MotoGP's governing body FIM has made the penalty for riders who use more than the allocated number of engines more lenient, shifting the points penalty to the constructors.
The regulations now state that a rider who uses more than five engines over the final seven races of the 2009 season will start from the back of the grid for each race where he uses more than his allocation.
The previous version of the technical rule book stated in article 2.3.6 that the rider would have ten points deducted from his championship total. This 10-point docking penalty is now applied to the constructor.
These engine durability regulations anticipate next year's rule that will see just six engines allowed for each rider over the entire 18-race championship.