Friday Practice Scrapped and session times reduced...

[fizzwheel]

Has anybody else noticed this. FIM have abolished Friday morning practice and reduced the session times for Moto GP to 45 minutes from an hour as a cash saving exercise.

So does that mean I pay less for a ticket to spectate as the amount of time I'll see the riders for is reduced...

Plenty of ways to reduce costs, all they've done is reduced the spectacle for the fans. We'd always get to Donny in time for Friday morning practice. I'm not so sure its worth making the trip on Friday for just for one session now...

Surely all that will save is the cost of one seesions tyres and fuel, which is a tiny part of the outlay for a race weekend.

I bet the tracks won't put the ticket price down though

[G]

Donington park owner sumed it up in a press conference the other say.

MotoGP is going down the pan and he is not sad to have lost it providing he has World super bikes etc.

I'd say there's bigger changes to talk about than the scrapping of free practice. No more than 5 engines between mid-season and end-season? No electronic or hydraulic launch control systems? No electronic suspension systems?

Personally I think these changes might be a decent start at lowering the overheads of MotoGP and ensuring it remains a commercially viable sport that we can watch.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by ranathari

I'd say there's bigger changes to talk about than the scrapping of free practice.

Possibly but I was looking at it from a spectators point of view. A weekend ticket for Donnington is IIRC around the £70 mark, so because of these new rules. I lose spectating time. I've lost an hour of practice on Friday morning, which personally I used to love as the circuit was quiet so I could stand at my favourite spots with my camera without being pushed and shoved about and people standing in front of me.

I've then lost 15 minutes from every other session. I seriously doubt how much money this will actually save the teams and I feel like I've been hit in my wallet, as no doubt the ticket price will go up again this year, but now I get less track time for my pound...