MotoGP rider angst over rejected special rule for three tracks

A failed push to introduce a special rule for MotoGP races at Le Mans and similar tracks has led to fresh disquiet from riders over the effectiveness of the series' safety commission.

A suggestion had been made to limit the use of ride height devices - which will be banned in 2026 - on the opening lap at specific venues on safety grounds.

The issue was raised due to the nature of the Le Mans circuit’s high-speed first turn, a corner where the amount of front brake pressure needed to release the devices that lower and lock the front and rear suspension of modern MotoGP bikes isn’t always applied - which can in turn then lead to a dangerous loss of control.

Silverstone and Phillip Island are two other tracks where it's a point of concern - as evidenced in 2025 by the immediate Alex Marquez crash from the lead of the British Grand Prix.

According to The Race’s sources, the topic was first raised by Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller in Friday night’s meeting between riders and organisers - with the Australian proposing that use of the devices be restricted at those three circuits and an extra practice start session be added to Saturday’s schedule before the sprint race in order to give teams a chance to gather data.

"In my opinion, it just made sense,” Miller explained after the sprint when asked by The Race. “At the end of the day, I know it's the last year [of the devices] - but we're just kind of waiting for something to happen before we make it mandatory, rather than pre-empting the situation.

“Race tracks like here - everybody has the ride height device, everybody's is pretty good, nobody really has a massive advantage when it comes to the start. So, you know, it was just an idea. But nobody went for it, so that's cool.

“These tracks [Le Mans, Silverstone and Phillip Island] are the critical ones. Here, of course, it's the worst of them all. So if they can't pass it for here, it's slim pickings to try and pass it at Phillip Island or Silverstone. Like I said, we're just waiting for something to happen - and then we react, rather than pre-empting the situation.”

When the proposal was put to the series’ manufacturers by series bosses after the meeting, it was quickly vetoed by multiple teams, according to The Race’s sources, with the extensive work needed to change bike set-up cited as the reason.

“I heard this morning that they wanted to make like this,” Miller’s Yamaha colleague Fabio Quartararo explained after the race, “and actually it’s something we talked about last year.

“But it’s not something that we can just make on the morning. We need to start the weekend saying 'no start devices in Le Mans, Silverstone, and Phillip Island'.

“Then we can adapt the electronics from FP1, because it’s a massive difference. From zero to 100[km/h] I think the gap is three tenths, and three tenths is a lot. But I think for the safety it is better.”

With the issue now being raised two years in a row and with no action being taken on either occasion, it’s likely to add to the riders' discontent. Many of them have already stopped attending the once almost-mandatory Friday night meetings.

According to Miller, only himself, Luca Marini, and Pecco Bagnaia are now regular attendees, joined occasionally by Jorge Martin, with many others instead choosing not to bother thanks to what they see as inaction about concerns raised.

KTM racer Enea Bastianini explained last time out at Jerez his reasons for no longer attending, when asked about the crash at last year’s inaugural Hungarian Grand Prix that saw him slide across the track into oncoming traffic.

“We have the safety commission,” he said, “but it’s very difficult to talk in the safety commission and be satisfied for the future, if I’m honest.

“Because we talk a lot every time but things don’t always change. I’m a bit disappointed about this, so this year I’ve not been to any safety commissions.”

Unlike F1, MotoGP riders have no formal union, instead largely relying on the safety commission to communicate as a bloc with organisers.

However, with heated contract talks between teams and new series owners Liberty Media set to impose considerably more media commitments upon the grid in the future, there have been fresh calls for some sort of more formal organisation to represent their interests and allow them to negotiate with the series’ other major stakeholders, not just on safety grounds.