Race Direction: Ducati only has one dry podium

Ducati is officially deemed to have claimed only one dry podium so far this season, MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb has declared.

The wet or dry decision is important as it determines whether the result counts towards the tipping point at which Ducati will lose its race fuel and softer tyre concessions.

However it has been complicated by mixed weather for two of Ducati's three rostrums this season.

Although a Factory manufacturer, like Honda and Yamaha, Ducati currently enjoys all of the Open class benefits - due to having not won a race in 2013.

However the four-litre fuel advantage will be halved for all Ducati riders if the manufacturer achieves a race win, two second places or three podiums in dry conditions. If Ducati claims three wins their riders will also lose the softer rear tyre. All other concessions - extra engines and testing - will remain until start of single ECU era in 2016.

While Andrea Dovizioso's third place at Austin was clearly dry, the Italian's runner-up finish at Assen came in a race that saw riders switch from their wet to dry bikes. Meanwhile Cal Crutchlow's third place last time at Aragon was in a race that began dry, before rain prompted a change to wet weather machines.

According to the official results, Assen is listed as wet but Aragon is declared as having been dry, presumably since those were the start-of-race conditions.

However in terms of the technical rules, Webb is classifying Aragon as wet.

"For the purposes of the regulation we are talking about it's wet," the New Zealander told the official MotoGP website. "So Ducati have achieved one dry podium so far, which was Texas.

"I declare a race wet or dry at the beginning because it affects how the teams set their bikes up, knowing whether they are going to be able to use the spare bike or not. When conditions change during a race in MotoGP, with the white flag I can tell them conditions have now changed, which is what happened at Aragon and they are allowed to use the spare bike.

"The way the concessions rule is written about tyres, fuel and so on for Ducati and the other manufacturers, it applies to results achieved in dry conditions. So it is a little bit different to the race being declared dry at the start. The podium in Aragon was very clearly not achieved in dry conditions."

The Open class concessions also apply to any 'new' manufacturers, meaning Suzuki and Aprilia in 2015.