Cycle News In The Paddock
COLUMN
Monkeys on Motorbikes
Given the current punishing schedule—with five to go, including a visit to Qatar in the midst of escalating tension in the region, and cramming seven races into nine weeks—perhaps a certain amount of grumbling is inevitable.
Most of it is coming from the riders, feeling increasingly ignored and put upon by a series of new rules, strictures and threats, amid growing demands on their time off-track. Their role as sportsmen seeking sporting success seems to play second fiddle to that of entertainers, there to help MotoGP attract more fans.
Said Jack Miller, as part of a longer and, in parts, self-contradictory series of reported comments: “It gets misconstrued; we’re here to be entertainers. Which we are … but our entertainment is racing a motorcycle. The racing is the show.”
One arc of complaint was triggered when Marc Marquez sent a body double (his leathers, dark visor) in his place in a flim-flam kart “race” on the morning of the Japanese GP.
The event, on sluggish rental karts encircled with dodgem-car rubber buffers, had MotoGP riders run a full lap of Motegi (which took ages). It was fairly typical of silly-billy promo events dreamed up by MotoGP management, cleaving toward maximum cheesiness. They’re part of a package that includes the “Hero Walk” (a royal walkabout in pitlane, with fans pressing in for selfies and signed caps) and the Rider Parade … round the track on a flatbed trailer, waving at the crowd, or (sometimes) empty grass banks.
There are various other events and obligations, with one thing in common: they treat the riders like performing monkeys, often at a time when they’d much rather be with their teams preparing their bikes or preparing themselves mentally and physically for the forthcoming combat.
Marc’s unrepentant explanation for canning the go-kart silliness was that he needed to ice his injured right shoulder after a double-length warmup for everybody (to assess the suddenly urgently needed hard tires).
MotoGP’s response was a stern warning of a severe (€5000) fine for any riders failing to take part in promo events.
This came on top of the announcement of a radically revised weekend schedule, starting next year. As well as canceling the race-morning warmup altogether (denying riders a chance to test a crashed and overnight-rebuilt bike), it adds an extra qualifying session on Friday for Saturday’s Sprint, with two more qualifyings on Saturday for Sunday’s GP.
Two of these sessions will see the full 22-strong grid going for crucial banzai laps on track at the same time: precisely the high-risk reason why Q1 and Q2 sessions were devised in the first place.
It was cooked up, according to MotoGP’s not-quite-head honcho Carlos Ezpeleta, after an approach by the teams and supposedly aimed at reducing track time. Most riders, however, interpreted it in the opposite way, as imposing increased stress and consequent risk—to the extent, according to Pedro Acosta, that it would “shorten our careers.”
Not everybody was against it. Marco Bezzecchi was one to approve of separate qualifying for the Sprint, saying, “At least you don’t destroy two races with one bad qualifying.” A fair point.
More universal was the complaint that it had been done without any input whatsoever from the riders. Marc again spoke for many, saying, “It’s interesting to understand what the main goal is, because for the rider it is only more demanding. But we don’t decide, and we must shut up. Teams and the organization decide, so you take it, or you leave.” At the same press conference, Jorge Martin added, “They don’t even ask us. It would be nice for the riders to have some interest from the organizers.”
All the grist to the mill, for anyone who sees these talented athletes as the fall guys here (figurative fall guys, as well as literal, often enough).
It does beg some questions. The riders supposedly do have a voice—in the Friday night Safety Commission meeting with MotoGP management. But this once influential gathering has dwindled in importance and attendance since the days of Valentino Rossi and Co., partly because many safety issues have been radically improved since then, and partly because riders, rather than being apathetic, are exceedingly busy on a race weekend, for all the PR and racing reasons mentioned above.
Still, instead of pissing and moaning, why don’t they get together and form a pressure group? As do the drivers in Formula One, in the Grand Prix Drivers Association?
But there is a history of this, reflecting the difficulties individuals competing with one another have in finding a common voice. An active figurehead is needed. Like Valentino, perhaps. Or Marc. But each of these is already fully occupied, as well as fully loaded. They have no time, no desire, and no financial need.
For the moment then, performing monkeys they will remain.CN
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