By Andy Marking

MotoGP is at a crossroads. Suzuki has joined Kawasaki🍨 and Aprilia on the sidelines, while two of the remaining factories (Honda and Ducati) will be providing fewer bikes for 2012꧙, when a new class of Claiming Rule Teams (CRTs) will make its debut.

So what will MotoGP look like in the 💜not too distant future? Here are some of the possible options for 20🐼13 and beyond...

The same number of factory and satellite bikes as in 2012

The 2012 MotoGP World Championship will contain three factory teams - Honda, Yamaha and Ducati. In addition each manufacturer will supply just two satellite bikes. The remaining places ღon the grid will be filled by new CRT bikes, with six of these 'privateer manufacturer' entries already confirmed and sever𝕴al others expected.

So how likely is it that these six factory and sixꦺ satellite bikes 🔯will remain on the grid in 2013?

Dorna has said it will only financially support CRT bikes from 2013 onwards. This will put♉ added pressure on the satellite teams - Tech 3 (Yamaha), Gresini (Honda), LCR (Honda), Pramac (Ducati) and Cardion AB (Ducati) - to look very seriously at switching to CRT.

With one season of racing under their belts, the CRT machines are also likely to be much more competitive in 2013 - and if not, Dorna might hold en🐷ough clout in the GPC to give them further performance concessions.

Likelihood of more satellite teams switching to CRT in 2013? 8 out of 10Likelihood of one or more factory teams pulling out of MotoGP? 3 out of 10

All bikes racing under CRT rules

In 2012, the cut-price CRT bikes will race under different technical regulations to the factory-built prototypes, with concessions in terms of the fuel l꧙imit (three litres more) and number of engine changes (12 compared with six for factory/satellite bikes) to help re♊duce the inevitable gap between the two sets of machines.

Dorna boss Carmel🅰o Ezpeleta has said MotoGP has to change to remain viable, telling Motosprint "It's clear by now that the way the bikes are built doesn't work anymore, it's not suited to the world's economic ♚situation anymore."

It's also clear that Dorna views CRT bikes - which have the opportunity to use modified superbike engines in a prototype chassis - as the long-term solution. How ironic then, that back in the early days of the 990 era, the WCM team was exc🌠luded because its bikes used production-based parts.

The use of two sets of MotoGP technical rules, allowing CRTs to race alongs𝕴ide the factory-built prototypes in 2012, seems to be viewed as only a short-te🃏rm situation - with the premier-class to be 'unified' under one set of rules in the near future.

These rules are sure to ꦍbe closer to CRT than the present prototypes, with control ECUs and rev limits being mooted as a possible replacement for the 20🐈12 fuel and engine differences.

The fewer bikes the factories put on the grid, the harder it will be for them to resist the change. And if factories start losing their satellite teams to CRT (mentioned above) the economic🥃s of building and developing the current breed of full prototypes 🔯just for a factory team will become even harder to justify.

Reigning world champion Casey Stoner has warned he may not want to be part of a CRT-style MotoGP, but seven time champion Valen🍷tino Rossi is more pragmatic.

Likelihood of all MotoGP bikes racing under CRT-style rules in 2013 or 2014? 8 out of 10

Factories slash leasing costs, making satellite bikes as affordable as CRTs?

If the factories want to regain their 2011 level of influence in MotoGP they really have only one option - t🍒o flood the 2013 grid with satellite bikes and thus halt the CRT concept in its tracks.

In order to make that possible some form of gentleman's agreement between the three manufacturers would need to be reached to cap the costs of leasing satellite bikes, maki♐ng them a real economic alternative to a CRT project.

Given the choice of ether a satellite bike or a CRT bik🎃e, for a sim👍ilar price, most teams would surely go for the more competitive satellite option - knowing that this would also bring technical assistance from the factory.

Of course, bringing down the cost of leasing satellite bikes has long been talked about - and🍃 the creation of CRTs is the result of the manufacturers' failure to address the issue. So what's changed now?

Well perhaps the arrival of CRTs and the impending loss of influence they represent will 'focus the mind' of the manufacturers as to how they can make real cost reduc♚tions for satellite bikes.

Perhaps, alongside the diminishing 'near-factory-spec' satellite bikes, another lower satellite tier could be agreed between the manufacturers for machines from the previous year that would be maintained but not updated (w𝓡ith seals/part markings if necessary).

Depending on the 2013 rule changes, the💧 2012 bikes should still be eligible.

Or maybe the manufacturers could simply agree to provide and maintain a certain number of CRT-spec engines for 2013. Direct manufacturer involvement is prohibited from ༺CRT at present, but the key word is 'represent': "CRT's are subject to the Claiming Rule and must not represent any MSMA manufacturer, as defined solely by a GPC majority decision."

Likelihood of factories reducing leasing costs: 6 out of 10.

Introduction of an F1-style 'Resource Restriction Agreement' (RRA) to control costs for manufacturers

The chances of a new manufacturer entering MotoGP are slimmer than ever. The present prototype costs are crippling and uncertainty over the technical rules means it would be aꦅ massive gamble in the current economic climate.

So how can MotoGP tempt the likes of BMW and KTM to enter as official MotoGP manufacturers -🅠 not to mention provoke a return from Suzuki, Aprilia and Kawasaki?

One possibility is the introduction of a capped budget for factories. A similar set-up is used in Formula One, but recently this has caused dispute between the teams - with some outfits leaving the association t🐼hat implemented the agreement in the first place, eff♚ectively rendering it useless.

But the RRA is still seen as important by many in F1 aꦿnd, if something similar could be made to work in MotoGP, it could certainly encourage other manufacturers by providing a clear level of costs to be budgeted for.

While some will be suspicious as to whether factories would stick to the agreed level of costs behind closed doors - invasive💧 financial monitoring would not be acceptable - it is worth remembering that the MotoGP testing restrictions in place for several years also relied largely on trust.

Likelihood of Resource Restriction Agreement: 4 out of 10.

A merger with WSBK?

Speculation has been rife for years that MotoGP and World Superbikes should merge and heightening when Dorna majority-owner Bridgepoint recently acquired the WSBK commer🐬cial rights from Infront Sports & Media.

A merger would certain𒐪ly reduce costs, however this was ruled out in a statement made by Bridgepoint at the time of acquisition. "Bridgepoint will encourage the further development of Superbike and MotoGP although both series will cont🐭inue to be organised and managed separately."

Although not a merger, the possibility a🧸lso exists that if factories feel they are being pushed out of MotoGP by the rise of 𒅌CRT, they might then seek to patch-up their differences with Infront and switch their official efforts to the production-based championship instead - as seen with Kawasaki.

Likelihood of a MotoGP/WSBK merger: 2 out of 10.

A return to two strokes?

This woulౠd reduce costs as the technology behind two strokes is inherently cheaper and simpler and would als🐓o keep the series as a 'pure' prototype class.

However the chances of it happening are all but zero, given that all three grand prix classes have now switc൲hed to four-stroke technology and there is little will from the main mಌanufacturers to redevelop two-strokes.

Likelihood of a return to two-strokes: 1 out of 10.

Where do you think MotoGP will be in a few years' time? Leave your comments below...