Binder: “These incidents can happen”, Marini calls first corner ‘most important’
The last two MotoGP rounds have seen huge accidents take place at the first corner, which is why discussions of where to set start-finish lines have been had.
But most riders have agreed that it’s just part of racing and that changing where the grid lines up won’t make a difference.
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Sure it could change the speeds riders take heading into turn one, but it won’t stop riders from trying aggressive moves under braking, both of which are the reason for the pile ups at the Red Bull Ring and Catalunya.
While he wasn’t part of the melee at the last round which saw Enea Bastianini take out four other Ducatis, Binder did have his own scare after hitting Francesco Bagnaia with his bike, following the world champion’s fall on the exit of turn two.
But the KTM rider, despite his obvious worries in the aftermath of hitting Bagnaia, stressed that changing start positions is not the answer.
"This is racing," began Binder. "These incidents can happen. It’s difficult to say if you can avoid them, or not, or what can be done.
"No matter what type of motorsport, when there’s 23 riders all wanting to win the race, you sometimes step over each other.
"It’s tricky. It doesn’t happen every weekend and, when it does, it’s unfortunate."
Factory Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, who took advantage of last weekend’s incident to move up the order and secure a top ten result, agreed with Binder.
Quartararo added: "This is racing. You don’t know where you’re going to brake. To have a practice start could be good or bad.
"My teammate mentioned in Barcelona to have the start closer to the corner, but there will be these incidents because we all go to the limit."
The first of the two accidents at the Red Bull Ring saw Marco Bezzecchi taken out.
Along with Johann Zarco, Bezzecchi was the only rider that was taken out both times and his teammate Luca Marini said this is in part because riders are trying to make an immediate impact because of the make-or-break nature to current MotoGP races.
"It’s something that can happen in all motorsports," said Marini after signing a new deal with Mooney VR46. "The first corner is the most important moment in the race because, if you start P10 and overtake five riders, it’s a different race.
"It’s a moment where we all put in effort to do our best. This is something that can happen."
