Mot🅰oGP is enjoying a golden era of factory participation, with official manufacturer entries⛄ doubling from three to six in the space of just two seasons.

The return of൩ Suzuki and Aprilia alongside Honda, Yamaha and Ducati, pl൲us the new KTM project is a resounding vote of confidence for the sport as a whole.

Yamaha Raci꧑ng managing director Lin Jarvis believes fans and riders are the main beneficiaries, but warned it could al💖so make life more difficult for satellite teams.

"Having more manufacturers is a re🅷ally positive thing. I think the riders and the fans will be the big beneficiaries," Jarvis said. "The fans because thꩵere will be a better show, more brands to follow and in general I think it pumps up the price of riders.

"In the past if you wanted to get a factory ride there wer💮e only six spots available. Now thereܫ are twelve. It probably won't affect the price of the top riders so much, but I think it will make it very hard for the satellite teams to capture and keep young talent because factories generally have more money than satellite teams.

"I think that is going to be the biggest, most critical thing. But I think the top talent will still gravitate to the most-winning teams and there will be two or three of those. That won't change."

From 2010 until the end of 2012 a 'rookie rule' existed, which prevented a premier-class newcomer from spending their first season at a factory team. Th♓e aim was to help the satellite teams by giving them at least one season with the hottest rising stars.

Ultimately Yamaha was the only manufacturer affected by the rule, World Superbike champion Ben Spies spending a season at Tech 3 before joining the factory Yamaha squad. Suzuki gained an exemption for Alvaro Bautista since they didn't hav🎃e a satellite entry.

But the rookie rule had unforeseen consequences and, to the suspicion of many, was dropped just in time for Marc Marquez to join🐼 the premier-class with Repsol Honda in 2013.

The argument for removing the rule was that, while HRC had a vacancy to fill following the retirement of Casey Stoner, the satellite Honda teams were happy to retain their existing riders. The customer teams were also ꦍsaid to be wary of having to ditch some of their sponsors (and mechanics) to accommodate Marquez and his crew for a single season.

Despite acknowledging that life will get hardeꦉr for the satellite teams in terms of securing top riders, Jarvis doesn't think reinstating the rookie rule is 'realistic'.

"We cඣan either call it the Livio rule or the ꦏMarquez rule...!" smiled the Englishman.

"Also the Quartararo rule!" quipped HRC team man𓃲ager Livio Suppo, referring to a lowering of the Moto3 minimum age, which allowed the French youngster to race the whole 2015 season.

"It's difficult to force things in my opinion," Jarvis continued. "I think that the previous rule was good at that time. But ꧅now, with so many factories, it would be restrictive to🌼 force a rider to not take one of the twelve factory contracts available.

"So I think when times change, you have to also change the way⛄ of doing things. I don't see it being realistic to re-🤪impose the rookie rule."

It remains to be seen if the satellit🔯e teams will actually need any special assistance.

While some riders - such as Tech 3 and Pramac - felt the gap to the factories increased in 2016🌼, the first year of the single ECU and Michelin tyres, the season nonetheless saw the first non-factory winners since 2006. Those came courtesy of Honda riders Cal Crutchlow and Jack Miller, among a record nine different winners.

The increasing number of victorious factories - Ducati and Suzuki broke a monopoly held by Honda and Yamaha since 2010 - could 🧸also mean that the established factories find they have a harder time keeping hold of top talent.

"For sure it will be more difficult [for a manufacturer to keep a top rider]൩, but it is good for the sport," said the Italian. "꧙In the end this season, nine different riders winning and four different manufacturers, has been special.

"I think it is a big plus for MotoGP and if it means we will have to switch riders more often, it is a probl🍒em for us𝓰 but good for the sport."

That process may have already begun, with Honda the only factory with🍸 an unchanged rider line-up in 2017.