Marc Marquez was this afternoon given free rein to join the factory Repsol Honda team after MotoGP bosses voted to scrap the rookie rule which would have otherwise prevented him from doing so.

The rule was introduced to stop works outfits cherry-picking the best riders leaving the satellite teams with the rest. The decision has been made, ostensibly, because there are now less non-works bikes to ride than in 2010 and Dorna needs all the bikes it can get on the grid.

However, the Grand Prix Commission, the body responsible for such decisions, has also decreed that manufacturers are restricted to two direct entries and may provide material for a maximum of two entries per manufacturer operated by independent teams.

Proposed ules preventing the use of carbon brakes and restricting riders to one bike were slung out but a mandate for the use of wheels with a standard specification for strength and durability, applicable to all classes, was postponed pending further discussions between factories and wheel suppliers.