Race direction has proposed to MotoGP teams banning the use of ride-height devices at the start at Le Mans, Silverstone and Phillip Island following concerns raised by riders, Autosport has learned, though it won’t happen at the French Grand Prix.
The initiative emerged after discussions between riders and race direction officials in Friday’s Safety Commission meeting in Le Mans. During that meeting, several riders warned about the potential safety risks posed by the use of front and rear ride-height devices at the start on certain types of circuits.
The layouts of Le Mans, Silverstone and Phillip Island were specifically mentioned. At all three venues, riders arrive at Turn 1 at a very high speed, with the added factor that the opening corner is fast and flowing rather than tight, something that could lead to particularly dangerous situations because of the bikes’ trajectories.
That concern prompted race direction to ask teams to vote on a potential ban on the use of these devices at the start of both the sprint and grand prix races at the three circuits.
“It has been identified that the use of these devices at these particular circuits represents a significant safety risk for riders, specifically in relation to rider trajectory into Turn 1 during starts,” read the note sent to teams, which Autosport has seen.
Race start.
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Teams were asked to provide feedback on whether they support this special measure.
In a subsequent communication, race direction informed teams that, after evaluating the different opinions received, no changes would be introduced for this weekend’s French Grand Prix.
Had the proposal been approved, Saturday’s schedule would have been modified to include an additional practice start session for riders without the ride-height systems.
Autosport understands that the possibility of banning the devices at the rounds scheduled for Silverstone in August and Phillip Island in October remains on the table and will be discussed again in the near future.
Should the special measure eventually be approved, it would serve as a first glimpse of the type of starts that will become standard from next year onwards, when the new technical regulations explicitly banning ride-height devices come into force.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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