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NOYES: Time to Fix ‘Flag-to-Flag’ Pit Stops Before Luck Runs Out
Dennis Noyes comments on the need to rethink the flag-to-flag rules currently in effect in MotoGP.
Dennis Noyes  |  Posted September 19, 2006   Madrid, Spain
Sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, champion Valentino Rossi, and Dorna Sports head Carmelo Ezpeleta admire the MotoGP 'Humpty-Dumpty' trophy (Photo: Getty Images)

There are some MotoGP rules and rule enforcement protocols that need urgent revision. So far, with Valentino Rossi running away with five titles in a row, the loopholes and episodes of incongruence have only raised a few eyebrows because there has never been much doubt as to which name to engrave on the MotoGP 'Humpty-Dumpty' trophy (one of the strangest trophies you'll ever hope to see in a serious sport).

Now, however, for the first time since 1993, the battle for the most prestigious motorcycle racing title is going down to the wire. There have been times when the points gap was even closer with 75 points in play, but the present situation, with five-time winner Valentino Rossi reeling in American challenger Nicky Hayden (leading by 21 points), makes this one feel tight and every point very valuable.

That is why it was unfortunate that the Grand Prix of Australia may be remembered for a "no call" on what looked to many like a pass under yellow by Rossi that should have cost the Italian at the very least a couple of points… but we'll look at that tomorrow.

Today I want to focus on the controversial "flag to flag" rule that I believe needs to be reviewed.

In all motorcycle roadracing championships it is recognized that rain and slick tires do not go together. Since the 1978 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, when forty riders went to the grid on slicks only to have it rain early in the race, everyone has recognized that this is a major problem. Most riders came in that day in ' 78 to change tires, but only one team, Yamaha Goodyear, made a truly "fast" change.

This was due to the fact that Kenny Roberts, the only rider on Goodyear tires, was constantly testing new compounds to the extent that his team, directed by former 250 World Champion Kel Carruthers, had perfected quick changes out of necessity.

Roberts changed and was back out quickly. Barry Sheene's Heron Suzuki team, however, was not up to speed on quick changes, costing the reigning champion more time in the pits. Meanwhile, privateer Steve Manship carried on wobbling around on slicks for the entire distance and was judged to have completed the 28 laps in 56 minutes, 4.98 seconds, 8.05 seconds longer than Roberts. There were some who believed that timing and scoring were wrong and that Manship actually won by almost a lap, but the ACU (British Federation) were satisfied, after several checks, that they got it right.

After this many who had been calling for a ban on slicks felt their case was strengthened, but slicks were never banned. The question of what to do when riders started on slicks in the dry only to have it rain continues to be most vexing in roadracing.

For a while racing was stopped when a dry race turned wet and aggregate times were used to determine winners, but this was unsatisfactory because there could be an unlimited number of starts. In fact, there were three in Assen in 1985 when Mamola won. The FIM had decided by 1989 that there could be no more than two starts and that after the second race, started on slicks, was stopped due to rain, the race would be deemed complete.

In an interesting footnote, the 1989 Belgium Grand Prix in Spa Francorchamps, scheduled for 18 laps and 73.3 miles, was entered in the books as a "complete" eight-lap, 34.5-mile sprint race victory for Eddie Lawson. But if you look at the old magazines you'll see Kevin Schwantz celebrating the victory atop a wet podium and John Kocinski standing third in his 500 debut.

In fact, the race director, fearing a riot if he sent the fans home after only seeing two aborted starts and eight recorded laps, decided to appease the crowd by sending the riders out again even though it was clearly against the rules. Word was that the "promoter" ordered the race director to do this. The "promoter" was Bernie Ecclestone. Eventually half points were awarded and the FIM realized that something had to be done.

Thus the "wet race" and "dry race" rules were instituted. Under these rules if a race starts in the dry with riders on slicks and rain begins to the extent that the race director believes that there is insufficient traction for slick tires, he orders red flags. If three or more laps have been run, the original race distance, minus the number of laps run and minus one additional lap, is established for the second leg. However, regardless of the conditions at the start of the second part, the race is declared "wet,' meaning that it would not be stopped simply because it begins to rain. Riders go out for part two with the understanding that, if they opted for the wrong tires, they either have to wobble around like Steve Manship at Silverstone or come in for a change. The final results are then to be based on aggregate times.

This worked from the late eighties until 2003 when Dorna, protecting their TV coverage against long delays, overrode strong MSMA (Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association) objections and managed to introduce the first of three variants of "flag to flag" racing -- races which would not be stopped and restarted due to rain.

Helter-skelter

I have never liked this idea because I object to live TV trumping safety, but the economic realities demand that the MotoGP TV window be preserved. I have always believed that there are other ways to accomplish this. The best way seems to be copying the British Superbike Championship, which simply demands that after a dry start is red-flagged due to rain, riders return to the starting grid as soon as possible, thereby cutting the dead time to a minimum and preventing delays that cause broadcasters to terminate due to other network obligations.

