In Austin, official Ducati rider Jack Miller spoke about the latest dramas that have shaken motorcycle racing on the track. The disappearances of Jason Dupasquier, Hugo Millan and Dean Berta Viñales took place at different times and places, but with the common point of the same fatal sequence, in a race in a tight peloton in a category where the we take our first steps in the competition. The three young men will never reach their majority. If The Australian does not have the solution to avoid these terrible events, it still encourages us to pause for a moment of reflection...
Jack Miller likes to appear fanciful and is also a complete character when you pick on him. Joan mir still remembers his words upon the arrival of the Grand Prix of the Americas, after having jostled him for a sixth place… But all this reveals above all a sensitive guy. And this character trait appeared when reflecting on the three regrettable deaths in racing this year.
The pilot Ducati says thus: “ our sport is hard, it is brutal. But it's also part of the excitement of motorsport that it's so raw and dangerous. » “Jackass” begins “ Things like this with Dean Berta Viñales can happen…But every driver should have a decent environment around him which gives him mental support in such phases. Personally, I have never been directly involved in a fatal accident, and fortunately so. So I can't say anything specific about it. But I have seen such dramas at Grands Prix many times ».
He recounts this experience thus: “ I remember I was only 16 when Marco Simoncelli had a fatal accident at Sepang. It was about my third Grand Prix in the 125cc category. It was tragic. How that whole day went stays in your head. For example, I remember how spectators threw empty bottles at the mechanics because the MotoGP race was not restarted after its cancellation. You don't forget scenes like that ».
« But there is no easy way to overcome such tragic events ", said Jack on speedweek. " It's terrible what happened this year. It's worse than terrible! The worst part is that so many very young lives have been lost. Look at Dean Vinales. He was born in 2006, not that long ago. Poor guy! The poor child. He fell and was killed. Terrible. One of the young drivers involved in the accident at the Supersport 300 race in Jerez is Australian Harry Khouri. Like me, he lives in Andorra. He is devastated. Some guys will stop running because of it. But I think that's not the way to go because they're doing what they love. Everyone knows that these risks exist and that such tragedies can happen. But you don't even want to think about it. But somehow you can't rule out the danger »
Jack Miller: “we cannot afford for three teenagers in this sport to lose their lives in four months"
Miller continues: “ you can improve conditions, you can make racing safer. We are having discussions about the conditions in Moto3. But also in the Supersport 300 World Championship, these bikes are very fast and there are so many riders on them. And these motorcycles are road machines, so they are significantly heavier than a Moto3 motorcycle. Full starting grids increase the chances that following drivers will not be able to avoid you after a serious accident. The probability of a double or triple collision is there, because so many drivers are on the grid ».
« I think this junior class is fantastic. But you definitely need to think about how to make these races safer. This cannot continue like this. This year has been particularly bad. But we cannot afford to have three teenagers in this sport lose their lives in four months. I think I speak for all my colleagues when I say that I hate having these moments of silence all the time. We mourn children who were so young. It can't continue like this. Never ! ". The observation is not subject to any dispute and it will be recalled that it was made before the Austin Moto3 race where a pileup took place with miraculously no casualties. It now remains to think about solutions. And nothing is less simple. The first idea suggested by the most experienced pilots was to reinstill the respect on the other on the track to the younger generation.
