Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motorsport
Motorsport
Haydn Cobb

MotoGP rolls out immediate front holeshot device ban, tweaks grid layout from German GP

MotoGP has banned front holeshot devices with immediate effect, while grid spacing will be expanded from next month’s German Grand Prix.

The series had been weighing up a ban on front holeshot devices going into last weekend’s Czech GP having trialled tests during practice – with riders’ split over the idea.

MotoGP is due to ban front and rear holeshot devices from 2027 regardless, but has brought forward that ban to the front holeshot device used at race starts for the next event.

It means only rear holeshot devices will be in use from this weekend’s Dutch GP for the rest of the season.

The front holeshot device raised concerns as it required riders to apply hard braking to disengage it at the first corner, while it was also considered an expensive development push without adding to the racing.

Meanwhile from the following race, the German GP at the Sachsenring, the grid layout will change across all classes. The distance between each rider will be extended from three metres to four metres, meaning each row will also be spaced out from nine metres to 12 metres. There will still be three riders per row.

Race start (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images)

The decision follows recent safety concerns over race starts.

Finally, the Grand Prix Commission also announced a cap of six riders per manufacturer in MotoGP from 2028; meaning effectively a manufacturer can supply one factory team and two customer teams.

This decision is already being adhered to in MotoGP with Ducati supplying three teams (factory squad, Gresini and VR46) following Pramac’s switch to Yamaha from 2025. No other manufacturer supplies to more than two teams.

The rule is in place under the working provision of five manufacturers in MotoGP; which is set to be the case until at least 2031 after all five manufacturers – Ducati, Aprilia, KTM, Honda and Yamaha – and series promoter MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group announced a new Concorde Agreement which covers the following five years.

Photos from Czech GP - Sunday

46 MotoGP Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Race start

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Track action

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pramac Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Race start

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Red Bull KTM Factory Bike rear wing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Luigi Dall'Igna, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Paolo Campinoti, CEO of Pramac Racing, Gottfried Neumeister the CEO of KTM

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Jack Miller, Pramac Racing

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Czech GP - Sunday, in photos

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.