|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 18:50:23 GMT -8
Moto2 Free Practice Nr. 3 Classification 2018
Silverstone, Saturday, August 25, 2018
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev. 1 23 Marcel SCHROTTER GER Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex 263.5 2'08.182 2 73 Alex MARQUEZ SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex 267.8 2'08.349 0.167 / 0.167 3 9 Jorge NAVARRO SPA Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Kalex 262.7 2'08.386 0.204 / 0.037 4 10 Luca MARINI ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 Kalex 265.7 2'08.477 0.295 / 0.091 5 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA + Ego Speed Up Racing Speed Up 262.9 2'08.502 0.320 / 0.025 6 22 Sam LOWES GBR Swiss Innovative Investors KTM 260.9 2'08.690 0.508 / 0.188 7 42 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA SKY Racing Team VR46 Kalex 266.5 2'08.718 0.536 / 0.028 8 36 Joan MIR SPA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex 266.2 2'08.829 0.647 / 0.111 9 27 Iker LECUONA SPA Swiss Innovative Investors KTM 265.8 2'08.941 0.759 / 0.112 10 77 Dominique AEGERTER SWI Kiefer Racing KTM 264.3 2'08.946 0.764 / 0.005 11 87 Remy GARDNER AUS Tech 3 Racing Tech 3 262.5 2'08.981 0.799 / 0.035 12 44 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 264.4 2'09.021 0.839 / 0.040 13 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Italtrans Racing Team Kalex 262.6 2'09.078 0.896 / 0.057 14 40 Augusto FERNANDEZ SPA Pons HP40 Kalex 264.1 2'09.126 0.944 / 0.048 15 13 Romano FENATI ITA Marinelli Snipers Team Kalex 267.5 2'09.138 0.956 / 0.012 16 5 Andrea LOCATELLI ITA Italtrans Racing Team Kalex 265.1 2'09.152 0.970 / 0.014 17 41 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM 267.8 2'09.162 0.980 / 0.010 18 62 Stefano MANZI ITA Forward Racing Team Suter 261.5 2'09.234 1.052 / 0.072 19 7 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI ITA Pons HP40 Kalex 263.1 2'09.344 1.162 / 0.110 20 97 Xavi VIERGE SPA Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex 266.0 2'09.555 1.373 / 0.211 21 64 Bo BENDSNEYDER NED Tech 3 Racing Tech 3 263.2 2'09.899 1.717 / 0.344 22 4 Steven ODENDAAL RSA NTS RW Racing GP NTS 261.3 2'10.061 1.879 / 0.162 23 45 Tetsuta NAGASHIMA JPN IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Kalex 266.4 2'10.108 1.926 / 0.047 24 16 Joe ROBERTS USA NTS RW Racing GP NTS 259.0 2'10.378 2.196 / 0.270 25 66 Niki TUULI FIN Petronas Sprinta Racing Kalex 262.5 2'10.466 2.284 / 0.088 26 24 Simone CORSI ITA Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 Kalex 263.2 2'10.754 2.572 / 0.288 27 52 Danny KENT GBR + Ego Speed Up Racing Speed Up 258.9 2'10.841 2.659 / 0.087 28 95 Jules DANILO FRA Nashi Argan SAG Team Kalex 264.6 2'11.272 3.090 / 0.431 29 55 Alejandro MEDINA SPA SAG Team Kalex 258.4 2'11.605 3.423 / 0.333 30 65 Josh OWENS GBR Tickhill Labour and Plant Kalex 258.0 2'12.550 4.368 / 0.945 31 18 Xavi CARDELUS AND Team Stylobike Kalex 263.2 2'12.629 4.447 / 0.079 32 89 Khairul Idham PAWI MAL IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Kalex 260.5 2'13.124 4.942 / 0.495 33 21 Federico FULIGNI ITA Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 Kalex 258.3 2'13.234 5.052 / 0.110
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 18:51:59 GMT -8
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 3 Classification 2018
Silverstone, Saturday, August 25, 2018
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev. 1 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 326.2 2'01.866 2 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 327.2 2'01.893 0.027 / 0.027 3 43 Jack MILLER AUS Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 320.2 2'02.047 0.181 / 0.154 4 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 322.6 2'02.076 0.210 / 0.029 5 25 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 324.9 2'02.088 0.222 / 0.012 6 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 322.2 2'02.088 0.222 7 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 320.0 2'02.321 0.455 / 0.233 8 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 327.2 2'02.351 0.485 / 0.030 9 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 325.1 2'02.550 0.684 / 0.199 10 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 318.3 2'02.559 0.693 / 0.009 11 53 Tito RABAT SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 325.5 2'02.640 0.774 / 0.081 12 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 316.0 2'02.940 1.074 / 0.300 13 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 321.9 2'03.108 1.242 / 0.168 14 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 320.5 2'03.197 1.331 / 0.089 15 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Ducati Team Ducati 326.1 2'03.482 1.616 / 0.285 16 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 322.0 2'03.493 1.627 / 0.011 17 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Angel Nieto Team Ducati 320.6 2'03.701 1.835 / 0.208 18 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 321.4 2'03.702 1.836 / 0.001 19 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 313.8 2'03.813 1.947 / 0.111 20 55 Hafizh SYAHRIN MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 316.6 2'03.890 2.024 / 0.077 21 45 Scott REDDING GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 317.9 2'03.932 2.066 / 0.042 22 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Angel Nieto Team Ducati 319.9 2'04.235 2.369 / 0.303 23 76 Loris BAZ FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 313.1 2'04.316 2.450 / 0.081 24 10 Xavier SIMEON BEL Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 319.8 2'05.077 3.211 / 0.761
MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 4 Classification 2018
Silverstone, Saturday, August 25, 2018
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev. 1 25 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 327.1 2'01.571 2 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Ducati Team Ducati 328.5 2'01.982 0.411 / 0.411 3 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 325.0 2'02.002 0.431 / 0.020 4 43 Jack MILLER AUS Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 327.0 2'02.111 0.540 / 0.109 5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 330.0 2'02.133 0.562 / 0.022 6 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 326.0 2'02.150 0.579 / 0.017 7 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 322.7 2'02.631 1.060 / 0.481 8 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 325.3 2'02.632 1.061 / 0.001 9 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 322.4 2'02.897 1.326 / 0.265 10 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 321.1 2'02.964 1.393 / 0.067 11 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 320.1 2'03.053 1.482 / 0.089 12 55 Hafizh SYAHRIN MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 322.7 2'03.231 1.660 / 0.178 13 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 322.7 2'03.273 1.702 / 0.042 14 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 323.8 2'03.275 1.704 / 0.002 15 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 330.2 2'03.287 1.716 / 0.012 16 45 Scott REDDING GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 323.1 2'03.353 1.782 / 0.066 17 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Angel Nieto Team Ducati 324.2 2'03.391 1.820 / 0.038 18 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 325.3 2'03.467 1.896 / 0.076 19 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 312.6 2'03.494 1.923 / 0.027 20 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 319.5 2'03.636 2.065 / 0.142 21 53 Tito RABAT SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 329.4 2'03.920 2.349 / 0.284 22 76 Loris BAZ FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 318.5 2'04.315 2.744 / 0.395 23 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Angel Nieto Team Ducati 326.3 2'04.350 2.779 / 0.035 24 10 Xavier SIMEON BEL Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 319.5 2'05.479 3.908 / 1.129
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 18:53:50 GMT -8
MotoGP Qualifying Nr. 1 Classification 2018
Silverstone, Saturday, August 25, 2018
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev. 1 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 275.0 2'13.340 2 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 284.8 2'13.713 0.373 / 0.373 3 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 256.8 2'13.945 0.605 / 0.232 4 45 Scott REDDING GBR Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 299.0 2'14.171 0.831 / 0.226 5 12 Thomas LUTHI SWI EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 271.9 2'14.198 0.858 / 0.027 6 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 265.4 2'14.866 1.526 / 0.668 7 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 281.1 2'15.141 1.801 / 0.275 8 76 Loris BAZ FRA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 285.7 2'15.299 1.959 / 0.158 9 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 275.6 2'15.377 2.037 / 0.078 10 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Angel Nieto Team Ducati 248.1 2'15.721 2.381 / 0.344 11 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Angel Nieto Team Ducati 271.8 2'16.106 2.766 / 0.385 12 10 Xavier SIMEON BEL Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 266.9 2'16.451 3.111 / 0.345 13 55 Hafizh SYAHRIN MAL Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 270.1 2'16.483 3.143 / 0.032 53 Tito RABAT SPA Reale Avintia Racing Ducati
MotoGP Qualifying Nr. 2 Classification 2018
Silverstone, Saturday, August 25, 2018
Pos. Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time Gap 1st/Prev. 1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Ducati Team Ducati 306.1 2'10.155 2 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team Ducati 306.0 2'10.314 0.159 / 0.159 3 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 295.4 2'10.439 0.284 / 0.125 4 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 286.3 2'10.615 0.460 / 0.176 5 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 307.4 2'11.083 0.928 / 0.468 6 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 294.5 2'11.317 1.162 / 0.234 7 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 273.8 2'11.495 1.340 / 0.178 8 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 295.6 2'11.514 1.359 / 0.019 9 43 Jack MILLER AUS Alma Pramac Racing Ducati 303.1 2'12.173 2.018 / 0.659 10 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 292.2 2'12.504 2.349 / 0.331 11 25 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 297.4 2'12.514 2.359 / 0.010 12 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 291.4 2'13.504 3.349 / 0.990
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 19:03:13 GMT -8
a "staubli" connector on the Ducati GP18 to transfer liquids or air.
