Racial orientation explained the logic to new rules that came after the disruption of Mark Marquez on the circuits of the Americas.
Marquez successfully led some riders to one go on a strange, slow charge, then returned to the pit to snare another bike, causing a late, chaotic start.
Marquez mistakenly thought that if the race wasn’t behind, he would start from behind the grid, but would not face a double lap penalty.
The rulebook began quickly with France’s MotoGP at Le Mans this weekend and was rewritten.
Mike Webb explains the new MotoGP rules
Race Director Mike Webb explained: “The US Grand Prix event in Kota had a very unusual starting procedure with riders leaving the grid, so we spent a lot of time reviewing the situation in that race and seeing how regulations could be improved.
“The regulations were very complicated and difficult for the team to understand.
“Regulations are very simple.
“The only penalty is leaving the grid. That’s it. It doesn’t matter why you leave the grid.
“The exact same thing is the reason why you leave the grid or not go to the grid in the first place.
“To put that into context, we had a new regulation compared to the old, what happened along with Marquez and many riders leaving the grid…
“Under the old regulations, you need to know exactly which tires you have on the warm-up wrap and which bike you were using.
“Some riders have a ride-through penalty, while some don’t, and the riders on the grid don’t.
“The new regulations are very easy. riders who leave the grid will start warm-up laps from the pit lane, take the original grid position and provide a double long lap.
“We didn’t need to identify which bike you were using, what tires or what bike settings you were using. The same penalty, the same steps regardless of these technical questions.”
This means that Mark Marquez and other riders who left the starting grid at Kota will face a double lap penalty without grey areas to protect them within the rules.
Riders are also punished if they don’t go to the grid when the pit lane opens for a warm-up lap.
The rider who pushes the bike from the grid into the pit after the three-minute board is displayed will also be hit with the same penalty.
Webb added: “The majority of the simplicity of the rules is that they can be applied to each Grand Prix class.
“The main reason for applying to Moto3 and Moto2 is the point about getting the original grid position and offering a penalty in the race despite having only one bike and limiting bike changes.
“Saves the confusion of multiple bikes lined up behind the grid.
“It’s much clearer for everyone. It’s less likely that a mistake will happen.”
The MotoGP rulebook has been updated with new rules that injured riders test before they race again.