Moto3 and open suits: steady (and quick) hands are required

We’ve been saying it for a while, but the way many of the Moto3 riders interpret a race is totally wrong. And we saw some of the worst examples of this at Barcelona, with the zigzagging along the straight, overly aggressive corner entry, excessive braking just to stay on track, riders lapping four seconds slower to prevent others exploiting the slipstream, and unexpected braking to control rivals’ positions, before the final laps are made at what is almost MotoGP pace. And then podium t-shirts dedicated to Jason Dupasquier. Surrounded by the smiling faces of those whose role it is to reprimand.

Let’s be clear - the accident involving the young Swiss rider at Mugello was a tragic fatality but racing with this kind of behaviour means overexposing yourself. And coming too close to that risk. Anything goes, up to a certain point. Some riders have said that where there’s no rule, anything is fair game. And so we say that Race Direction should intervene in this case and take a hard, decisive stance. It was right to use strong words at the of the race and threaten disqualifications as of the next race if the same problem arises. But now, words need to be backed up with action. And we at Motosprint will be here to remind them, if need be.

This world championship entry-level class clearly needs to be re-evaluated as, although the spectacle is there, with no shortage of jostling and zigzagging, the technical and sporting content is lacking. The grid is full of riders with six or more years of experience (conceived as a training class, there are those who’ve made a career out of it) and of the last six champions, three are yet to move up a category.

As for Quartararo, it seems everyone has said their piece in the last 24 hours. We would just like to say that a rider cannot race bare-chested at 300 km/h. There are written rules preventing this. We go on about safety but what message are we sending to those who don’t know this world and use any pretext to criticise our sport?

I’ve seen on social media that some former riders have been criticised for supporting the Frenchman’s penalty: “Forty years ago, no one talked like this, you raced with no sliders or back protector while today you don’t defend our racing heroes”. And thank goodness, I’d say. Clearly safety has taken giant steps also in the way this sport is conceived. But let’s leave heroism to the doctors and other professional categories please.  

And let’s just add that, whether or not his actions were the result of free will, Fabio should have been stopped earlier, during the race. Race Direction made the mistake, and a retroactive penalty of three seconds was like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Translated by Heather Watson

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