The first formal implementation of a concession-style structure in the modern MotoGP era arrived with the 2012 season under the name Claiming Rule Teams (CRT). The CRT category was created to allow independent teams with lower budgets to participate in MotoGP by running prototype motorcycles powered by production-based engines rather than full factory prototypes. To compensate for the expected performance deficit, CRT entries received significantly expanded allowances: 12 engines per rider per season compared to six for factory teams, and a fuel allowance of 24 litres per race rather than 21.
In exchange, CRT teams were subject to the defining mechanism of the system: any factory team could claim, meaning purchase, a CRT team's powertrain for a fixed price of 15,000 euros, or 20,000 euros including the transmission. The intent was to prevent CRT teams from developing engines too far beyond the sanctioned cost envelope, since any team doing so risked having their engine bought by a rival.
The CRT framework attracted applications from 16 new teams seeking to enter the MotoGP class in 2012, though not all eventually competed. Several Moto2 teams transitioned to the grid under CRT regulations.
For the 2014 season, the CRT subclass was rebranded as the Open class and the claiming rule was removed. The new structure retained the performance allowances — expanded engine counts, additional fuel — but tied the benefits to a manufacturer's recent competitive record rather than to the construction method of their motorcycle. A manufacturer that had not achieved a victory in dry conditions in the previous year, or a new manufacturer entering the championship, could enter under the factory option while still receiving Open class concessions. These concessions were progressively reduced if the manufacturer achieved a defined number of podiums or victories.
Ducati entered the 2014 season under the factory option with Open class concessions, using the framework as a mechanism to rebuild competitiveness following several difficult seasons. The team was not required to enter the Open class itself but benefited from the additional engine allocation and testing rights while developing the Desmosedici.
All entries for the 2014 season also adopted a standard engine control unit, with factory teams permitted to run any software while Open class teams were required to use a standard software package.
The Open subclass was discontinued from 2016, and all factory entries switched to a standard engine control unit software. The concession concept did not disappear entirely but was absorbed into modifications to factory team regulations, with testing allowances and engine counts adjusted based on competitive standing rather than a formal open subclass.
The 2027 regulatory package announced a significant reset of the concession hierarchy. All manufacturers were declared to start the 2027 season in concession range B regardless of their recent competitive record, providing a level starting point as the new 850cc engine formula took effect simultaneously with bans on ride height devices and aerodynamic reductions. Manufacturers would then be assessed at mid-season and moved between concession levels based on their results in the new formula.
The concession system's purpose has consistently been to prevent the withdrawal of manufacturers from MotoGP when their competitiveness drops below a level that can be sustained commercially, and to allow new entrants to establish themselves without requiring immediate competitiveness against the most developed factory teams. Critics have argued that the structure can be complex to administer and that the competitive benefits are sometimes insufficient to address the underlying performance gaps between well-resourced and less-resourced teams. Proponents counter that without such mechanisms, the MotoGP grid would collapse to only the most competitive factory teams, reducing the spectacle and undermining the championship's commercial viability.