I still believe that the British solution is the best, combining the old "dry race" and "wet race" two-start limit with a federation-mandated hurry-up. MotoGP teams, however, object to the "hurry up" and Dorna forcefully prefers "flag to flag."

My objection to "flag to flag" is that there will come a day when a dry race suddenly goes wet with just three or four laps to go and the rules will, in fact, virtually oblige riders to stay out on slicks since a stop at that stage would take them out of contention.

My other objection has always been that bringing in a whole field of MotoGP bikes for tire changes at once would convert pit lane into an overcrowded aircraft carrier flight deck with all the dangers that the image implies.

After seeing the goings on in Phillip Island, everyone should realize that an unacceptable new element of confusion and potential danger has been added to life in pit lane.

Last Sunday we saw for the first time the helter-skelter reality of what happens when Grand Prix riders make unrehearsed "Pony Express" machine changes in the narrow pits of Phillip Island. This time there was no major disaster, although the chaos did make Grand Prix racing look unprofessional. It could have been a lot worse. As it was, Dani Pedrosa almost hit Makoto Tamada's poorly parked RC211V and several riders lost valuable time trying to find their own garage doors in a pit lane overpopulated with curious on-lookers who, having pit lane access, hurried into the fray because they wanted to see bike changes up close.

The "flag to flag" rules were not applied to the MotoGP class to make racing safer. The sole purpose was to make sure that rain delays do not upset the sacrosanct international TV schedule.

TV is important, but safety must always trump TV.

A Brief History of "Flag to Flag"

Back in 2002 the authorities and promoters, unhappy with the prospect of long delays when rain comes while riders are racing on slicks, considered many alternatives. At one time even the use of a pace car with a rolling re-start was on the books, with riders coming in for tire changes under neutralized conditions, but that was trash-canned after a disastrous rehearsal in the Circuit of Catalunya at the preseason IRTA tests of 2003.

Then it was proposed that riders would come in when it rained and change tires. This procedure was decided on just before the start of the season and riders, already focused on the opening round in Suzuka, were too busy getting ready for the first race to have a lot to say about this new rule, though there were rumblings of discontent.

But when Japanese rider Daijiro Kato was killed at Suzuka at the start of the 2003 season, there were strong emotions and a Rider's Safety Committee was formed independently, without the sanction of the FIM but with the blessing of Dorna. Riders like Sete Gibernau and Valentino Rossi rebelliously said that they were not returning to Suzuka unless their safety concerns were addressed. This new group turned their attention to other matters as well and finally addressed the "flag to flag" regulations that had been rushed past them in the spring after the embarrassing failure of the safety car experiment.

Riders had acquiesced to the push for "flag to flag," but the MSMA were still firmly opposed. Their objections were overruled when Dorna, supported by IRTA (International Road Racing Teams Association), got the FIM to agree to "flag to flag." Facing a 3 to 1 defeat in the Grand Prix Commission, the MSMA accepted, but never agreed. After the death of the brilliant Daijiro Kato in what was a normal racing accident that took place in an area where there was insufficient run-off area, riders, now sharply focused on safety issues, took another look at "flag to flag" and raised objections and immediately rejected the idea of tire changes.

Rossi said that MotoGP teams were not endurance teams and that during a switch from dry to wet conditions the carbon disc brakes and pads would also have to be changed for steel brakes and conventional pads. To Rossi this meant there was too much to do and too much of a chance for something to be left loose. Rossi, Gibernau, Roberts and Nobuatsu Haruchika Aoki, the four MotoGP rider representatives, offered forceful and convincing arguments against tire changing.

Carmelo Ezpeleta was anxious to satisfy riders' safety demands without sacrificing the TV-friendly "flag to flag" concept. Instead of opposing the riders, however, he actually became the host and moderator for the Riders' Safety Committee meetings that took place in his office on every GP Thursday, and, because of his open dialogue with the riders, he was able to explain to them the reasons that "flag to flag" racing was important to the championship. These riders understood that their teams and sponsors, and, indeed, they themselves, needed to maximize TV exposure.

Thinking fast, the riders and Ezpeleta, consulting with the teams and manufacturers, came up with the "Pony Express" concept where riders would, when authorized with white flags in "dry races" when it began to rain, or anytime they needed to in "wet races," come into the pits and change bikes… coming in on slicks, for example, and going back out another machine with any combination of tires as long as one tire was of a different type than the combination on the original bike.

The idea was that riders would start on slicks and when it started to rain they would be informed via white flags that pit lane was open for motorcycle changes. In a "wet race" the riders could come in and change bikes at any time. In both cases riders could change bikes more than once, as long as they never went back out on the same combination of tires that they came in on.

Once the pit lane congestion and disorder has been dealt with, this concept will work satisfactorily almost all the time… with "almost" being the worrying word -- the 800 pound gorilla in Race Direction.

