Dangerous riding was set to be the major topic at Friday evening’s Rider’s Safety Commission, with feelings running high among past and present victims of Marquez, as well as some askance glances at Zarco, who has also earned a reputation for his merciless attacking style.
Riders were looking for some clear guidance from Race Direction. “We need to find out in the Safety Commission where the limit is,” said Vinales; while Aleix Espargaro on Thursday made an impassioned plea for some clear management. The black flag (of disqualification) might as well be thrown away, he told press, if officials were not prepared to use it.
Another calling for discipline was Jorge Lorenzo, a long-time advocate of harsher penalties, having had his own aggression tamed by a one-race disqualification in 2005. He told press-men: “If Race Direction gives hard penalties, next time the rider won’t make this action.”
Zarco, one of the hardest riders, said: “We try to race in a good way, but we must understand it is a fight.”
The wisest council came from Australian Jack Miller, who earned a round of applause at the pre-event conference. “The fight should stay on the track, not in the media,” he said, adding in a jibe at Rossi: “Riders need to be careful what they say.” Journalists on the lookout for a story asked provocative questions, and words could be twisted.
He concluded with a reminder of a feud in 2011, when Marco Simoncelli (already in trouble with Lorenzo) knocked Pedrosa down and injured him. Later in the same year, after harsh words had been exchanged, Simoncelli crashed fatally in Malaysia.
Miller referenced the pair, saying: “You have to remember life is short and we are risking our lives here.”
Miller, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 2018