Successful debut: more space on the grid, approval from all sides

The MotoGP Safety Commission had shown itself to be more than willing to discuss the matter, particularly in the wake of the turbulent Catalunya GP in Barcelona. The debate over the tricky starts in the premier class was reignited , not least following the serious crash in which Johann Zarco collided with Pecco Bagnaia’s bike in the chaos of the start. All those involved – including the riders, who were consulted by the Safety Commission – quickly agreed that improvements needed to be implemented swiftly.

Two measures were agreed upon to improve the safety of the start procedure, particularly in the premier class. As a result, the so-called ‘hole-shot device’ has been banned since the Assen Grand Prix. The aim of the new rule is that, as the prototypes are no longer mechanically lowered at the front during the initial acceleration phase, the sprint to the first braking point is less effective; riders build up slightly less speed – and significantly less on circuits with long start straights – this also reduces the slipstream effect, which is particularly pronounced in MotoGP.

As a second measure, a new starting grid with greater spacing is intended to yield further gains. As reported on SPEEDWEEK.com, the spacing and offset between riders are now greater. Although three riders still line up in a row, the starting grid fans out more widely due to the distance between riders being increased to one metre. The distance between the starting rows is now 12 metres.

Moto3-Startsituation: Auch in den kleinen GP-Klassen ging zuletzt alles gut

Foto: Gold and Goose

The new grid layout was implemented for the first time at the Sachsenring GP, as agreed, across all three GP classes. The result was more than convincing. Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP all experienced incident-free starts. All World Championship riders navigated the challenging Turn 1 at the Sachsenring smoothly and without any crashes.

Even though the slipstream effect in MotoGP on the Sachsenring’s short run-up is nowhere near as pronounced as it is in Barcelona, for example, the increased spacing was certainly noticeable. The biggest beneficiaries are not so much the frontrunners, as Moto2 winner Ivan Ortola confirmed: “If you’re at the front and get off to a ‘normal’ good start, it makes no difference, but behind you it’s less crowded.” The fact is, all riders have more space and therefore more time to line up for the critical entry into the corner.

Feedback from the top tier following the first few starts with more space was also entirely positive. Across the board, the riders agreed that the more spacious grid formation was a good thing. A plus in terms of safety, and no disadvantage when it comes to the race – that was the view of the main protagonists too. The same applies to the start procedure without the front device. After four race starts and numerous practice starts, the riders have adapted to the changed conditions with a higher front section.