Pecco Bagpaia’s victory at the Grad Prix d’Japan remains an anomaly in Italy’s difficult season, to such an extent that it’s easy to forget the context in which it was achieved. In the final laps, his Ducati began emitting more and more smoke, resulting only in a slight loss of power. Bagpaia did not realize the problem and Ducati assured that there was no risk of breakage, but the sequence has already caused the competition.
According to the regulations, any mechanical or technical problem likely to cause a hazard must prompt the race direction to display the storm flag to the pilot involved, who is thus compelled to stop. His motorcycle must be inspected by a steward before any return to the track. On Sunday at Motegi, Dappy Aldridge, technical director of the championship, immediately went out of the garage to ask Gigi Dalle, general manager of Ducati in MotoGP, what was happening to Bagpaia’s motorcycle. After the explanations from engineer Aldridge and race director Mike Webb, they accepted the explanations, which ruled out the risk of oil spilling on the track, thus allowing Bagpaia to remain on the track. According to information obtained by Motorsport.com, several manufacturers immediately asked why the usual protocol had not been applied. At the Austrian GP, this is what happened when Jack Miller’s Yamaha started emitting smoke. The Australian rider veered off the racing line after several corners, his engine hadn’t cut out and his dashboard hadn’t displayed any warnings. He was subsequently deprived of the ten minutes of the EL2, as a precaution. A clarification deemed necessary. It is precisely the difference between these two cases that prompted the builders to request that a clearly defined protocol be applied in all situations. Regarding Bagpaia’s case, the risk of oil spilling onto the track appeared low. “All MotoGP bikes, when they’re running, run on excess oil,” the team manager explained to Motorsport.com. “Each manufacturer has its own system to manage the excess. We can assume that the smoke from Bagpaia’s bike came from excess oil burned by the heat of the exhaust.” “The process is a theory under control.”
The Dυcati of Pecco Bagпaia let out some smoke earlier today at Motegi. Photo by: MotoGPC It’s for this reason that Bagпaia was not asked to stop when the fire was Apparently, Dυcati’s explanation was consistent with the direction of the race. But a rival brand expressed its concern, and did not share the position according to which the situation would have presupposed no danger. “The smoke escaping from a motorcycle settles on the asphalt,” they indicated a source. “If it’s for a few meters, it’s not a problem. But if it lasts three, four, or five laps, this smoke transforms into oil and cools down, and “It’s dangerous for others.” The builders want to avoid a new situation like this. Our source wants a precise protocol to be put in place: “The questions you have are: what will happen next time? Does the declaration of a team leader have authority, or should the regulations be applied? We need a protocol applied in a step-by-step manner.”
Motorsport.com has learned that the manufacturers did not appreciate seeing the technical director speaking directly with Dal’Iga, their conversation having even been partially broadcast by the championship. “It wasn’t good to see that. That’s why we also requested the introduction of radio communication between all the teams and race management, with the sporting and technical directors of the championship, so that everything…” “problem which appears on the track can be discussed immediately and interrogated”, he indicated his source.
