Honda vows MotoGP withdrawal over ECU plans
Honda would almost certainly pull out of MotoGP if a control ECU becomes a mandatory requirement in the future.
HRC vice president Shuhei Nakamoto has warned the mighty Japanese manufacturer would have little incentive to continue in the premier class if the technology restrictions are implemented.
Spec-ECUs and data-logging equipment will be introduced next season, but factory teams can continue to use their own electronics provided they agree to a limit of 20 litres of fuel as opposed to 24 litres per race.
Discussions are ongoing, however, over the possibility of introducing control ECUs across the board in 2017 as Dorna attempts to reduce the costs involved of competing in the elite class.
Should such a situation arise, Nakamoto says it would spell the end of Honda's MotoGP involvement.
"Should MotoGP go for a control ECU, it's 99 per cent sure Honda will leave," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"The reason why Honda goes grand prix racing is the need to develop technology - in in fact we think GPs are the best test bench for it.
"If the chance of developing is taken away, then Honda loses a very important reason - in fact a fundamental one - to justify spending all that money," he added.
"Honda's position is not new, I said it other times and I wasn't joking. If [Dorna chief] Carmelo [Ezpeleta]'s objective is to stop development, then there's no reason for a manufacturer like Honda to carry on racing in GPs."
Honda, Yamaha and Ducati presently offer the only Factory MotoGP entries, and each will also provide machinery running the standard ECU in the new Open class next year.
Suzuki is due to return to MotoGP in 2015 and Aprilia - which supplies machines to the Open class - claims it will be back as an official manufacturer in 2016.
