The number of race laps are to be reduced across all 3 classes over the next 2 seasons (2018 & 2019) to “ensure races have a similar duration at each venue on the calendar, enhancing event organisation and aiding television broadcasters to better structure race day programming”. WTF ? Andy
Hang on... if all venues don’t have the same duration and you reduce them all by the same amount, then surely they will continue to have different durations (just all shorter)... or am I missing something?! Maybe it should read they are reducing it at certain venues?....
I thought they did that at any given venue anyway - whatever number of laps is required to get to the prescribed distance?
According to Autosport.com Seven grands prix in the 2018 MotoGP season are set to be shortened in distance, Autosport has learned. This decision has been taken following suggestions by some riders in the Safety Commission, where discussions over excessive race lengths had been taking place. Nine Moto2 races and seven Moto3 races will also be reduced in length in order to make scheduling easier for race organisers. On the MotoGP side, the seven rounds losing laps will be Austin, Jerez, Le Mans, Barcelona, Brno, Misano and Valencia. Most will be reduced by just one lap, although Jerez will lose two and Valencia three. This reorganisation takes place a year before the arrival of the FIM Moto-e World Cup for electric bikes. Its calendar will include between four and six rounds, all of them in Europe. The new championship will make Sunday event schedules even more packed as it is expected that these races (most of which will be eight laps) will take place before the start of MotoGP at 1400 local time.
Yes you are correct . I was just so incensed when I read it, I didn’t spend enough time wording my post. Andy
Useful post mate but really, making room for battery bikes ? Better off putting it with WSBK, might actually get a full day of racing. Andy
maybe I'm crazy but perhaps shortening races may be part, (eventually) of doing away with internal combustion and phasing in electric? I hope not.. .
if its a safety commission thing then maybe some tyre options which were the best short term struggled in the last few laps of some races......... or the new duke can't get its fuel to last under full power....... or perhaps our own Vale's fitness is struggling to last the distance and they want him to stay in the paddock till 2020???
They just lost out to Sky in the bidding war for premier league football, 4 packages to 1 with 2 left to play for. Over £5 billion already committed, just ludicrous. Andy