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 19:08:15 GMT -8
Tito Rabat suffers an open fracture of the femur, tibia, and fibula in his right leg. He has been sedated for pain and transferred by helicopter to a nearby MotoGP BritishGP hospital
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 19:46:00 GMT -8
Dovizioso: "Spending more would avoid problems": Andrea critical of the works at Silverstone: "Certain situations must be prevented. We will not race if it is not safe, the decision is ours"
MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb: "Plan B in the event of rain? Not racing": The Race Director speaks: "Safety comes before anything else. We have identified the problems and we will solve them for next year"
Márquez: “With rain like in FP4 no one would finish the race”: Marc: “It is the fault of the potholes, racing with those conditions is impossible but I will accept whatever Race Direction decides”
Petrucci: “Sunday there is a risk of not racing”: Danilo: “With this afternoon's conditions it is very dangerous, looking at the forecast, it would be better to postpone the race until Monday”
Iannone: “The asphalt doesn't drain, the track seems like a lake”: Andrea: “In the event of rain, all the riders are in agreement not to race, but we'll need to wait for Sunday”
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 19:57:23 GMT -8
“I’m satisfied with the result because we saved the day and we’re on the second row, just a few metres from the front. It looks like tomorrow could be another tricky day, possibly with heavy rain, so it will be important to analyze the track conditions"
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 19:57:55 GMT -8
Dani P: "Watching the big screen, I calculated that I could make it, but I missed it by just a fraction—my fault completely. Now we’ll see what happens tomorrow. Forecasts are for steady rain, and that can be a problem."
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 25, 2018 20:00:08 GMT -8
David Emmett New asphalt always has less drainage than old. Tar used to fix aggregate takes time to shrink through evaporation. Won't have this problem in 2 years time. Unfortunately, we are racing tomorrow
I think oil comes up through the pavement. That's what I heard...
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 26, 2018 2:32:45 GMT -8
Raining hard now, the @motogp riders go back to the pits. Race delayed
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 26, 2018 2:44:30 GMT -8
Silverstone responds to track surface concerns Neil Morrison26 Aug 2018 Stuart Pringle, managing director of Silverstone, offers his thoughts on this issues encountered on Saturday regarding the new track surface.
Silverstone Managing Director Stuart Pringle has contested claims the circuit’s new track surface was at fault for an incident-packed end to MotoGP FP4 that led to riders expressing concerns of the running of Sunday’s race in seriously wet conditions.
Three riders crashed at Stowe Corner in the closing minutes of the weekend’s final free practice session, including Tito Rabat, who suffered serious fractures to his right leg, while several other names avoided crashes and ran on.
Aside from Rabat, each of those riders spoke of an excess of standing water on the Hangar Straight in those moments and described their machines aquaplaning at well over 100mph. MotoGP Race Director Mike Webb concluded those conditions to be “unraceable,” after organisers had brought Sunday’s race forward to 11:30.
On Saturday evening, work was well underway at the circuit’s two trouble spots (turn seven and eight) to aid the draining of standing water in the likelihood of the forecasted heavy rain arriving around noon on race day.
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 26, 2018 2:53:18 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 26, 2018 11:29:21 GMT -8
Riders respond to British MotoGP cancellation Peter McLaren26 Aug 2018
The official statements from riders and team managers following the cancellation of Sunday's British MotoGP. Note, only a few riders spoke directly to the media and some team press releases (including Movistar Yamaha) did not include a rider quote either...