The Doomsday Scenario Won't Go Away

The doomsday scenario was always there, something that no one really wants to look at. But imagine, if you will, a race that starts in the dry and is in its final four or five laps when suddenly it starts to rain hard. Imagine one of those cloudbursts that sometimes take place in mid-summer at Brno during the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic.

No one who needs points badly will come in for a bike change with so few laps to go and riders will try and test the conditions on slicks, racing on slicks in the rain, something that tire companies have said repeatedly exposes riders to great danger.

The old saying goes that it is better to be lucky than good. So far MotoGP has been lucky… for the most part.

Luck ran out for Sete Gibernau at Portugal in 2005 when he has leading as the first drops of rain came down. Like the canary in the cage lowered down the mineshaft, Gibernau fell from his perch on his Honda, a warning that grip was being washed away. Under the old rules the race would have been stopped when the rain became more intense, probably before Sete's crash, so that riders could make tire changes. Gibernau crashed; so did Edwards. But as the teams readied spare bikes with rain tires for what would have been the first MotoGP bike swap, the drizzle went away and riders were able to finish on slicks. Alex Barros won from Rossi though he almost crashed on the last lap.

Until last week in Australia, we had not seen what the bike changes would look like and we did not see how dangerous pit lane becomes when 19 riders come in to do something that they have never done before, especially with too many people wandering the pits.

Colin Edwards said in Australia, "It was starting to get dangerous but I knew nobody would go in until somebody crashed, and it was me!"

Kenny Roberts Junior also crashed while on slicks. But when he changed bikes, he found the throttle was loose on his spare machine. So changing bikes does not guarantee anything either. Under normal conditions the loose throttle would have been found on the sighting lap. Going out on a bike that has not been taken around on a sighting lap is dangerous, and new rules should never add new danger.

There are two ways to fix this:

1. Go back to the previous system -- stopping the races in case of rain. This is not perfect because the new start is automatically called a "wet race" regardless of the conditions and riders would then be faced with the choice of staying out or coming in for a tire change. But this is much better because it gives riders a first warning and a second chance. In World Superbike -- where this system continues to work successfully though sometimes at the cost of the TV window being lost -- the overall result is taken from aggregate time, which is easily tracked by transponder timing. The other option, perhaps better for TV and the crowd, but not as "fair," is to simply run a new, shortened race. This is what is currently done in World 125 and World 250, and also in the AMA series. Either way, safety is improved, but only a British Superbike "hurry up" that eliminates the lengthy pre-start protocol will save the TV window.

2. Prohibit carbon brake discs, as in World Superbike, and simply let teams make tire changes whenever they want to, as in car racing. Given the huge budgets of MotoGP teams, the money required to put quick change equipment on bikes and to have endurance jacks and air guns standing by would be minimal and probably offset by the savings in fitting all machines out with carbon brakes. Efficient endurance racing-type quick changes would even make good TV and would certainly look a lot better on TV than what we saw at Phillip Island. In this way, additionally, no rider would go out on a bike that has not done a sighting lap, eliminating the bad surprise that Kenny Roberts Junior faced when he found himself out on the track racing a bike with a loose throttle. It could have been a lot worse if it had been a sticking throttle.

But all this requires time to think and talk. What needs to be done immediately is to simply put a bandage on it, limiting pit lane access during races and blocking out parking and bike changing protocols to avoid riders running into each other as they almost did on several occasions in Phillip Island.

And when this season is over -- hopefully without a cloudburst that catches riders out with only a few laps to go and somebody is badly hurt racing on slicks in the rain -- the powers that be (FIM, Dorna-IRTA, MSMA and the Riders Safety Committee) need to take one more long, careful look at the old problem of rain and slicks.

Maybe it is better to be lucky than good… but luck eventually runs out.

Tomorrow, as qualifying begins at Motegi, Japan, for round 15 of 17, we'll look at the awkward and almost untenable position that the four men in Race Direction are placed in by that the current rules governing passing under yellow… and about the unfortunate consequences that the "no call" in Australia may have on the final outcome of the 2006 MotoGP World Roadracing Championship and the name that is eventually engraved on that Humpty-Dumpty trophy that kind of grows on you.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SpeedTV.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel




Dennis Noyes raced dirt track stockcars as a teenager in the Illinois-Missouri Stock Car Association, before disappearing into South and Central America for three years and reappearing in Spain where he discovered motorcycles and motorcycle journalism. As a rider he won two Spanish National titles, and as a journalist he has covered Grand Prix racing since the late seventies, working for several years as a Grand Prix TV commentator with Eurosport and with Speed Channel. He currently covers MotoGP and World Superbike for Motociclismo magazine of Madrid and SpeedTV.com and does occasional Spanish language TV commentary in Spain. He splits his time between the Southern California deserts and the mountains of Madrid and is the author of 50 Years of Moto Grand Prix , the FIM official history published by Motocourse, but is best known in Spain for his "Cinta Americana" feature articles, a series that has been running for 23 years.
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