19/10/2013
NEWS STORY
In a historic move, riders in Sunday's MotoGP Australian Grand Prix will have to change bikes due to concerns over tyre safety.
As tyres continue to dominate Formula One; be it the likes of Force India suffering as the compounds are changed, races being turned on their heads due to failing tyres or drivers being told to hold back and conserve rubber, spare a thought for MotoGP this weekend.
In a move somewhat similar to what happened at Indianapolis in 2005 when only six cars started the race following fears raised by Michelin regarding the safety of its tyres on the Indianapolis circuit, Japanese manufacturer Bridgestone (the French company's then rival in F1) has expressed similar fears ahead of this weekend's MotoGP event at Phillip Island.
A new track surface has not only seen a dramatic increase in speeds but also contributed to excessive tyre degradation. As a result, Bridgestone was unable to guarantee the safety of its rear slicks beyond 10 laps.
In cooperation with Bridgestone, which has expressed its fears, organisers have reduced the length of the race in addition to ordering riders to make a mandatory pit stop during which they will change bikes.
"We have been notified by Bridgestone that they are unable to guarantee safety of their rear slick tyres beyond 14 laps," said Race Control in a statement. "This means that a bike/tyre change before lap 12 will require a second bike/tyre change to finish the race."
Then again, changing cars might be a means of spicing up the remaining races, especially if it included Sebastian Vettel having to jump into a Marussia or Caterham. And how about Jules Bianchi or Max Chilton in the RB9?
Update: With Bridgestone insisting that it could not guarantee the safety of its rear slicks beyond 10 laps, the race which had already been shortened by one lap to 26 was subsequently reduced to 19 laps.