The standard penalty for cutting the course during a race is now a Long Lap Penalty.
The FIM MotoGP™ Stewards, together with the FIM, IRTA and Dorna, have decided that greater clarity is needed regarding certain sanctions in order to avoid time penalties applied after the finish of the race when that is possible.
Post-race time penalties can have a negative impact on entertainment and can make races and results more difficult for fans to follow.
Starting today, the standard penalty for cutting the course during the race is now a Long Lap Penalty, that is to say a passage through a widened and slower bend specially designed at one of the bends of the circuit.
The defined shortcut sectors have not been changed, and if a rider cuts the track in this area during the race:
– The runner must lose at least one second compared to his average time for this sector (calculated by Race Control).
– If the rider does not lose at least one second, he will be given a Long Lap Penalty.
Tolerances will continue to be provided for riders forced to deviate from the track.
Riders who save significant time by not slowing down during the shortcut may be subject to additional penalties.
If a runner takes a shortcut during the race, he may therefore receive a “LONG LAP” penalty message.
Drivers were reminded that a Long Lap Penalty must be executed within three laps of this message, otherwise the penalty will become a Ride Through.
