SHOULD LE MANS BE MOVED TO A DIFFERENT TIME OF YEAR?

YES

Should the premier class of motorcycling race in the rain? Yes, absolutely. Should they do so year after a year at a track famed for its ice rink like surface and Baltic track temperatures? No. The fact that 117 riders crashed over a single weekend simply cannot be ignored. The infamous Turn 3, complete with the fittest marshals in MotoGP, saw the lions share of them – 37 to be precise. But it was not only the frequency of the crashes that cause concern, it was the nature of them that should be the catalyst for a simple date change. Viñales crashed on an out lap, Rins was only seconds into his wet race stint. Two world class riders hitting the deck without seemingly doing anything wrong. But wet weather lowsides are one thing, off throttle corner entry highsides are another and pretty much the most unwelcome crash any rider could wish for. And there were plenty of them, too.

Move the race to July or August. Yes it may still rain, (imagine for a second if it didn’t!) but the crucial track temperature will be higher almost certainly reducing the number of fallers, saving £000’s of crash damage – it may also mean fewer injuries – and in my book that makes it the right thing to do.

NO

Le Mans’ 117 crashes set a new record for the notorious track (although short of Misano’s 140 in 2017). Miraculously, only two riders were unable to race (Moto2’s Montella – fractured wrist, Moto3’s Kunii – collarbone). But pain and suffering for many others, plus costly and exhausting crash repairs for their teams, still count.

Is the mid-May date – prone to cold and changing conditions – to blame? Would it be better at another time? The answer: No. Last year it was in October. The weather was just as bad, and there were 100 crashes.

Truth is, as at Silverstone, there can be no guarantee of good weather at any time of year.

This is the World Championship, and must face world conditions. They are, after all, the same for everybody. The problem of too many crashes must be addressed in a different way. By looking at the equipment. Particularly tyres, where blanket standardisation, aimed at cutting costs, requires a very limited selection to be homologated before the start of the year. Once, rubber was made to suit particular tracks. Not any more, and the Le Mans crash list is living proof that in this respect, one size does not fit all.

‘You can’t ignore the number of crashes’

MICHAEL GUY Sports Editor

‘The problem is the tyres not the weather’

MICHAEL SCOTT Paddock insider