On Track Off Road No. 188

MXGP
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COME TOGETHER
‘Safety’. A word that always carries such gravitas in
motorsport, and particularly in motocross at a time when
doctors’ waiting rooms are more crowded than usual.
In Germany last weekend for what
was the first Grand Prix of the
second half of the season and the
sixth round in seven weeks, two
more top ten factory-riding racers
went under the x-ray machine.
There is very little discernible
consistency when it comes to the
different groups in the Grand Prix
paddock – riders, teams, FIM,
promoter, organiser - working and
communicating together. Make
no mistake, there is often due
diligence. This is a world championship
after all. There are FIM
inspections of the track, guidelines
for medical provisions and
resources (although this came
under scrutiny in Russia and
Latvia) and the figure of former
Grand Prix star (Portugal’s most
successful ever racer) Rui Gonçalves
with his acute knowledge
and experience of what a rider
can-and-cannot-do overseeing
track maintenance. There are FIM
jury meetings and logistical pressure
on local and national circuit
organisers by promoters Youthstream
to ensure the best possible
conditions to stage a Grand
Prix worthy of the label.
There are two areas that muddy
the waters. An MXGP track will
change and evolve to such an
extent that it will also provoke a
variety of reactions and opinions
from riders. For some it will be
took fast, too ‘sketchy’, too overwatered.
While for others – typically
those nearer the top of the
final classification come Sunday
– the course is mostly fine.
Compared to a more stable set
of circumstances in a sport like
MotoGP, where you’d imagine it is
easier to find common ground on
any safety concerns about fences,
walls or track layout, MXGP can
be a melting pot of conjecture.
The other facet is the lack of a
‘pooling’ resource for all these
opinions and emotions. A rider
has every right to vent his concerns
about a track or a section
of terrain, after all it is his muscles,
bones, ligaments and blood
on the line. The problem is that
those comments are usually aired
at various members of the powers-that-be:
either to Gonçalves
himself, an FIM official, a member
of Youthstream staff or a local
volunteer who might be having an
ice-cream while watering the soil
in between the motos. It is haphazard
and disjointed.
MXGP is unlikely to have factory
teams from Kawasaki and KTM
for round eleven in Indonesia in
less than two weeks time, unless
some satisfactory form of replacement
rider can be found and Tony
Cairoli’s right shoulder loses pain
and miraculously gains strength.
Along with Suzuki’s continuing
banishment (although rumours
still circulate that the factory will
return to motocross in 2021) it is
a staggering situation, and feels