HODGSON SAYS TYRE PRESSURE RULES MAKE MOTOGP A HARD SELL

Former World Superbike champion and MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson says tyre-pressure rules are making the championship difficult to promote to new fans, after the issue affected Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin and other riders at the Indonesian Grand Prix.

At Mandalika, riders whose front-tyre pressure fell below the required minimum had to ease their pace to bring it back within the permitted range. Martin, who had built a 1.7-second lead in the Sprint, was among those forced to back off and let rivals through. The same pressure problem also hindered Marquez during the weekend.

Speaking on the Gas It Out podcast, Hodgson said he was less concerned about MotoGP’s planned changes to its weekend schedule than about the pressure regulations. The new format will include separate qualifying sessions for the Sprint and Grand Prix, with the Grand Prix grid decided in a Formula 1-style session. Some had warned that the changes could damage the racing, but Hodgson said they did not trouble him: “If anything, I think it’s slightly better.”

Instead, he objected to riders having to slow down while competing. “All these teams, all the fans, you at home watching, everyone involved in bike racing does not want to watch a rider that’s leading by 1.7 seconds, Jorge Martin in the Sprint race, have to roll off and let riders past,” he said. Hodgson added that, as a TNT broadcaster who tries to attract new viewers, he found the situation “a hard sell.”

He acknowledged that the problem may be temporary, saying he had been told it would end when Pirelli takes over as MotoGP’s tyre supplier next year, bringing Michelin’s current tenure to a close. But he remained frustrated by the spectacle created by the existing rules.

MotoGP sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta has defended the regulations, saying they are intended to protect riders and preserve fairness. Running tyres at very low pressure can bring a performance benefit, he explained, but also creates safety risks. The rules, he said, are supported by Michelin and the manufacturers and are designed to ensure “safety and sporting fairness.”