MotoGP-Paddock Inside Barcelona: Thanks to all guardian angels!

Dear MotoGP fans,

at the race in Barcelona, all guardian angels had their hands over the riders. That the accidents of Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco turned out relatively unscathed was pure luck. However, we must be aware that the day will come when it can turn out differently.

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Technical defects can always occur in prototypes. They can never be completely ruled out. However, it must be noted that the reliability of motorcycles of all brands is generally very high.

Nevertheless, technical problems accumulated at KTM this weekend. Maverick Vinales had a problem with the rear brake in the sprint. Oil dripped onto his shoe, which forced him to retire.

Brad Binder had to enter the pit lane at the end of the warm-up lap due to a clutch problem and switch to the second motorcycle. Shortly afterwards, Enea Bastianini retired. He had an engine problem.

And finally, Pedro Acosta lost drive. Suddenly the motorcycle stalled, the throttle no longer responded. Unfortunately, this triggered the serious rear-end collision of Alex Marquez.

Acosta’s problem was caused by the electronics. During the interruption, KTM team boss Aki Ajo said that, as far as was known at that time, the problems were not related.

Was it still okay that three of the four KTM riders were allowed to ride again at the restart? MotoGP technical director Danny Aldridge from the FIM was immediately in the KTM box to inquire and get an impression of the situation.

We do not know what the KTM technicians told him. But Aldridge obviously came to the conclusion that they could continue. He is the competent and responsible person for this. So I respect his decision.

Riders and mechanics constantly under pressure

Start accidents are part of motorsport, because the start is, alongside qualifying, one of the most critical phases of a race weekend. I would like to address two aspects here.

First, the calendar and the weekend format. I was never a fan of sprints from the start because 44 races per year are simply too many. A race must be something special and must not become inflationary.

The riders are extremely burdened. In principle, there is qualifying on Friday, qualifying on Saturday, and for the two who make it into Q2, two qualifying sessions. And finally, there are two races.

In qualifying, the riders have to go to the absolute limit, plus two starts. Previously, with 18 race weekends, there was one qualifying and one race start. Now the risk is many times higher with 22 race weekends.

That is not healthy. It is also a huge burden for the mechanics. Acosta recently said that this format, the pressure, and the injuries will hardly allow long careers over many years in the premier class anymore.

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I think the current format has exceeded the limit. The show character must not be placed above the health of the riders. But whether there will be a rethink at Liberty Media, I dare to doubt.

Starts could be somewhat eased in 2027

The start in Barcelona is particularly tricky because the motorcycles already arrive at the first corner at very high speed and the right-left combination is relatively tight.

With the front holeshot system, the rear ride-height system, the electronics, and the clutch settings, practically perfect starts are usually achieved. Added to this are the air turbulences caused by aerodynamics.

When starts are practiced on Friday after the morning session, you can see how often they go wrong. On Sunday, they then work perfectly because the engineers optimally adjust the motorcycle for the respective grip conditions.

When everyone then arrives at practically the same point at the first corner at the start, it gets tight and something can happen. Fortunately, this could change somewhat next year with the new technical regulations.

Then the rider should start more and the motorcycle less. With the ban on ride-height systems, the motorcycles will arrive somewhat slower at the first corner. Whether the air turbulences will be reduced remains to be seen.

Was the last restart correct?

After Zarco’s start accident, the question arose whether the race should be restarted at all or if it should be called a day. This is a difficult topic and everyone will have their own opinion on it.

Basically, I found it okay that the race was restarted. There were no safety problems with the track. From the race management’s point of view, there was therefore no problem speaking against a restart.

Because if you had said, let’s call it a day, how would you decide in the future? Would you then have to cancel races after every serious accident that is not fatal?

That is why the restart was okay for me. I know this is perhaps an old-school view and I am aware that society and the moral view on such things are changing. But the danger is part of motorsport and unfortunately will always remain so.

Your

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