[Ducati] SBK homologation rules

[Alex]

I was looking at the new rules for WSBK, and I think it's great that 
Ducati got the 1200 engine in, and also that the new rules put the 
bikes all in the same "tune", however I was thinking about the 
homologation requirements and I am thinking they are a little unfair.

Specifically, the new rules will phase in a 3000 bike 
requirement.  For Honda, that's nothing -- they can fart and make 
3000 bikes, but for Ducati, that's 10% of the total bikes sold last 
year, world wide.

I don't think it seems fair for the homologation requirements to be a 
straight number for everyone -- I am wondering if a different rule, 
i.e. percentage of total bikes made for the last three years or 
something like that.

3000 is about 10% of Ducati's TOTAL bike production, but about 
0.0003% of Honda's 10 ~million~ bikes made annually (2004 
numbers).  Honda expected to ship over 12 million bikes in 2005, I 
don't know the later numbers.

perhaps homologation should be "10% of the total bikes made by manufacturer"..

Ducati would have to make 3000+ bikes in that class and Honda would 
have to make 1,000,000

Obviously, it would need fine-tuning.  But I see the new homologation 
rules possibly hurting Ducati.