until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
MotoGP is set to unveil its new regulations for 2027 in the coming days - bringing to a conclusion months of negotiations between the series’ manufacturers and heralding the biggest modification to the championship since the introduction of the current 1000cc bikes in 2013.
It also potentially marks the final step needed for BMW to formalise its intentions to join MotoGP in the coming years - amid speculation the Bavarian marque has already told series bosses Dorna that it intends to enter the premier class when the new rules come into effect.
The result of months of work behind the scenes in meetings of MotoGP's teams' organisation - the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers’ Association - the headline change in the new rules is set to be a 150cc reduction in engine capacity to create new 850cc bikes.
A move designed to slow down the top speed of the current bikes, which has crept up to over 220mph (and even 360km/h) in recent years, it is something that has become increasingly necessary in order to keep some of the series’ traditional circuits on the calendar without significant (and expensive) amounts of safety work.
Other changes will likely include some sort of significant reduction in aerodynamics as well as the removal of ride height devices, moves designed both to bring MotoGP machinery closer to production bike relevance as well to increase the show, with the recent proliferation of both believed to have contributed to less overtaking.
The rules are set to be signed off on at this weekend’s meeting of the Grand Prix Commission at the Spanish Grand Prix, with an announcement then expected in the coming days, ending a process that has taken a long time to complete thanks to MotoGP’s consensus-based rule-making format that requires unanimous support of any proposal within the MSMA.
And, with the substantial rule change marking a natural point for any new factory to enter the championship, BMW’s long-speculated entry into the premier class is believed to be set to follow once it's had a chance to study the new rulebook and calculate what sort of budget will be necessary to be competitive.