Jorge Lorenzo: “Yesterday’s weather forecast turned out to be right and it rained all day today. We only managed to do the warm-up in dry conditions and then it didn’t stop raining and the track was in a bad condition. This confirmed that the asphalt wasn’t draining well and as time went by the situation didn’t improve. When it was late, the riders met with the Race Direction and we decided to cancel the race because the track didn’t offer the right conditions to race in safety.”
Marc Marquez: “It has been a long, unusual, tiring day that we hope won’t happen again. The Safety Commission analysed the situation and I think the Race Direction has to be thanked; they listened, and in the end, safety was everybody’s main consideration—one of us riders is in hospital already. During the day, I watched the screen and saw all the fans in the grandstands patiently waiting; it would have been good to reward them, but in the end, sometimes we must keep a cool head and think.”
Andrea Dovizioso: “It was a real pity not to be able to do the race because we were very competitive, especially in the dry. A weekend that was going well for us turned into an unacceptable situation, and so now it will be necessary to understand exactly what happened. We’ll talk about it in the Safety Commission at the next race, because to resurface a track and then find out it has more bumps than before, together with a problem of drainage, is just not good enough for a championship of this level.”
Cal Crutchlow: “I’m devastated not to be able to race at my home Grand Prix, it was very disappointing that today went how it did with regards to the weather situation. The safety commission decided that we delayed and delayed all day and then decided finally that the track condition was not safe to ride due to standing water on the asphalt. But it was a very, very sad day for the fans and I’m truly sorry for them having come out in force to support me and all the MotoGP racers. We’re just sorry we couldn’t put on a show, as always I would have tried my best and I will try my best in the next Grand Prix also.”
Johann Zarco: “The race was canceled after we were waiting a long time today hoping that the rain stops and we have less water on the track. We usually can race when it’s raining and although it was raining all day today, the rain was not very heavy. But with the new asphalt apparently, they did a mistake and it was so slippery with the bumps and there was aquaplaning. The crash on Saturday has been very strange and we could feel that almost every rider was already on the limit on the sighting lap. We took the decision we can not race because there was still too much water. It’s a pity we can’t go out there because we all were ready. But in the end, it’s safer to take this decision.”
Andrea Iannone: “Finally the Safety Commission decided not to proceed with the race. We have made all the needed evaluation together with the Race Direction, but of course the safety of us, the riders, must be considered as the priority and today the conditions of the track were not safe enough to race. I understand that it is a shame for all our fans, we met a lot of great fans here this weekend and I feel sorry.”
Dani Pedrosa: “I think it was obvious that with this weather, the track wasn’t in a proper condition to race today. The Safety Commission agreed that it wasn’t safe enough, and I think it was a right decision. It’s a great shame because racing is what we always prefer to do. And we tried very hard actually, first moving up the start and then later delaying it as long as possible. Of course we’re sorry for the fans who came to see us and waited for us all day, but I’m even sorrier for Tito, who is injured and has a long recovery ahead.”
Takaaki Nakagami: “Unfortunately the conditions were very bad. We tried to make a race, but finally race direction decided to put safety first and cancel all three races. Of course I’m very disappointed as I wanted to race, but we have to think about safety and I think it was the right decision. Of course, I’m very sorry for the fans and the media, but now we just have to think about the next race in Misano. We’ve already had one day testing there and it went really well, so that will be really important for the team as it’s a home race and hopefully we can make a good result there.”
Alex Rins: “Unfortunately we couldn't race in the end. The weekend was pretty difficult because of the rain and the asphalt conditions and finally the Safety Commission decide not to race for safety reasons. I had a crash on Saturday and I realised how critical it was to ride in wet conditions here in Silverstone this weekend. I feel very very sorry for all the fans that came here and had to bear the cold temperatures, wind and rain, they were hoping to see us and they were disappointed.”
Hafizh Syahrin: “The safety commission decided to cancel the race because there’s just too much water on the track. I can’t say much. We wanted to race, but there’s nothing we can do. It’s a pity with the new asphalt, so I hope they solve this kind of situation. I really wanted to go out and learn on the GP bike in these kind of conditions, but it’s decided and we need to accept. See you next year, Silverstone! Now we just look forward to the next race, trying to improve and learn.”
Movistar Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli: "This is a unique experience in special conditions. Having a race cancelled is a worst-case scenario and a last resort. However, I think we can all agree that safety of the riders should always come first. It would have been irresponsible to send them out on track today, knowing their concerns regarding aquaplaning. Our hearts go out to the fans that have been patiently waiting and had been looking forward to the British GP. We are also thankful to the marshals and volunteers, who didn‘t abandon their station for several hours whilst we were all waiting for a verdict. We‘re all disappointed, but we respect and agree with this decision. We hope for better weather at the next round in Misano."
