A series of crashes on the opening day of MotoGP’s Valencian Grand Prix - including two that left Moto2 riders in hospital with broken bones - are the subject of discord in the paddock over whether improper preparation of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo was part of the cause.
Many riders - and some sources who have described the situation to The Race - allege that circuit contamination was a factor, but the track itself has insisted weather conditions were to blame.
There was a spate of falls at Turn 6 - usually one of the less critical points of the Valencia circuit - during Friday morning’s opening sessions.
Almost simultaneous high-sides for Moto2 racers Adrian Huertas and Ayumu Sasaki left the pair with two broken wrists and a broken ankle respectively before the session was red flagged.
“It was really strange - just this corner was wet, really slippery,” fellow Moto2 racer Barry Baltus told The Race afterwards.
“I almost crashed as well, and I saved it, but some other riders did crash. We knew before we went and we were a bit scared in this corner. It was strange.
“We saw already when we made the track walk that there was something strange there on Wednesday - when I rode my bicycle they were cleaning the track.”
Sources have told The Race that a line of soapy water was allowed to run across the track at that point during the circuit’s efforts to clean the tyre walls earlier in the week. A number of MotoGP racers said they had been told similar information.
“This morning somebody told me that they washed the tyres with shampoo,” Honda rider Luca Marini explained on Friday night, “and then the shampoo went onto the track. This was the cause for everybody, I think, and for the red flag.
“When we crossed there was a line of something, and when you went into Turn 6 there was a moment when the bike didn’t have any grip. Strange that this has happened, but for sure they know and they will try and avoid it.
“But it was clear from the beginning - in Moto3, the guys crashed there as well.”
When asked by The Race about the source of the track contamination and what remedial work had been taken, a Circuit Ricardo Tormo representative said that the Turn 6 issues were “just the dampness of the night at that particular point”.
It is understood that riders initially flagged concerns about track contamination at Turn 6 to safety officers Loris Capirossi and Tome Alfonso Ezpeleta following their initial track inspections on Thursday.
That triggered an attempt to clean the circuit ahead of the start of Friday’s track action, but more circuit cleaning took place during the red flag delay triggered by Sasaki and Huertas’ injuries.
The Race has also approached MotoGP promoter Dorna for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
