Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group’s chief sporting officer, Carlos Ezpeleta, has identified the real safety ‘problem’ the sport is currently facing following his dismissal towards reducing the number of Sprint races.
The topic of Sprint races being featured at every race weekend on the MotoGP calendar has been under scrutiny ever since the format was introduced to the sport in 2023.
Carlos Ezpeleta confirms MotoGP is in talks with ‘several’ American tracks 🇺🇸 Which circuit would you add to the calendar, and why?
With the yearly calendar now up to 22 races, it means that each rider on the grid has to contest in 44 separate races over the course of a full championship, which has put the safety of MotoGP’s competitors in the spotlight.
Renowned rider agent Carlo Pernat recently urged MotoGP to consider an F1-style approach to including Sprint races. The pinnacle of single-seater motorsport currently hosts six Sprint races per season, and the Italian thinks the premier class could take a leaf out of their book.
- READ MORE: Czech Grand Prix predictions as MotoGP experts decide if Marc Marquez can start a title bid at Brno
Carlos Ezpeleta identifies the ride-height device as MotoGP’s real safety ‘problem’
However, during an interview with the press at the Czech Grand Prix, MotoGP SEG official Carlos Ezpeleta dismissed talks of Sprint races being reduced, instead choosing to highlight the real safety ‘problem’ that the sport is currently experiencing.
Massimo Rivola thinks Marco Bezzecchi will be ‘scary’ once he stops crashing in Sprint Races – Is that his only flaw?
The interview was undertaken following official confirmation that MotoGP had finally reached an agreement on a new commercial deal involving all five brands on the grid.
“For us, it’s very important that all events have the same format,” Ezpeleta told the journalists in attendance, via GPOne. “Furthermore, we’ve done a study, and this weekend we’ll communicate how the starts can be improved.
“Since the front lowering device was introduced, accidents at the first corner have tripled, per start. So that’s the problem.
“With the elimination of that device and greater space between the drivers on the grid, the risks should decrease. In the end, the drivers spend the same amount of time on their bikes as before the introduction of the Sprint; the problem is the front lowering device.”
Ride-height devices are set to be banned following the conclusion of the summer break this year, in a move that will also see an increase in grid separation at the start of each race in the premier class.
- READ MORE: Randy Mamola says MotoGP riders need to ‘wake up’ after scary Jorge Martin crash in Hungary
The current campaign has been littered with turn one incidents, with the most recent round of racing in Hungary seeing four riders taken out of Sunday’s race after Jorge Martin went rogue into the first corner of the Grand Prix.
Earlier in the year, at the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona, Johann Zarco was subjected to a horrific sequence of events that saw his leg get trapped in Francesco Bagnaia’s crashed Ducati bike.
Thankfully, the Frenchman remained conscious, but is still awaiting surgery as he looks down the barrel of a lengthy stint on the sidelines to recover from the frightening incident.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
