The press conference given by Loris Capirossi was eagerly awaited because it was to explain the reasons which led to a total cancellation of the sessions on this third day of the Qatar Grand Prix.
This is why we offer you a full translation, without formatting so as not to betray the words of Dorna's security manager.
A difficult evening but a really good decision…
“Yes, it hasn't been a really easy day for us as well. We tried to do the practice sessions this evening, we tried to keep pushing back to understand what the condition of the track was. We thought we could solve this, but in the end we realized the problem was bigger than we thought, and we decided to cancel the whole thing.
I think the biggest problem with this circuit is that there is no drainage, there is no drainage of the track at all. Normally we don't expect rain in Qatar, but we found out, especially during the Moto2 and Moto3 tests, and even more so today with its conditions. Of course, we are thinking about having some work done for next season, but so far the situation is like this. As for tomorrow, we have decided to increase the duration of the warm ups for each category a little, to 30 minutes per category, and we really hope that we will have favorable weather. Tonight we still want to work and try to resolve the problem as long as we can, and we have decided not to do qualifying tomorrow morning because we will need the whole day to work on having the best track conditions in late afternoon and evening view. »
Apparently the two big problems were the flooded track but also the loopholes which looked like lakes…
“Yes, in the loophole at turn eight we almost had a lake. The problem is that without drainage, water rises from the bottom. When there is a lot of rain, there is no drainage. We tried to remove the water with pumps, but when we thought it was good, after 10 minutes we had the same situation. She was coming out again. That's why we tried to have time, but we never solved the problem. And that's why we are still working, and now the situation is a little better, but even now the track is not ready. »
What is the weather forecast for tomorrow?
“We have been able to monitor this and unfortunately they are not great for the morning. It looks like we're also in for rain tomorrow morning, and as of 11 o'clock, this is the data we have, it looks like the rain will stop and it will be good for the entire afternoon. We hope so and we cross our fingers for that but we can't control the weather. »
You did say that drivers “could” drive at night in the wet, and not “had” to drive at night in the wet…
“We decided to come here in February to try to understand the situation at night because no one had ever tried at night with rain. But as I would like to explain, I didn't try it in the rain but with a completely wet track. These are different conditions. And when I tested it, I wasn't impressed. I said to myself "OK, the visibility is good, not too bad" and I think we should give all the drivers the opportunity to try. But above all, I don't want to make the decision. The decision must always come from the pilots. The pilots decide if it's safe or not. I don't decide that. This is why we want to give the drivers the opportunity to test and check the conditions. Secondly, after the experience we had today, I think that, day or night, it is impossible to run in the rain. Because without drainage, there is no difference between day and night. Running during the day, when there is a lot of water, as we have no drainage the track is difficult to run.
But it's not because we are in Qatar: we have the same problem in Malaysia, in Jerez and in Misano. Whatever the track, it's the same thing: when you have a lot of water, we have to cancel. In Misano a few years ago we canceled a day. This has happened many times. Fortunately, this was the first time we were able to find out if we could ride at night (in the rain), and my opinion is that we should try, but unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity to do so. As the pilots say, obviously we want to do some drainage work for next year, and we want to organize, especially on the last test day, for 30 or 40 minutes and after completely wet the track, the opportunity for everyone to try. »
Loris, if we have the same problem tomorrow and the drivers take to the track and come back saying they can't ride in the wet...
“No, like I said a few seconds ago, OK, sure tomorrow if we have rain in the evening, and there's not a lot of water, we can get the pilots out so that they realize the situation. You can imagine we have a very light rain and it stops. Then the drivers will come out and say that the conditions are acceptable and that we can race and that everything is going as normal.
If we have a lot of rain, I think it's impossible. It's tomorrow night we have a disaster like today, we can find different solutions. »
Would you cancel or postpone for a day?
“Normally we don't want to cancel, but maybe we'll cancel tomorrow and ride Monday, like in 2009.”
As a driver, do you think the work on the circuit must be important?
“We have already spoken with the circuit to try to improve a lot of things because drivers are also starting to complain about the surface which was put into use in 2004 when the track was created. And we obviously already have some plans for next year, and we still have to plan something, but for sure there will be some work for next year. »
Loris, the track is completely surrounded by Astroturf. Aren't you concerned about this problem while Astroturfing? can pose a safety poem if the drivers drive on it since it is slippery?
“Normally, on this track we fortunately have quite large loopholes since, in the past, many drivers asked to have Astroturf for safety, while now we want to change again. Right now I think the track isn't too bad. First of all we removed all the artificial grass, everywhere, and this first stage is complete, and we will also work on the Astroturf in the future in case we have to cut it back or not. »
Loris, there are two problems. The first problem is whether you can run at night in the rain because of the reflection of the headlights. The second problem is whether you can ride in the rain due to the lack of drainage. Why didn't your organization hold tryouts this morning? She knew it was going to rain and it was easy...