Red Bull KTM team manager Mike Leitner: “It was a shame for Bradley to be on the third row of the grid and not have the chance to race. In wet conditions he could have done very well. Also Loris (Baz): he did a great job to just jump on the bike without a test and there was a good connection with the team. It’s a shame but we have to accept the weather conditions and rider safety is first. We’ll look to Misano now.”
Suzuki MotoGP team manager Davide Brivio: “It’s been a difficult day with very difficult conditions. We feel very sorry for the public who have been waiting all day, and also it’s a shame for the people waiting to watch on TV around the world. It’s sad when we have to cancel a race, and nobody wants that, but here the condition of the circuit was critical and the safety was not at a high enough level. We had a bad accident yesterday with Rabat, and it could have been worse, especially with other riders involved and nobody wants something bad to happen. After three weeks of fantastic weather in England it’s unfortunate to arrive when it rains, and especially at a track where there’s a problem with rain. We have to learn from this experience and situation and try to avoid it happening in the future, for sure we will all be discussing it with the organisers.”
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 26, 2018 11:30:49 GMT -8
Silverstone boss promises ‘full investigation’ 26.08.2018 BSN Aaron Rowles at Silverstone Silverstone Managing Director Stuart Pringle has promised a full investigation after todays British MotoGP round was cancelled due to unsafe track conditions. Heavy rain and issues with drainage caused standing water to build up in certain areas of the 3.19-mile circuit. After numerous delays and the best efforts of all involved the decision to cancel the race was made shortly after 4pm, five and a half hours after the rescheduled start time. “Firstly and most importantly I would like to apologise to all of the race fans for the most trying and foulest of days at Silverstone,” said Pringle. “I am truly sorry this has happened. If I had known fans would have to wait for six hours in these conditions with this outcome, I would have taken the decision to cancel the event at midday. “We were willing to cancel the meeting much earlier but I was assured by Dorna that the teams were willing to race if conditions improved.” Drainage issues with the new Silverstone surface that was laid back in March caused the standing water and Pringle insisted that a full investigation will take place to avoid this happening again. “All the work we have done here to make Silverstone a better place for motorcycle racing has been done with the best of intentions, he said. “We will be making further investigations into this matter immediately after the Bank Holiday to understand whether our newly resurfaced track played a part in today’s inability to stage races. “We will be reviewing all the data we have on the track and gathering more, and together with the contractor, Aggregate Industries, a full investigation will be carried out. “I do not want any doubt and we will also rely on an independent third party. We have to understand what happened in the future.” Pringle also had a message for fans concerned about spending vast sums of money and getting no action in return. “I’m very conscious of the amount of money people have spent on this event. We will be contacting all customers next week to explain what we are doing about the cancellation of this event,” he said.
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 26, 2018 11:32:29 GMT -8
Welcome to Aggregate Industries We’re at the frontline of the construction and infrastructure industries, producing and supplying an array of construction materials. www.aggregate.com/ Link to the company that made a concave surface rather than a convex surface. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 27, 2018 17:54:17 GMT -8
Official Statement By Davide Tardozzi Of Ducati On Safety Commission Meeting At Silverstone Submitted by Press Release on Mon, 2018-08-27 18:57
Today, Ducati issued an official statement regarding the events surrounding the calling of the impromptu Safety Commission Meeting on Sunday afternoon at Silverstone, at which the riders decided that it would not be possible to race on the new surface at Silverstone due to standing water on the track. The statement, from team manager Davide Tardozzi, appears below:
Davide Tardozzi (Team Manager) “Yesterday afternoon I did not receive any official notification of a meeting between the riders and the Race Direction to make a decision about the cancellation of the Grand Prix.
The initiative of the meeting with the Race Direction came about spontaneously between a number of riders who started to inform the others to come to the IRTA offices. For example, Jorge Lorenzo had been informed by his manager Albert Valera, who had heard from Aleix Espargarò. All the riders were not present because some of them had not been informed and others only showed up after seeing the images on television, but no one had officially called them. That’s exactly what I did, I saw the images on television and I went on my own to find out what was going on. As always, no Team Manager entered the meeting, just as we are not present at the Safety Commission officially organized on Friday in the circuits.
