What causes MotoGP’s Turn 1 accidents? “It’s not the devices”
MotoGP riders insist holeshot devices are not responsible for the growing number of first-corner crash injuries in grand prix racing.
Incidents at the Catalan MotoGP mean that both Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco are absent from this weekend’s Mugello round.
Marquez suffered back injuries after clipping the KTM of race leader Pedro Acosta when the Spaniard suddenly lost power midway through the grand prix.
Zarco then sustained knee injuries during a nasty Turn 1 accident on the restart.
Since Sprint races were introduced in 2023, Turn 1 incidents have accounted for around 20% of injuries causing riders to miss a MotoGP race, according to analysis by Dimitri Stathopoulos.
Unique to MotoGP is the use of holeshot/ride-height devices, which lower the front and rear of the bike to reduce wheelies and improve acceleration.
With all manufacturers now using similar systems, the devices no longer offer a major relative performance advantage and will be banned from next season.
However, riders quizzed at Mugello on Thursday did not believe the technology is the main cause of first-corner crashes.
“At the end, the first corner after the start is dangerous with any bike,” said title leader Marco Bezzecchi.
“Then MotoGP is quicker than Moto2, Moto3 so the braking is very difficult. It’s not because of the device, I think.
“For sure some tracks like Le Mans are a bit more difficult because you don’t brake much for the first corner.
“But I don’t think it’s because of the devices that sometimes a crash can happen at the start.
“At the end, we all make mistakes. Everyone on the grid has done it. It’s something that you really can’t remove. It’s part of racing.”
Catalunya winner Fabio di Giannantonio highlighted the unpredictability of braking for Turn 1 compared to a normal lap.
“I don’t think the devices make a big difference. Also if you see Superbikes, they are pretty fast like us, and at the first corner sometimes you can see some disasters,” he said.
“The first thing is that we only experience the first corner, all riding together, just twice per weekend.
“Let’s say that when you do a normal lap, you brake for the first corner here at Mugello at 200-250 metres.
“But when you do a start, the brake point depends a lot on how you started. If you arrive faster or slower the braking point is different. So every time is different. You don’t have a really clear point to brake.
“Secondly, we are riding at a few tracks where we arrive for Turn 1 at a really high speed. But still not the full speed we are used to arriving at.
“It’s better to arrive every lap at 360km/h and brake in the same point than to arrive once at 300km/h and not know where to stop the bike.”
Shortening the distance between the grid and Turn 1 - as widely proposed for Catalunya - might help, Diggia said, but won’t eliminate the issue.
“I think in the future maybe we can work to arrive a little slower to the first corner. That can help a little with this. But I think also we will always see some mistakes,” he explained.
“24 riders all together, we all know how important the first corner and first lap is, so everybody will be aggressive.
“It’s more about being conscious, careful and trying not to create problems. But it’s tough to predict.”
Pecco Bagnaia was directly involved in Zarco’s Catalunya accident after being hit from behind under braking.
“I think that [the devices are] just more difficult in three grand prix: Le Mans, Silverstone and Phillip Island,” said Bagnaia.
“They are the only tracks where the first braking is not heavy, so it’s easy not to disengage the devices.
“Apart from that, the devices are not more unsafe. Without them, you weave more on the straight, because you wheelie more.
“So, it’s not the devices that have increased the level of injuries.
“It’s because we start twice, you want to gain as many positions as you can in the first part of the race, because if you are stuck behind it’s difficult to overtake, the front tyre pressure goes up.
“So you know there’s a possibility to gain an advantage in the first acceleration and braking and you try more.
“But first corners incidents will always be there.”
MotoGP riders proposed a ban on the use of holeshot devices at Le Mans, due to the high speed first corner, plus Silverstone and Phillip Island later in the year.
The ban did not receive unanimous manufacturer backing during the French Grand Prix but is still under consideration for Silverstone and Phillip Island.
Mugello, like Catalunya, has a long run from the grid to the first corner.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