“Well, for you, it's easy to organize everything with a snap of your fingers, but it's not really easy to organize because the people aren't there and we didn't know if it was going to rain or not . »
No, you should have known that last night. Last night it rained a lot so it was easy to decide…
“No, obviously, we saw last night that it was raining around one in the morning. But normally you can arrive in the morning and with the strong wind it's dry. And you were able to move 200 people for nothing. It's not easy as you say, you know. »
Last night it was raining hard so it was easy. And it started at nine o'clock.
“Paolo, of course we discover new things every day. We saw exceptional rainy conditions today and there was a lot of water on the track. And I think if we had been there today, with the rain we had today, it wouldn't have been possible to hit the track. It has nothing to do with day or night. When we have a lot of water on the track, it doesn't make sense to ride, it's too dangerous. This is why we decided, in case there was a lot of rain tomorrow evening, not to bring the pilots out. For safety we can do a lot of laps with the car and check the conditions, but we don't want to take the drivers out. To do what ? For us, safety is the first point. When everything is safe, we can work on it. When it's not safe, we stop! »
What are the worst places on the circuit and what work are you going to do until tomorrow?
“The worst places are for sure the braking of turn number 1, a little bit of turn 3, the braking of turn 4, turn 10, and what we want to do tonight is put on pumps to try to remove all the water. If we have rain again tomorrow, we will have done half the job. But anyway, we can continue through the night and into tomorrow morning. There's nothing more we can do, we're just trying to remove as much water as we can. »
If drivers can try the track and conclude that it is impossible to ride at night in the rain, what will happen in the future? Are you going to move the race to the day?
“First of all, we want to listen to what the drivers think. If they say that it is impossible to ride at night in the rain, of course we will try to find a solution: maybe we will change to daytime, but we don't know the answer yet. »
Dani Pedrosa said that just looking at the images of the rain made it almost impossible to ride. Do you think the same thing, considering that there would be 22 motorcycles together?
“That's why I gave my opinion first but we want to listen to the opinion of the drivers. And we want to see 25 bikes on the track in the rain, because when I tried it wasn't raining even though the track was completely wet. That's why we really want to understand the opinions of the drivers. If they say it's impossible, we will agree and it will be impossible. We don't want to convince anyone. »
Will the circuit have new asphalt to improve drainage?
" Yes. 100 %. We're already working with the circuit on this, we're still talking and we don't have an answer yet, but it's for sure the number one plan that we have. »
You say you are waiting for the pilots' response. Why wait and not already have a plan A, plan B, plan C, etc.? ?
“Because during a race weekend, it is difficult to prepare 10 different plans. We don't know the weather, we don't know what's going to happen, we're just trying to follow what the forecast says. Weather forecasts say a lot of things and that's never what happens. Of course, we try to understand the forecast day by day. You know, until three days ago there was no rain forecast at night. We tried to understand if this was possible or not, and we asked Michelin and Dunlop to bring tires so that we could carry out tests. First of all, we needed a test, we didn't want to start directly with the race. Like I said, if we get a little rain tomorrow night, we can get the drivers out. If the drivers say "it's good for us", we can give another extra session of 20 minutes, and after that we can race. »
Is Monday a possibility?
“If tomorrow is another disaster, that’s a possibility. But for now, it's only a possibility. »
Can't we eliminate the problem of glare in the rain by running in the daytime?
“No, as I said, in case it rains, even at three o'clock we cannot know if we are going to run or not because it will depend on the intensity of the rain. And changing all the plans when we don't know exactly what's going on... imagine we have rain until 11 a.m., then of course the track won't be ready at three. It's better to wait. At the moment the situation was strange: we are in Qatar and the weather is incredible. The plan is to continue as usual, giving 10 extra minutes in the warm ups for all three categories, and we'll see what happens tomorrow evening. »
There have been heavy rains here before and people at the circuit knew drainage could be a problem. Why has no one taken this into consideration until today?
“For we have never seen such rain. Even in 2009, when we had a really heavy rain, it lasted maybe an hour and then stopped. We never had the slightest problem with water invading the loopholes and flowing onto the track. That's why we never discovered the problem. Today we really discovered this real problem, and that's why we are working to solve it. »
You say the drivers will try the night track in the rain next year during testing. Why haven't you considered it this year?
“We need real conditions to test. Because tonight, the track is 80% dry with lots of rivers. We need good conditions to try, with rain, but when the track is mixed, dry and wet, it doesn't mean anything. We are working on a lot of areas, drainage, a new surface, when everything is done we can organize the test. Because maybe when the drainage is good, even with heavy rain, we will be able to ride... if the drivers agree. »
When you tried the track, did you have a tinted visor to reduce sagging problems?
“No, I always used in Qatar, even when I raced here, a transparent visor. Always. And that's why I also had a transparent visor when I did the test. »
Photo credit : MotoGP.com
