The minimum age limit for the Moto3 class is to dropped for the winner of the Spanish CEV Moto3 championship. In a meeting at Brno, the Grand Prix Commission approved a proposal for the winner of the CEV Moto3 to be allowed to compete in the Moto3 world championship the season after winning the CEV.

The rule change will mean that Fabio Quartararo, the young Frenchman currently leading the CEV Moto3, will be allowed to start in Moto3 in 2015. The Frenchman is currently 15, and does not turn 16 until 20th April. If this rule had not been changed, then Quartararo would have been forced to miss the first two races of the 2015 season.

The official justification for the rule change is that the CEV is now a championship run under the auspices of the FIM, and therefore has a higher status than a normal national championship. The level in that championship is clearly high, as demonstrated by the results of Jorge Navarro in Moto3, drafted in to replace Livio Loi.

The suspicion remains in the paddock that this was a rule change made at the behest of certain Spanish teams. Quartararo currently rides for Emilio Alzamora's Estrella Galicia Junior team alongside Maria Herrera. It is believed that Alzamora plans to move both riders up to Grand Prix for 2015, when Alex Marquez and Alex Rins move on to Moto2. Having Quartararo miss the first two opening rounds would have put the team in a difficult situation.

The age change was not the only rule change made by the Grand Prix Commission. A change was also made to the starting grid procedure, forcing riders to switch off their engines and be pushed to their grid positions. That rule is aimed at reducing the speeds at which riders cut through what is often a very busy grid, with team members, photographers, journalists and guests all wandering around the grid.

A number of changes to the Moto3 technical regulations were also made, all of them pertaining to costs. The aim of the changes is in closing some of the loopholes by which manufacturers have been circumventing the price caps on parts. Whether this will be successful remains to be seen.

The press release from the FIM appears below:

FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix

Decision of the Grand Prix Commission

The Grand Prix Commission, composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna, Chairman), Ignacio Verneda (FIM Executive Director, Sport), Herve Poncharal (IRTA) and Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA) in the presence of Javier Alonso (Dorna) and Mike Trimby (IRTA, Secretary of the meeting), in a meeting held on 16th. August 2014 in Brno, made the following decisions:

Sporting Regulations

Effective 2015

Age Limits in the Moto3 Class

The winner of the FIM CEV Moto3 Championship is permitted to compete in the Moto3 class of MotoGP in the following season, even if the rider had not reached the minimum age for the class. (Currently 16 years).

Start Grid Procedure – All Classes

To reduce the risk of accidents and possible injuries to workers and guests on the starting grids the following regulation was approved.

At the completion of his sighting laps the rider must stop at the rear of the grid and cut his engine. There are then two options available:

The rider may dismount and his machine may then be pushed at a walking pace by his mechanic to his grid position where the rider may re-join and mount his machine, or The rider may remain seated on the machine and, guided by another person, he and the machine may then be pushed at walking place to his grid position.

Technical Regulations

Moto3 Class - Effective 2015

Following agreement by the manufacturers involved, additional regulations, mainly concerning the supply and costs of material for this class, were approved. Main points include:

GENERAL

The minimum numbers of machines that each manufacturer is required to supply, if requested, is reduced to 12. (Based on one machine per contracted rider).

ENGINE AND GEARBOX

Throttle Bodies

Two throttle bodies must be included in the engine package which comprises six engines. Extra throttle bodies will be charged for.

Manufacturers may choose to make a maximum of one upgrade to throttle bodies during the season. If an upgrade is produced then one throttle body must be supplied at no cost to each contracted rider at the same time. Extra, upgraded throttle bodies will be charged for.

Gearbox

Contracted riders are permitted to purchase a maximum of six complete gearboxes in each season at the contracted price of €1,500 each. Additional gearboxes will be charged for at the normal list price.

Upgrades to gearboxes or gearbox components are permitted only once during the season and must be available to all contracted riders at the same time.

If the manufacturer introduces an upgraded complete gearbox during the season then the contracted riders are then permitted to purchase a maximum of eight complete gearboxes in each season at the contracted price of €1,500 each. Additional gearboxes will be charged for at the normal list price.

In the case that the upgrade consists of one or more components rather than the whole gearbox then the parts will be charged for at the normal list prices.

ROLLING CHASSIS

Homologation of Complete Rolling Chassis

Each Manufacturer is permitted to homologate only one version of its own chassis and only one version of any third party brand of chassis they wish to make available. (It was already agreed that teams can homlogate chassis used in 2014 to be used in 2015)

Once a Manufacturer has submitted a rolling chassis price list for homologation it is not permitted to change the Supplier/Brand of any of its parts.

Sensors

Each Manufacturer manufacture is required to define which sensors they will supply with their Machine. Changing of Manufacturer/ brand of sensors, either by the Manufacture or the rider, is not permitted.

Setting Parts

Each Manufacturer may define a list of chassis setting parts. The rolling chassis provided within the maximum price will include one of each of the setting parts.

Manufacturers may also produce different versions of each setting part providing that the material and basic structure/dimensions are the same. These variants of the original setting parts may be supplied to contracted riders at normal list prices.

The only setting parts that may be supplied are:

Handle bar clamps

Foot peg plates

Seat pads

Headstock insert

Pivots

Linkages

Triple Clamps

Windscreen

Wheel Sprockets

Suspension

All suspension components must be included within the maximum homologated chassis package price.

Internal setting parts are not controlled and are not subject to homologation. Internal setting parts may be may be modified or replaced at any time by the team or suspension manufacturer.

A regularly updated version of the FIM Grand Prix Regulations which contains the detailed text of the regulation changes may be viewed shortly on:

http://www.fim-live.com/en/sport/official-documents-ccr/codes-and-regula...