After excluding the possibility of racing on Monday with a vote between the teams (we voted in favour of this possibility), Ducati was totally in agreement with the decision taken because it was the safest thing for everyone, but I still believe that a decision of this importance should be made with all the riders on the grid through an official meeting.”
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 27, 2018 17:56:09 GMT -8
Is MotoGP’s tail wagging the dog? by Mat Oxley on 27th August 2018 Should the riders have raced on Sunday? Do they have too much say in their own safety? MotoGP has always existed on a knife edge, which is why we love it. And despite safer tracks, better riding gear and everything else, the riders exist on that knife edge more now than in many a year, because getting them and their 220mph motorcycles around a racetrack with no major injuries or fatalities is quite a feat, even on a sunny day. This miracle occurs almost every race, which fools some people into thinking that MotoGP can’t be that dangerous. But believe me, Race Direction leaves the track most Sunday evenings with a huge sigh of relief: we got away with it again! However, sometimes things do go wrong. Sunday’s British Grand Prix was a disaster for everyone, especially for the fans who had made the pilgrimage and spent the day soaking and shivering, hoping to see some action at one of the championship’s fastest, scariest racetracks. Everyone went home disappointed: the fans, the riders and the teams. Some fans went home feeling angry that they were kept waiting so long, for nothing. And they have every right to feel hard done by. But, at the end of the day, all that really matters is that no one died. This is important to remember, because riders still do die in MotoGP, currently at the rate of one every three seasons. Some riders, even The Maniac himself thinks it’s all getting a bit too much No one died at Silverstone, but Tito Rabat remains in hospital in Coventry, nursing a broken right femur, tibia and fibula, after he came off worst in Saturday afternoon’s pile-up at Stowe corner. The Spaniard’s shattered leg was bleeding so badly that medics assumed he had severed a femoral artery – a very quick and easy way to die. Rabat wasn’t injured when he aquaplaned on a small lake of standing rainwater and fell at the end of Hangar Straight, he was injured when another fallen machine smashed into him while he lay stranded in the gravel trap. Shoya Tomizawa died at Misano in 2010 when he was hit by a rival’s bike. And a similar fate befell Marco Simoncelli at Sepang in 2011. It is impossible to fully protect a rider once he’s on the ground, with machines moving at speed all around him. Alex Rins was the first to crash at Stowe near the end of FP4, bravely jumping off at high speed when he felt his Suzuki GSX-RR aquaplane. “I felt the water, cut the throttle at 290 [180mph], tried to brake, but the front was aquaplaning and locked,” he said. “I saw the wall coming at me fast, so I jumped off the bike. Then I was waving, trying to tell Tito that [Franco] Morbidelli’s bike was coming. He turned and saw the bike, but couldn’t move in time and he flew 10 metres.” At a guess, Morbidelli’s bike was travelling at close to 100mph when it hit Rabat, who was incredibly lucky that the bike broke his leg and not his head. Stowe was a scary mess: three riders on the ground and several more losing control and hurtling through the gravel trap, lucky to stay onboard. It could have been much worse. From that moment the Grand Prix was in jeopardy. On Sunday, riders, teams and Race Direction waited hours for the weather to clear, but it never quite happened. Shortly before 4pm the riders had a final safety commission meeting and, because there was a possibility of yet more rain, the majority decided it was too risky to race, so at the event was abandoned. This would not have happened in the old days. In the old days the promoters would’ve told the riders to race and the event would have gone ahead, no matter what. This happened on numerous occasions during the 1970s and 1980s, when the riders fought a running battle with the promoters and the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) to decrease the number of deaths and injuries. The FIM and promoters were shockingly callous at that time. When Jarno Saarinen and Renzo Pasolini died together during the 1973 Italian Grand Prix at Monza the race wasn’t even stopped. “It was just bloody carnage,” remembers Chas Mortimer, one of many riders caught in the deadly pile-up. “I was about the only person able to walk away from it. Everyone else was stretchered away. I remember running over to see Jarno – virtually all his head had gone – it was bloody horrendous. Actually, I killed Pasolini. There’s a picture of me coming out of the flames with Pasolini lying right across the road and I ran straight into him. It was like what happened when Marco Simoncelli was killed.” The race only ended when the survivors got sick of weaving through the mess of burning, tangled machinery and returned to the pits. Two weeks later, Monza staged a national meeting. Dr Claudio Costa – creator of MotoGP’s famous Clinica Mobile – begged the organisers to place an ambulance at Curve Grande, where Saarinen and Pasolini had lost their lives. His request was refused and three more riders died. Four years later Swiss rider Hans Stadelmann was killed in a similar mass pile-up during the 250cc Austrian GP at the Salzburgring. Again, the promoters saw no need to stop the race, at least until eight laps after the accident, which also left Johnny Cecotto, Dieter Braun and Patrick Fernandez seriously injured. All the other big stars of the day – Barry Sheene, Giacomo Agostini and the others – refused to start the 500cc Grand Prix around the terrifying (but beautiful) Armco-lined circuit. Incredibly, the FIM gave Sheene an official warning for his insolence. Meanwhile the organisers rushed around the paddock, offering twice the normal start money to anyone who would race. This set the pattern for years to come. When the stars went on strike, trying to force safety improvements, the skint privateers went out and raced, taking the rare opportunity to earn enough cash to put food in their bellies and diesel in their vans. Continental Circus stalwart Jack Findlay, who rode his first Grand Prix in 1958 and his last in 1978, won the race and ate better than usual over the next few weeks.
