Following on from the incident in FP4 where the rear tyre of Scott Redding’s Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati de-laminated, precautions have had to be put in place ahead of the second race of the season in Argentina as a result of the ongoing investigation.
Caren Gibson previously reported on how the extra FP session has been cancelled due to a fuel shortage. Now Race Direction have explained what is to occur dependent on the weather:
- Dry race – If it is a dry race then the MotoGP field have to run the ‘special’ option for the race which will consist of twenty-five laps. Normal procedure will occur if the race is then determined a wet race during this; riders will be able to come in and switch to bikes with wet tyres on.
- Wet practice and dry race – If Warm up is wet and the race turns out to be declared dry, either slick tyre can be used for the race which will now be twenty laps, but riders will have to make a compulsory pit stop to change their slick tyres after either the ninth, tenth or eleventh of using that tyre.
- Wet race and track dries out – If it is a wet race and the track begins to dry out, the twenty lap race will be red-flagged and the restarted after fifteen minutes; the dry procedure will then be followed and if it rains again riders will have to complete a normal pit stop to change to wet tyres.
- Wet race throughout – If the race is a wet race and stays wet, the riders will continue on to race for twenty-five laps.
At no point throughout the race no matter what the weather are intermediate tyres permitted to be used, as the structure of the tyre is similar to the one that delaminated yesterday.
