Riders to boycott Suzuka?
A possible outcome of the expected riders meeting at Welkom this weekend, is the boycotting of the Suzuka circuit, following the events of three♛ weeks ago.
Whilst Daijiro Kato's fatal accident left many riders asking questions about the circuits safety, and the behaviour of the marshals at the scene, it was by no means the only serious incideღnt over the three days.
A possible outcome of the expected riders meeting at Welkom this weekend, is the boycotting of the Suzuka circuit, 😼following the events of three weeks ago.
Whilst Daijiro Kato's fatal accident left many riders asking questions about the circuits safety, and the behaviour of the marshals at the scene, it was by no means the only serio𝓡us incident ove🍃r the three days.
On the very first day of running, MotoGP rookie Marco Melandri fell at the fast right hander following the hairpin - breaking his leg in two places, as well as ot🐭her injuries. That particular corner had next to no run off area, and was branded 'too dangerous' by World Champion Valentino Rossi.
Saturday passed without incident, although there was very little track action due to the weather, but Sღundays warm-up saw experienced Yamaha rider Alex Barros damage his knee when he hit a tyre wall.
These events combined have left many riders furious and some, including Kato's team-mate Sete Gibernau, have already publicly ques♈tioned Suzuka's place on thไe GP calendar.
Should the riders agree to such action it will leave the MotoGP organisers in a real dilemma. Japan⛄ is home to the world's largest motorcycle manufacturers, and has a huge MotoGP fan base - allowing it to have a second round, the 'Pacific Grand Prix', at Motegi later in the year - but Suzuka (built by Honda in the🐻 1960s) has always been its spiritual home.
Whether Suzuka would be prepared to make substantial changes (mainly in terms of run-off) to please the riders is unknown. Ironically, the 130R corner was re-profiled for safety reasons in time for th🗹is year's race... but only after Alan McNish suffered a huge accident i♈n the 2002 F1 Grand Prix.
As an indication of the different needs of the two sports, McNish was unhurt after slamming into the protected 'outside' 130R retaining ༺wall - while Kato hit an unprotected w🔯all (on what would be the 'inside') just a few metres away from the race track, between the 130R and the chicane.
Will Suzuka, one of the most spectacular and challenging circuits on the calendar, now be prepared to maဣke more changes in response to the riders' fears, knowing that their (financially vital) F1 licence is already safe...?
Peter🌼 has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