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 27, 2018 17:58:07 GMT -8
27 August 2018 - 19:46 Jarno Zaffelli: "Silverstone? A long chain of factors " The technician from Reggio is one of the world's leading experts in the construction of circuits. He was at Silverstone, that's what he saw by Massimiliano Garavini The weekend of the GP of England, at Silverstone, ended with a MotoGP surrender. The analyzes and comments were wasted on the Monday of the words. After listening to recriminations and exchanges of accusations of all kinds, we decided to turn to one of the few specialists able to clarify. Jarno Zaffelli, owner of the Dromo studio in Reggio-Emilia, gave us a long interview that helps us understand, without judging hastily, the ugly pasticciaccio waged in Britain. Zaffelli is one of the most accredited technicians in the industry, designer of the Termas de Rio Hondo plant in Argentina and of the remakes of Misano, Mugello, Sepang, among others: the authoritativeness with which he deals with the subject is that of a professional accustomed to solve complex problems. Jarno, what was your idea of the Silverstone situation? Really the fault is all of the track? "Well, look, I'm at Silverstone right now, I've spent the whole weekend in the paddock, on the field talking to everyone, responsible for the circuit, builder, drivers, walking on the track before, during and after the event. As happens in situations defined as "disastrous" there is never a single responsibility, but a whole series of things that have not gone well for a set of factors ". Do you think that in the end a comfortable scapegoat was found by attributing all the responsibilities to the circuit? "In the common mentality it is desirable and easy to find a scapegoat, but the reality is more complex". How do you determine exactly what happened? « What happened yesterday in MotoGP, to give you an example, is the equivalent, in aviation, of a flight accident: to understand you have to analyze all the data seriously, calmly and scientifically». With which criteria are the maintenance interventions to be carried out? Who oversees the works? "See, there are two types of racetracks. The first type are those who believe they are absolutely self-sufficient, believing that they can act independently on design and adjustments. Beware that when I speak of "autonomy" I intend or internally possess the necessary skills, or relying entirely on a specific contractor, not necessarily chosen through a call for tenders. Then there is the second type of owners of the structures, those who make use of an external designer, a technician who defines a performance specification through the analysis of specific specifications; on the basis of this work, calls for tenders are then issued and a monitoring protocol is applied for each phase of the work. It is clear that in this last situation the customer is better protected, less exposed to the consequences of bad work. What happened in the last three days makes it clear for the first time what the difficulty of our profession is. " Which category does the Silverstone racetrack belong to? "Silverstone has acted as in the past, relying only on the historical Contractor. And this time something did not go well ". How are the circuit approvals assigned? «The homologation is given by the competent Sports Federation. For the FIM there is an institute in Zaragoza that deals with homologation of accessories such as helmets and barriers. I have read that the President FIM Vito Ippolito would have proposed during the weekend to set up a commission of technicians specialized in the field of race tracks ". What is the sport type approval for? "The sport approval, only serves to be able to say" the race you can play "or" the race you can not play "against the requirements of the Regulation." . Why all this vagueness on technical issues that would prove fundamental to safety? «Because historically and juridically it has proved counterproductive to specify them. The reason why there is not much written in the specifications is therefore related to international law. But overall safety is always and in any case the owner of the racetrack. Everywhere: Italy, England, Asia, the rest of the world. Civil and criminal liability always falls on the owner of the property. The homologation is both a regulatory requirement on a sporting level, but also a demonstration of the willingness to adapt to the best legal practices; it is not said that it is the maximum possible in terms of security, to that there is never limit. ». Why, however, in sports regulations there are no written specifications of asphalt, or those of drainage? "First for a question of responsibility: if the data is there, it must be applied. So you're responsible. If the data is not there, we use the possible court case to decide who is right, with the competent experts, as in the famous Senna case. Second for a technical question. Each country has its own peculiarities, norms, economic and meteorological conditions. Having a unique number that goes