All eyes on America… from a distance
MotoAmerica became the first motorcycle championship to get back underway last weekend, ending weeks of drought for race fans. Four-time champion Cameron Beaubier was the star, collecting both of the wins across Saturday and Sunday. However, with respect to the Californian, most eyes were on off-track activities as Dorna and MSVR will have been watching eagle-eyed with a view to getting MotoGP, WSB and BSB back on-track as soon as possible. MotoAmerica organisers have worked hard over recent months to get the show back on the road, albeit behind closed doors. Like BSB, most of its competitors and workers are based in one country, although different regulations between US states has been a stumbling block. Last week’s setting was the spectacular Road America, situated just outside the sleepy town of Elkhart Lake in rural Wisconsin. The fact it is a countryside venue, an hour’s drive from the closest big city, was a key factor.
In a world still dominated by headlines about lockdowns and social distancing, a multi-page dossier went out to anybody working at the circuit, with strict consequences for breaking the regulations. To avoid contact, the paddock was spaced out much more than usual as canopies opened up to the back of rivals’ trucks to avoid faceto-face contact between teams. This was coupled with rules preventing people from moving freely around the paddock; mingling was a definite no-no. With full hygiene measures in place, procedures were modified to avoid close proximity while TV commentators sat at opposite ends of tables and long boom mics were used for rider interviews. Furthermore, all reporters and commentators were allocated their own equipment for the weekend to avoid sharing any hardware. Ahead of races, the Quick Start Procedure was applied every time: one mechanic per rider with none of the usual auxiliary mechanics, grid girls or media.