MotoGP Bans Pit Exit Practice Starts and Fixes a 20,000rpm Limit

MotoGP’s Grand Prix Commission has approved a set of technical and sporting changes, headed by a ban on practice starts from pit lane exit at every circuit and a formal 20,000rpm engine limit for the premier class. The decisions, published on 23 September, also reset the concession system in Moto2 ahead of a new engine specification in 2027 and delay the switch to fully non-fossil fuel in the smaller classes.

The Commission is made up of representatives of the FIM, MotoGP, the teams’ association IRTA and the manufacturers’ association MSMA. Most of the changes are refinements rather than revolutions, but together they show how the championship is tidying its rulebook before the 850cc era begins next season.

The main decisions

• Practice starts at pit lane exit are banned at all circuits.
• A 20,000rpm limit is written into the MotoGP technical regulations.
• All Moto2 teams start 2027 with no concessions, with rankings revised mid-season.
• Moto2 chassis manufacturers may make one chassis or swingarm update in 2027.
• Moto2 aerodynamic bodywork is frozen at 2026 specification.
• Full non-fossil fuel in Moto2 and Moto3 moves back to 2028.

Why pit exit practice starts are going

Riders traditionally perform practice starts at the end of sessions to rehearse their launch procedure. Until now, those starts were allowed at the pit lane exit at a little over 30 per cent of circuits on the calendar. Elsewhere, dedicated practice start zones had already taken over, and MotoGP now runs a dedicated practice start session at every Grand Prix.

With that infrastructure in place, the Commission decided there was no need to keep the pit exit option anywhere. The published decision lists the ban under the 2027 season, although the accompanying explanation says it applies immediately, and Crash.net reports it as effective straight away. Either way, riders will be using the designated zones at every venue by the time the 850cc era begins.

The change is about consistency and safety. Practice starts at pit exit bring riders accelerating hard close to where other bikes are joining the track. Moving them to specific zones separates those manoeuvres from traffic and gives race direction a single rule to enforce everywhere.

The 20,000rpm ceiling

According to Crash.net, the 20,000rpm limit was already coded into the ECU software used in MotoGP, so the regulation change formalises an existing restriction rather than introducing a new one. Current 1000cc engines typically operate at around 18,000 to 19,000rpm, well inside the limit.

The ceiling becomes more relevant with the arrival of 850cc engines next season. The new regulations also reduce the maximum bore from 81mm to 75mm, which discourages the kind of short-stroke, ultra-high-revving designs that could otherwise be used to recover lost power. Writing the limit into the rules removes any doubt about where the boundary sits as manufacturers develop their new engines.

• The limit was already enforced through the ECU.
• Current MotoGP engines run at around 18,000 to 19,000rpm.
• The 2027 850cc engines have a smaller maximum bore of 75mm.
• The rule prevents an rpm race under the new engine capacity.

Moto2 resets for a new engine

Moto2 is also entering a new phase. Triumph, the class’s sole engine supplier, introduces a new engine specification for 2027, so each chassis manufacturer needs to build a new chassis around it. That makes the existing concession ranking, which was based on past performance, less meaningful.

The solution is a clean slate. Every team begins 2027 with no concessions and the rankings will first be revised mid-season. Because pre-season testing time with the new engine and chassis will be limited, chassis manufacturers will be allowed one update to either their chassis or swingarm during the year. Aerodynamic body parts, meanwhile, are frozen at 2026 specification, which should control costs while teams concentrate on the new package.

Fuel timeline moves back

The requirement for 100 per cent non-fossil fuel in Moto2 and Moto3 has been postponed to 2028. Crash.net reports that the delay aligns the switch with Triumph’s new engine in 2027 and updated Moto3 machinery arriving in 2028, avoiding the need to validate a new fuel and new hardware at the same moment.

Analysis: small rules, clear direction

None of these changes will dominate headlines in the way the 850cc regulations or the switch to Pirelli tyres have done. Yet they matter because they reduce uncertainty. Teams now know exactly where they can practise starts, engine designers know the rev ceiling is fixed, and Moto2 manufacturers know how concessions will work in a year when all of them start again.

For fans, the pit exit change will be barely noticeable on television, but it is part of a wider trend of standardising procedures across circuits. As MotoGP heads into a new technical era, with the Sepang test at the start of 2027 set to be one of the first chances to see the new bikes in public, clarity of this kind should make the transition smoother for everyone involved.

How the changes affect each class

• MotoGP: pit exit practice starts are gone and the rev ceiling is now part of the class rules.
• Moto2: a clean concessions slate, one chassis or swingarm update and frozen bodywork for 2027.
• Moto2 and Moto3: fully non-fossil fuel now arrives in 2028 rather than earlier.
• All classes: practice starts take place only in dedicated zones.

The Moto2 package is arguably the most consequential for teams’ budgets. By limiting chassis updates to one during the season and freezing aerodynamic parts, the Commission has tried to stop the arrival of a new engine from triggering an expensive development race among chassis builders. That should help smaller teams keep pace while the new package is understood, and it gives the championship a fair starting point before concessions are reassessed at mid-season. It also means results in the first half of 2027 will decide which manufacturers regain development freedom later in the year, adding a competitive incentive to get the new package right quickly.

The Commission will continue to meet through the season, and more detailed decisions on the 2027 regulations are likely as the manufacturers finalise their 850cc projects. For now, the September package shows the governing bodies addressing practical issues before they become problems.