The FIM has announced safeguarding changes across all global motorcycle racing regulations in light of recent events in junior class competition.

From 2023 competitors within all MotoGP World Championship classes, and WorldSSP, will need to be 18 years old or above with a minimum age of 14 applied to ‘all racing at Grand Prix type circuits’ on a global scale. Though exemptions will be made to allow the winner of the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship and/or the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup to join Moto3 at 17 years of age, and 2022 competitors to continue their careers if under the age limit at the start of the next season.

Limits have also been placed on the size of entry lists with Dorna’s numerous Talent Cup grids capped at 30 riders and Junior Moto3 - run as part of the Spanish CEV - and WorldSSP300 Championships maxing out at 32 riders.

Minimum age adjustments will also cover the junior and ‘Road to MotoGP’ categories from the coming season, adding an additional year to their current regulations for 2022 and again for 2023 - while exemptions will again stand for current riders continuing on from their 2021 category.

The rules, hoped to prevent a reoccurrence of the three fatal accidents endured this season, will also see additional rider equipment and communication evolutions in a bid to improve safety at the track.

Airbags will be compulsory in ‘all Sprint Circuit Racing FIM championships’ with meetings and development ongoing ‘on the next step towards improving the level of protection afforded by rider equipment, with increased focus on protecting competitors against an impact from another rider or motorcycle, particularly the chest and neck.’ An ‘automatic, near-instant warning system’ to communicate a crash to all following riders/motorcycles is also being discussed.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro was one of the first MotoGP riders to praise the new measures. “I'm very happy and I would like to congratulate Dorna for this quick study and the new rules,” he said on Friday's announcement.

“Actually, last week I was one hour on the telephone with Carlos Ezpeleta exchanging ideas and trying to give my point of view, trying to help. I'm very happy with these new rules. I know it's not easy.

“I know from the hooligan fan, which I am of MotoGP, is not nice because we like to see the talented kids arriving quite early, doing like Acosta is doing, is fantastic. Arriving in MotoGP with 19 years old, as I did in America, a lot of years ago, but we have to use the common sense. We have to adapt to the new times, to the actual times, and I think it's great to have these new rules.

“I gain two years, because now I can retire two years later, so that's good also!” He joked before continuing.

“For me the most important thing is try to educate the kids to arrive in a big track like Misano, Barcelona or Mugello, a little bit late. We have, especially in Spain, Italy, all over Europe we have very, very nice karting, small tracks where the kids can learn, can improve their skills, and if they crash in the middle of the track for example, and another mini bike hit them, the bike weight is half, the speed is less than half. So we don't need to allow the kids of 10, 11 years old at 200 kms per hour in the big circuits. They have to wait, they have to improve their skills in the karting, with the mini bikes, so I think that it was the time to change and again I congratulate Dorna for the new rules.”

“Well 14 was the age limit I could finally ride a 125cc, I'd never rode a road bike until 14 because of that,” Jack Miller explained. “They changed the rule the year I went to 125, which is now Moto3. I think something definitely has to be done, and it looks like it's been done. For sure, give these boys some time to mature and understand and also I think, especially this year seeing so many young kids, young, young kids, losing their life, it's never nice so for sure I think something needed to be done. It’s good to see something happening and hopefully we can try and prevent this in the future.”

“I think can be good to keep safe the children from huge accidents or to hurry too much,” Johann Zarco added. “We have Fabio, that is just 22, and he can be world champion in MotoGP, so we think everything can happen before 20 years old but he's the only one we can see. You can see all the others, they try to do the same but they have been struggling because maybe they didn't take the time to learn really well.”

“For me, it's a good change,” Marc Marquez agreed. “After what happened this year it's time to change something. Maybe I'm not the rider to say because I arrived in the world championship at 15 years old, I moved to MotoGP at 20, one of the youngest ones. But it's true that now the tendency is like, if with 20 years old you are not in MotoGP, you are not a good rider and it's not like this.

“Some riders need more time than other ones, and moving the age means that everybody will be more ready, and everybody more mature. If you can arrive with more experience, more mature in the world championship will be better but this will need to be a consequence from the smallest category.

“Now, looks like if a baby with four years old or five years old is not on the bike is too late already and it's not like this. You can start on the bike at seven, eight, nine, 10 years old with the small bikes and just for fun, is not necessary to compete and racing on the races. So I think is a good news for our motorcycle world.”