sport has disappeared, so it's not a nice situation. But besides these general views I must think about myself, and I prefer doing something else than racing like this.

"There's no question they deserve the title, both Stoner and everyone at Ducati, especially (technical director Filippo) Preziosi, who's done an incredible job as have the guys at Bridgestone.

"Unfortunately in doing that our sport has changed a bit. We are edging closer to looking like Formula One: there's less room for the rider to make the difference. But this is a world championship, so since they have been better hats off to them."

The seven-time world champion, who has won only three races this year compared to Stoner's eight, said he is sad to see the results of the new regulations, and not only on the tyres front.

"What needs to be changed are technical things, because I'm not in a position to win like this, so I don't accept that," Rossi added.

"At the moment there's a Bridgestone super-power. We are not used to a sole tyre supplier in our sport, and even though there's never been such a regulation (as in F1) it was effectively like that. Everyone had the same tyres, except in the last two years.

"But if Bridgestone and Michelin managed to be at the same level it would be great. The problem is that Bridgestone's superiority is incredible under all conditions so something will need to be done.

"In my opinion everything went very well, because the MotoGP show was incredible, and when things go well someone will always try to ruin it.

"Going from 990cc to 800cc, then the fuel allowance resulting in everyone getting back to the pits by foot meaning you can't even have a burn-out because they wanted to take away one litre and who knows why.

"This is something a bit sad and the result is watching races like these, where to see an overtaking move you have to be content with seeing Elias passing West."

Rossi's teammate Colin Edwards echoed the Italian's comments about the tyre rules, which he reckons were introduced at the wrong moment.

"The tyre rule I think really came in at the wrong time," Edwards told BBC. "We went from 990s down to 800s so we're running a lot more heat on a different part of the tyre - it's no so much acceleration as side grip.

"You look at the bigger picture - you've got Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, all these factories that are spending 30, 40, 50 million dollars a year and they go to a racetrack expecting to have the best equipment, and they're relying on two black round things."

Additional reporting by Matt Beer