well everywhere is not said to be correct. " At Silverstone, there are many who share responsibility for what happened. «We always return to the question of departure. The Federation must inspect the circuits according to their own regulations. And if they meet the minimum requirements issue a document of homologation that guarantees that, in the conditions found during the inspection, the circuit can host the determined race in safety. But if an extraordinary condition such as the cancellation of the Silverstone race happens, here the question becomes complex, the events, like the data, are many, and must be evaluated as objectively as possible. That's why at the end Silverstone Uncini has rightly said "the circuit will investigate and then we will know" » . Who is responsible for the work in the circuit? "Every situation is in itself. First of all there is a problem related to the definition of objectives: sometimes the customer tells you "I want the asphalt to be better under the water" or "I want to decrease the depressions", but there are also limit cases like " valleys we need, keep them "or again" do you ". But the works management is always local. I can design, check, verify, underline, but the final decision lies with the Works Manager, who is an external consultant or a figure inside the circuit. We are only "consultants" ». Your role is continuous mediation. «The consultant does not necessarily guarantee you do the things done better, but guarantees that you have a third eye compared to the execution of the work, not paid by the contractor. Let's make a generic case: I need to resurface and I rely only on the good faith of the contractor. In this case I have to refer completely to the realization report. But if something does not go that you do? Mica the racetrack can block a season in progress in a cause that lasts for years. I'll give you another example: the case of a customer who ordered the best bitumen available on the market has happened to me. Too bad that the product did not meet the criteria that we had established. That supplier had to change fourteen formulations before obtaining the quality that satisfied us. Do you understand? It is not enough to rely on it, it is necessary to verify, verify and re-check. And for this it can take time, even after the work, to be sure that everything matches the design parameters, and this time is not always available before the first race. Hence the difficult task entrusted to us ". Do you believe something has got stuck in the control mechanism? "Everyone on Friday at Silverstone remembered what Hamilton said, that the track had been badly resurfaced, there were too many dips. And the pilots have "lost their teeth" on Friday. Until Saturday it was thought that the problem was just that. Then during the FP4 happens an incident like the one that involved Rabat and we note that the problem is also the drains of the circuit. Few people notice, however, that an important amount of water has fallen. A short but intense deluge, even for a climate like the English one, which has put the pilots at the curve 7 in crisis. Will the marshalls signaled to the race direction the danger of that point? Or did they think it was normal for British standards and they underestimated the situation? See how the chain of errors can take shape? On Sunday, however, a total amount of water of only 6.2 mm was rained throughout the day. Why did not they run? This was explained by Marquez, but also by Petrucci: "because there was Rabat's accident, we were not sure if it rained harder during the race we would have found ourselves in that condition". Many claim that it could be run. "Just that the pilots eventually made the decision that reassured them more. With rainfall like that on Sunday, English pilots normally run. But without having "one of them" with a series of ugly fractures due to aquaplaning the day before. In my opinion, if you want, you missed an opportunity with the re-paving of February: they could level the track better, because, despite the efforts made, the water is not quickly evacuated. But if we look at the overall work I can assure you that before the renovation the pools in some areas were much more. Giving all the blame only to the asphalt in my opinion is reductive; maybe it was not laid down to perfection, but it is not the only factor at stake ". The final decision to whom was it? «At present, to pilots. Who are committed to filing the hundredths of a second, not to build racetracks, and that therefore can only give a fair, but subjective point of view, as Dovizioso said. Data is also needed for them to make decisions. And the more objective the better the decisions are made. »
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 27, 2018 18:35:27 GMT -8
Mat Oxley This just in from wonderful former 500 GP racer Stu Avant, via FB. Just to underline for the umpteenth time that promoters should ALWAYS listen to riders when it comes to SAFETY no matter how hard it hits their wallets 😔
|
|
|
Post by truenorth on Aug 27, 2018 21:26:32 GMT -8
|
|