MotoGP: BIC a greater challenge than expected
With riders trying to get used to the 4.96km track on Friday, there were a fair share of crashes too
The Buddh International Circuit (BIC) was a topic of discussion among MotoGP riders well before they reached India. While all their safety concerns about a former Formula 1 venue being used for MotoGP were laid to rest on Thursday, Friday had them put their thinking cap on as they hit the 4.96km track on their 300bhp motorcycles.
The fast and flowing track turned out to a greater technical challenge than what the riders had anticipated with many of them crashing or failing to find the correct braking point.
“It was difficult. I had nine laps in the morning and I could not really learn the track. In many corners, it is quite difficult, first to find a braking reference and then in Turns 8-9 to find the correct line. In some parts, the layout is quite difficult to learn,” said 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha.
On Fridays, riders generally learn and get used to the track, especially if it is a new one. BIC is the only new circuit on the 2023 calendar which augments the challenge. The riders across all three categories – MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 – were regularly skidding and sliding off the track while trying to push their limits, find the right braking points and figuring out the racing line. Many also crashed or went off at Turn 1 which proved quite demanding.
“Turn 1, I went wide twice out of my first five laps. It's a difficult corner. It’s difficult to stop the bike there. Everyone went wide a lot of times there. Also, the wall is pretty close. I missed the brakes a couple of times and was pretty close to the wall. But we know this track is on the limit in terms of safety in many areas,” said 2020 world champion Joan Mir of Honda.
Not just the circuit but the heat that too made the conditions difficult for the riders with reigning world champion and current championship leader Francesco Bagnaia saying, “You feel like you are burning on the back straight, you start to feel your throat and legs are burning.”
Delayed practice session
While the morning practice sessions for all three categories concluded smoothly, there was a 45-minute delay in the start of the second practice sessions. It has been reliably learnt that the marshalls went on ‘strike’ as they did not get food or water since morning. While refreshments were ready to reach the marshalls, the delivery teams were denied access to distribute refreshments. Once the issue was sorted, the second practice sessions started in the afternoon.
