MotoGP bans front ride height devices from 2023

MotoGP’s Grand Prix Commission has banned front ride height devices from the series for 2023 over safety fears.

Ride height – or holeshot – devices have been common place in MotoGP since the back-end of 2018, when Ducati first introduced a system that could lower the rear of its bike to help with acceleration off the line at race starts.

Ducati moved the game on in 2019 when it introduced a device that could lower the rear of the bike exiting corners to achieve the same effect, with the rest of the field eventually developing its own versions across 2020 and 2021.

In pre-season testing Ducati was spotted with a similar device on the front of its motorcycles.

Safety of ride height devices has been a topic of discussion for some time now, with that intensifying over the Qatar weekend in regards to Ducati’s latest development.

A meeting of the manufacturers led to a vote of five to one in favour of changing the regulations surrounding front ride height devices, with Ducati – unsurprisingly – the only opposing team.

After a meeting of the GP Commission, it has decided that front ride height devices specifically for when the bike is moving will be banned from 2023.

Jack Miller, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

A statement from the GP Commission, chaired by Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, the FIM’s Paul Duparc, international race teams’ association head Herve Poncharal and the manufactures’ association representative Bienese Bierma read: “During the meeting of the Commission held in Lusail on 4 March 2022 the Grand Prix Commission delegates were asked to consider two alternative proposals on this matter.

“Both had the objective of preventing further performance improvements and development cost increases.

“After consideration of the proposals the following regulation was approved unanimously.

“The use of any device that modifies or adjusts the motorcycle’s front ride height while it is moving is forbidden.

“The decision of the Technical Director will be final when determining what constitutes a front ride height device; devices that only operate one-shot at the race start (i.e. “holeshot” devices) are allowed.”

This is not the first time developments pioneered by Ducati have been outlawed on safety and cost grounds, with the aerodynamic winglets it introduced in 2015 being banned for 2017.