On a weekend marked by controversy, riders Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura faced complications with their ride-height devices during the British GP, despite the ban on holeshot devices at the start phase of the race. Both riders, who started from the front row, lost positions at the beginning of the competition.
Poleman Jorge Martin tried to defend his position at the first corner but ended up going in too deep, allowing Raul Fernandez to overtake him and eventually win the race. On the other hand, Ogura, in a similar situation, also dropped in the standings.
Replays showed that both riders’ bikes were dragging their rear end on the pavement, suggesting that the rear ride-height devices were not functioning correctly. Despite this difficulty, Martin was able to recover and finish second, while Ogura fell later during the competition.
A recent change in regulations
The British GP was only the second race since the introduction of the ban on front holeshot devices, following a weekend full of incidents at the GP of Catalunya. It is important to note that, to date, all bikes continue to be equipped with rear height adjustment devices, which are used to accelerate out of slow corners during the race, as well as at the start.
Historically, riders have expressed that rear height devices often do not disengage properly, despite applying brake pressure. However, this time, both Martin and Ogura acknowledged that their poor starts were their own fault.
Martin explained his experience: ‘I did not start very well; Raul had a better start. When we entered the first corner, I just wanted to maintain the first position, but I did not brake enough. This caused my rear device not to return to its correct position.’
Looking to the future
The incidents at the British GP highlight that riders may continue to face problems with ride-height devices during starts until they are officially banned in 2027 with the arrival of the 850cc era. There are diverse opinions on how these devices should be managed within the competition, with manufacturers having developed various systems.
Additionally, their prohibition has been requested for safety reasons, while other riders believe that accidents at the starts are inevitable, regardless of the existence of these devices or not. To reduce the risk of incidents, MotoGP has increased the distance between riders on the grid from three to four meters, starting with the GP of Germany.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
