Danno, I agree in part with what you're saying. I also think unless major changes happen in professional racing, there will be only a few factories participating because of the electronic cost involved. I thought that was why Suzuki pulled out, because of financial issues. I am sure we will see more CRT privateer bikes participating in the future, like Colin Edwards is doing this year. I still don't understand why after five years, they made the rule changes from 800cc to 1000, when some people say it is a step backward.

The real costs in top level racing are engines. As evidenced by the CRT teams. It's a lot cheaper to modify a production engine and dump it in a prototype chassis than it is to prototype the engine also. The reason for the return to 1000cc is to make it easier to do something like CRTs. The 800's ended up producing as much bhp as the former 998s, but at higher rpm and cost. The changes were all about reducing costs and increasing participation.

Suzuki will be back next year on a select-race basis and full-time in 2014 with a crossplane-cranked inline 4 instead of a V4. Takes a couple of years to make that sort of switcheroo. Their streetbikes will follow suit.