The question of sprint races animates this winter break which gives time to look into this subject released in the middle of the 2022 season, at a time when tension was at its height in the title race. The interest of the protagonists was therefore elsewhere, which is no longer the case this offseason. Between their implementation, their upheaval in the clauses of the contracts signed with in particular the question of bonuses, but also the evaluation of their consequences on the life of the paddock as well as their effects on the interest of the public, there is serious thinking. With this latest intervention to date, which we owe to Livio Suppo, we realize the bet taken by Dorna with this new Grand Prix format. And you have to hope you win.
But wishing him a winner does not mean silence in the ranks. Yes, we had to move the lines and the men of Carmelo Ezpeleta took the offensive rather than suffer the decline in audience figures. There will therefore be sprint races in 2023 in MotoGP, as there are in WSBK and Formula 1. The dimension of risk is revealed, however, when we know that these new competitions will be part of the program of 21 meetings on the calendar, which will make 42 starts...
On this point, Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant, who was team manager of the official team Suzuki as long as it existed calls out: “ whatever the president of the International Federation says, the start is not the most spectacular moment of a race but the most dangerous. Our sport is a risky sport so certain moments must be reduced. Instead we double them ". He adds : " I was talking about it with some of my mechanics: preparing a bike for a race is much more stressful than doing it for a test session. In racing, the slightest negligence, for example a poorly closed fairing, ruins everything. There is more pressure for the mechanics and also for the drivers. Making 42 starts on a psychophysical level is monstrous stress. Thinking about such a long championship I would have at least tried to include the sprint race in 4 grand prix to understand the effects. Doing it at once on all the dates seems like a gamble to me ».
The Italian thus sets the scene before continuing: “ we need to answer the question of why the sprint race was wanted. If the real reason is to get more people watching TV on Saturday it can probably work because a race certainly attracts more than a qualifying session. If, on the other hand, this change was made in the hope that it would increase interest in the championship itself, it must be said that it will have no effect ". A certainty that he supports with this argument: “ proof of this is the Superbike which has always had 2 races, now even 3 and despite this it has not become the very popular championship. Increasing the number of races is not enough to increase interest ».
Livio Suppo: “ the sprint race should be introduced as an experiment and not as a panacea for all ills«
This conviction displayed in the columns of motocisclismo is also accompanied by other ideas which were not retained: “ I had an idea inspired by F1 and which was to only use the rear level corrector in Moto GP in certain places when following a rider, as is the case with DRS. There are those who want to eliminate this system those who do not want it and my proposition is that technology can lend a hand to a show. Thinking about the race in Thailand between Miller Oliveira. They remained close for a long time. If only the one behind had been able to use the device they would have passed each other at least 6 or 7 times. The most spectacular thing in Moto GP is overtaking, perhaps on the last lap. There is nothing better than finals like Dovizioso against Marquez, they make you jump in front of the television and want to see the next race. This could be an idea copied from F1 ».
There remains this worrying observation: “ MotoGP remains a sport for enthusiasts and not for the general public, it has always been like that. Thanks to the Valentino phenomenon this had decreased but today we are again a biker sport and are not millions and millions. The question is how to make MotoGP something people want to see at all costs. The sprint race will not achieve any results from this point of view ". So what else to do? Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant advances his arguments: in F1 they did a great job in terms of communication. Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series brought young people together. I have a 20 year old daughter who tells me that many of her friends started following and becoming passionate about F1 after seeing it ". A final remark which emphasizes the damaging consequences of the resounding failure of the “MotoGP Unlimited” opus which was to launch the same dynamic on the same format.
Livio Suppo concludes: “ we must try to make Moto GP an event that people want to see. To do this we need to make it more spectacular. The sprint race could have been an attempt in this direction, but it had to be introduced as an experiment and not as a panacea for all ills ". This 2023 season will definitely be a competition with high stakes. Will the much-desired new era be launched there?
