And what about safety in MotoGP? German GP and its pit lane start

The recent German Grand Prix of the Motorcycle World Championship at the Sachsenring Circuit was full of action, but it featured a “unique”, “never seen” and undoubtedly very dangerous start. This race on the German track will surely lead the Race Direction, riders and Dorna to review the protocols for this type of case, like the one that occurred last weekend in the premier class.

The question is clear… what about safety? Everyone could see how the premier class grid consisted of just one rider in the front area, and the rest in the pit lane, waiting for the green light and a start that carried a very high level of danger. A pit lane start for two riders could be considered safe, but seeing the premier class riders lined up in rows of 3, 4 or 5 in an area of the circuit that is very narrow, with walls on both sides and then a metal fence, all of this makes it a risky situation.

Luckily, nothing happened at that unusual start, but the contacts, legs off the bike, elbows and everything could have caused a bigger scare. It is clear that this start from the pit lane had not been foreseen in any way in the protocols, so now we will see whether they consider reforming these rules and including a provision for this kind of scenario.

The truth is that we cannot offer a solution either to a condition like the one experienced in Germany, since forming the grid again in the usual area would have harmed the riders who at that moment had chosen to take a risk and, in the case of Sachsenring, started on “slicks” after the warm-up lap; but it is also true that re-forming the grid would have been the safest option for everyone.

We do not have the solution, but the images are clear: that number of riders starting from the pit lane all at once is not the safest, neither for a championship of MotoGP’s standing nor for a national or regional one.

What would be the best solution?

Photo | MotoGP official website and Telecinco.es