d'Antin threatens Dunlop.

Pramac d'Antin MotoGP team principal, Luis d'Antin, has threatened to take legal action against tyre supplier Dunlop after claiming that rivals Tech 3 Yamaha had a different type of tyre at their disposal.

d'Antin has repeatedly stated that his team's poor results are due to a lack of tyre performance and development to suit their Ducati - but took his accusations a step further after a woeful Italian Grand Prix in which Jose Luis Cardoso and Alex Hofmann qualified at the back of the grid, with Cardoso then finishing a distant last while Hofmann fell on lap eight.

"I had some difficulties with the tyres, the motorcycle was sliding a lot and, for this reason, it wasn't possible to do more. I'm disappointed because I would really have liked to obtain my first points in front of all our sponsors and supporters," said Cardoso, referring to the team's Italian title sponsor Pramac.

"Today were repeated the problems we've been having since the beginning of the season," fumed d'Antin. "Despite the meetings with the Dunlop head-technicians searching for solutions, these solutions still don't arrive, seriously compromising the sporting and economical interests of the team, its riders and sponsors.

"Not much time before the race, our tyres engineer confirmed to us that Carlos Checa had at his disposal a different tyre from ours, one thing that, following our point of view, doesn't respect the signed agreements with Dunlop," he claimed.

"For these reasons, and in front of this difficult situation, it only remains me to ask Dunlop the immediate and integrate completion of the undersigned agreement. Otherwise, I will be forced to begin the legal actions that my lawyers would retain more opportune, defending the legitimate interests of the Pramac d'Antin MotoGP team.

"I mean that, in a sporting competition at the level of MotoGP, we should have the necessary capacity and professionalism to resolve the actual unpleasant situation," he concluded.

Checa qualified an impressive 13th for the Italian Grand Prix, but went on to finish just 16th - one position ahead of team-mate James Ellison who was in turn one place ahead of Cardoso.

d'Antin and Tech 3 are the only teams using Dunlop tyres in MotoGP.