Yes,yes I read that, curious to read cota management's response...if they are awake.
MotoGP riders' request to shorten COTA race “not taken seriously” – Petrucci By: Lewis Duncan Oct 3, 2021, 6:27 AM Tech3’s Danilo Petrucci says the MotoGP field requested the Grand Prix of the Americas to be shortened on safety grounds, but organisers “didn’t take us seriously” in the safety commission. Image Unavailable, Please Login The bumpy track surface at the Circuit of the Americas has been subject to much criticism this weekend, with many riders labelling it as dangerous. Due to the vicious nature of the bumps, many riders said on Friday the idea of shortening the 20-lap race would be brought up in the safety commission meeting as some feared getting to the finish would be physically too difficult. Double MotoGP race winner Petrucci says this idea was put forward in the safety commission, but says the FIM and Dorna Sports’ representatives chairing the meeting “thought we were joking”. “We asked but they thought we were joking,” Petrucci said on shortening Sunday’s Austin race. Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says riders were asked in the safety commission what the minimum requirement would be for MotoGP to return to Austin in 2022, with all of the agreeing that a resurfacing from Turn 2 to Turn 10 would be acceptable. Parts of COTA were resurfaced back in 2020 following complaints from both MotoGP and Formula 1 in 2019. “So basically in the safety commission - apart from one or two riders where everything is very fun for them, they enjoy the bumps, no problem, let’s have a beer – all the other riders were very angry and saying this track is not safe, that this track is completely unacceptable to race here,” Espargaro said. “For me and also a lot of my mates, if we made a cooperation, we’d say we couldn’t race here tomorrow. “But we’re here, it is how it is, but if next year if there is no solution it’s impossible for us to come here and race, and almost 95% of the riders were on the same line. “They promised us they’d resurface from minimum Turn 2 to Turn 10. “In safety commission we asked to shorten the race but I don’t think it’s possible. “We need really to… I don’t know what we can do, I don’t know if all the riders agree with that. “But for sure 90% wanted to shorten the race. [If it was] me, I would have shortened the race for sure. “As I told you, they I think they think we were joking about shortening the race, so [we] had them laughing let’s say. “But they don’t take us seriously, so for me it could be a real regret. But for them no way.”
NBCS's broadcast of the Austin MotoGP was a train wreck. They dispatched Diffey to be the host for some reason and right from the beginning audio problems made it sound as though he was making is verbal ramblings from a giant men's room rather than on the pit lane. Diffey unscripted with no one to fall back to, that's why the mute button was invented. Does an event that usually only last 30 minutes really need 30 minutes of pre-race hype? There was so much room for NBCS to fill that suddenly there was a 10 minute infomercial for non-stick cookware inserted. I thought I had missed something or accidentally changed the channel but, no, an infomercial during the lead-in to the event itself. After they finally got the race done, we expect rider interviews but, no, more commercials only to cut back to Diffey rambling on and on about who knows what and then more commercials. NBCS does know about the existence of remote controls don't they? Whomever is in charge of MotoGP better get their arms around the quality control of their race broadcasts. Heaven knows, they've had their issues getting their races on the air at all the past few years but that's not enough of an accomplishment (yet). BHW
