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Motorcycle: Spielberg scrapes past the fiasco

For example, when Hafizh Syahrin’s motorcycle in Moto2 was torn apart in a full throttle collision with a bike lying on the track. That the Malaysian got away with severe bruises bordered on a miracle. When Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales were only narrowly missed in MotoGP by the out-of-control bikes of Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli, the alarm bells finally rang in Spielberg.

As in the past, this incident could have been fatal for Luis Salom and Marco Simoncelli. The fact that Morbidelli called Zarco “half a murderer” because of the maneuver that triggered the accident was due to the first emotion. “The accident was very scary,” said Miguel Oliveira. The safety commission warned on Friday that there was not enough space left in turn three, and not just when it was raining, and that someone could be hit by other motorcycles, said the Portuguese KTM rider about the uphill right bend, which occurs at over 300 km / h is braked.

Fall overshadows Dovizioso’s victory

Andrea Dovizioso secured victory at the MotoGP in Spielberg. However, the race was overshadowed by a serious crash, which luckily turned out to be mild.


Critics speak out loudly

Cal Crutchlow has long been a critic of the Red Bull Ring with its more than 50 percent full throttle share. The only way to improve the situation is to radically change this point, the Briton said. Stefan Bradl said: “It is good that there are now security discussions. Because MotoGP was very lucky for a long time. You have to talk about this corner, especially when it’s wet, ”warned the German substitute driver for the injured world champion Marc Marquez. “That could have ended tragically.”

For him, when it comes to safety, it’s less about the route than about the behavior and driving style of the drivers, says Bradl. There Rossi hooked up with his anger about Zarco’s driving style and choice of route. Driving aggressively is one thing, said the “Dottore”: “But if you forget to respect your opponent, it becomes irresponsible,” said the nine-time world champion.

When motorcycles become rockets

Race director Andreas Meklau was also aware that they had gotten off lightly. The 160 kilo bikes from Morbidelli and Zarco had slipped unchecked after the crash of the two or raced through the gravel bed without a driver and could have hit Vinales and Rossi in full. As the accident videos showed, only centimeters or fractions of a second were missing. A bike, for example, was only thrown into the air after it hit the air fence. “I thought it was the helicopter at first,” said Rossi. “It was terrifying, horrific. A potential disaster. “

“Now and then you just need guardian angels,” said Meklau. He has not seen anything like it in ten years. “A lot came together. If such an accident happens at 300 km / h, you can have as much fall space as you want. Then motorcycles turn into uncontrolled rockets, so there is no more drainage. Then you just need luck, ”the former racing driver was aware of.

Search for possible solutions

The Austrian advised that it was important to quickly analyze what had happened, check the data and talk to the drivers. The Red Bull Ring will be back in action in just a few days, and on Sunday the GP of Styria will be the second Austrian race within seven days due to the coronavirus.

Until then, solutions will be sought. “It would be nice if you could press a button and all motorcycles would automatically slow down in critical moments,” says Meklau. “But then it would be a computer game. You just have to be aware that racing is dangerous. “

Residual risk cannot be avoided

Despite everything, you have to think about what to do even on a modern race track like the Red Bull Ring. “The route is homologated, modified, fall areas are calculated and improved and made safer every year”, says Meklau. “But now and then there are situations that are just incredible. If Morbidelli’s bike hadn’t lifted off at the last moment, it would have gone through like a knife. “

Meklau rather denied that a chicane before turn three would be a solution. With a racing average of over 182 km / h, the Red Bull Ring is one of the fastest MotoGP slopes. “The speed is what defines this route. Something like that can turn out unfavorably and stupidly anywhere, ”Meklau is convinced. “Of course we will now talk again about what can be changed. But there are also structural limits somewhere. “

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