Jerez was about one team and one team only: KTM. For the first time this year, there were three factory KTM RC16s in the field for regular team riders Brad Binder and Jack Miller and a wild card entry for KTM test and development rider Dani Pedrosa. It is Pedrosa we have to thank for KTM’s progress over the past several years and on Friday he underlined what an asset he is to the team when he topped the time sheets in the first practice session. This is no out-of-date has-been rider!
Even if Pedrosa wasn’t able to scale those lofty heights again in practice, he was always there or thereabouts, while Binder and Miller were also playing at the sharp end. While Binder narrowly missed out on heading straight to Q2, he more than made up for it by being a close second to Bagnaia’s factory Ducati in Q1 and then winding up fourth fastest in a crazy Q2 that started wet and dried out in time for one last banzai lap as the time ran down, with Miller second behind Aleix Espargaro and Pedrosa an amazing sixth.
Then, in the Sprint Race, Miller and Binder made blinding getaways in both starts (after a red flag on the first lap) to lead before Binder once again showed he is a master of that format by winning brilliantly, with Miller coming home in third, Bagnaia splitting them. The way Binder and Miller were sliding both wheels on corner entry was something to behold: quite how they maintained control and didn’t crash just shows the other-worldly talent of these boys.
The main race also saw two starts and, again, the KTM boys rocketed to the front in both, Binder taking up station at the front and only being overhauled by Bagnaia in the closing laps as his tyres wilted. That didn’t stop him from harrying Bagnaia closely right up to the final corner. Given Bagnaia’s ability to crash, it wasn’t out of the question that Binder could still have won but a second place was reward enough for a brilliant weekend. Miller again came home third, giving KTM a second double-podium of the weekend. Pedrosa added to the KTMs cup of happiness by finishing sixth in the Sprint and seventh in the Main Race.
Off the track, there was a lot of discontent from the riders regarding the minimum tyre pressure rule, due to come into force from this race. Riders often start with their tyre pressures – especially the front tyre – below the mandated (but never previously officially monitored) minimum pressure, knowing that, during the race, the tyre would quickly get up to temperature and, therefore, pressure. With the temperature and pressure problems caused by following a rider too closely for too long, the introduction of unified tyre pressure monitoring hardware was of huge concern for riders from a safety point of view: starting a race with the pressure right at the minimum could mean a huge spike in pressure in the race, leading to riders losing the front and crashing.
There is a bit of leeway: failing to reach the minimum pressure for 50% of a fast lap in practice or qualifying or 50% of a race would be overlooked, although further infringement could lead to cancellation of a lap time or disqualification from the race results.
To avoid this, riders need to leave the pits or start a race with a front tyre a lot harder than they would like. If they can ride on their own, with no heat from the bike directly in front, then it’s not too much of a problem as the temperature and pressure will remain constant and right at the minimum. But follow another rider and the pressure will soar to the point where the grip drops off a cliff and a crash is all but inevitable.
Conversely, if they start with a much lower pressure and find themselves running in clean air, the pressure won’t rise sufficiently and they could be disqualified for running under the minimum for too long.
In pre-race interviews, many riders expressed concern about the new rule.
“I would like that the rule does not come into the championship,” said Marco Bezzecchi. “Sometimes it is too dangerous. We can have some problems with the pressure at this temperature.”
Pecco Bagnaia agreed: “We speak a lot about tyre pressure. In conditions like this track, where the braking is a lot, where you force the front end and the temperature is like today? It’s impossible to ride starting at the limit that they’ve [set].
“Because the bike starts moving a lot. You risk a lot more than having the normal pressure. It becomes more risky and more boring.
“If you see my race in Argentina, my front pressure was so high. Aleix Espargaro too – he crashed, I was there and it was impossible to overtake someone.
“For sure, this rule is not a correct thing for safety or for the people watching.”
“I agree with what Pecco and Bezzecchi say,” said COTA winner Alex Rins. “It’s difficult to find a balance. If you saw the last race, in Texas, everybody was out of the race because every rider was on red, on the tyre pressure.”
Vińales put it succinctly when he said: “It is difficult to control. If you start in front, which pressure do you use? If you start at the back, which pressure do you use? It’s so hard. It’s hard for the teams to control.
Luca Marini was another who offered his opinion: “We are not talking about performance, this is a matter of safety. When the pressure is too high, it’s too easy to crash. It is dangerous.
“You cannot start too low because you can’t control it. It’s difficult now, [even] without the rule. With the rule, it will be more difficult. I don’t know why the rule makes you go so high.
“Lower is no problem – the bike works well, just more safety. Past 2.0 or 2.1 it’s too easy to crash. You are not faster, if you go lower with the pressure.”
Right now, with all the problems with aerodynamics making it hard to overtake, the last thing MotoGP needs is another pointless rule that will hinder close racing even further, never mind the risk of more crashes. The grid is already decimated this season thanks to crashes, with Oliveira being the latest rider to be injured and possibly out for a race or two. Carry on like this, and Dorna will struggle to put ten bikes on a grid. True, teams will be able to draft in reserve riders but, Dani Pedrosa aside, which reserve rider has ever done anything other than tootle round at the back of the pack?
In Jerez, it was announced that the introduction of the tyre pressure rule will be delayed until Mugello, round six, following further information gathering in Spain and France. We can only hope that the riders are listened to and the whole stupid thing is scrapped. The FIM will argue that riding with a front tyre under minimum pressure is dangerous, hence the new rule and monitoring equipment but, if a rider chooses to risk his own neck by racing like that, then surely that is his prerogative? By forcing him to ride a bike that is guaranteed to be dangerous, then how is that more acceptable?
Now that the dust has settled on the weekend, we can mercifully forget all the tyre pressure hoo-ha and remember yet another brilliant weekend that gave us all the edge-of-the-seat racing we could possibly wish for. That Brad Binder had yet another excellent race weekend was the cherry on top for us here in SA but, once again, MotoGP showed that, in terms of pure racing action and excitement, it is very hard to beat. If proof is needed, all you need to do is watch a re-run of the Formula One race from Baku that took place immediately before the MotoGP race: boring doesn’t begin to describe it. Let’s hope the rule-makers and do-gooders don’t allow MotoGP to go down the same route of over-legislation leading to processional races.
