MotoGP™ recently announced the new technical regulations that will come into force from 2027, making the sport safer, more sustainable and even more spectacular.
That’s the mission statement for the changes: for the riders, for the sport, for the show.
At the Michelin® Grand Prix de France, a press conference with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, FIM President Jorge Viegas, IRTA President Herve Poncharal and Dorna Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta answered a few questions from the media, and you can watch it in full here.
But on top of that, we’ve also put together some common questions in a quick FAQ.
Does everyone agree to the changes?
Just like the new concessions system introduced at the end of 2023, everyone has come to an agreement on what’s best for the sport going forward – even those who are leading the way under the current regulations.
Out of the proposals put forward to the manufacturers, most of them were agreed on immediately and a consensus found for the rest. Everything published is 100% agreed, unanimously, and confirmed.
Why wait until 2027? How long will the new regulations be in place for?
In MotoGP™, we work in five-year terms and the current agreement ends in 2026. Since the changes for 2027 are significant, they had to be discussed and agreed with everyone, and then you need time to test everything before you go racing. Once they come into force, it’s also five years: so 2027-2031.
Will MotoGP™ be slower? And will it still be faster than WorldSBK?
Manufacturers estimate – depending on the circuit – the 2027 bikes will be around 1-2 seconds a lap slower than now. And then the race begins to develop and innovate again! But MotoGP™ has the highest performing bikes in the world, with the world’s greatest riders, and it will continue to be that way.
As MotoGP™ evolves, so will WorldSBK. Stay tuned for more on that as the FIM working on some changes there too.
Will the new regulations limit innovation and development?
The opposite! MotoGP™ always needs to be a platform where the whole industry can innovate, developing the technology that reaches the billions of motorcycles – and riders – around the world. Now we’re getting closer to the limit of what’s possible under the current regulations, the changes in 2027 will only encourage more innovation, as happens with every similar change.
That innovation will be both more sustainable and more road relevant, and it needs to be to serve the industry and manufacturers – in fact, all the sport’s stakeholders. We’re the pinnacle of motorcycle racing for a reason!
That said, for the purists who just want to know if the show will be any good: yes. We’re confident these regulations will deliver, and we’re confident you’re going to love it.
How is this different to the 800cc machines in the past?
When that change was made in 2007 there was no limitation to the architecture of the engines, specifically the cylinder bore (which is width). Then in 2012, when we reverted from 800cc to the current 1000cc specification, we introduced a maximum bore which was targeted at making the engines more road-relevant, more sustainable and more rider friendly, as well as limiting their performance. This is known as down-boring.
This bore limitation will be readapted in 2027 to fit the new capacity, meaning that the new engines, the 850s, will keep the current characteristics (similar to 1000cc) and be more road relevant.