The deaths of Hugo Millán, Jason Dupasquier and Dean Berta Viñales in just four months has led all the bodies involved in the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships (WorldSBK) to start looking for formulas to try to prevent such tragedies from becoming the norm instead of the exception.
Naturally, MotoGP riders are, due to their experience, the most authoritative voices on the matter. And among all of them, if there is someone who is considered sensible, this is Andrea Dovizioso .
At 35 years old, the Italian is one of the most cerebral members of the heavy motorcycle grid, a circumstance that, in itself, leads one to listen to his reflections.
It is difficult to remind the man from Forli of a maneuver that has put a rival at risk. For all these reasons, the opinion of the Sepang Racing Team (SRT) rider is one of those that deserves to be heard at a time as delicate as the current one, especially after the exemplary sanction that the Race Direction imposed on Deniz Öncü , for irresponsible driving during the Moto3 test of the last grand prix, in Austin. The Turk was considered responsible for the multiple accident that preceded the second red flag, and for this reason he will not be able to take part in the next two rounds of the World Cup, in Misano and Portimão .
“Young people must understand that respect for others is very important, and that aggressiveness will not lead them to become world champions. Our sport is already dangerous in itself, so making aggressive maneuvers will not get you anywhere. Whoever habitually exceeds the aggressiveness limit is that he does not understand motorcycling”, argues Dovizioso , who considers it key to find the difference between being aggressive on time and exceeding the limit systematically.
“Battles are beautiful, but you should never go so far as to risk your life for it. This is a very young generation of drivers who are willing to take too many risks to achieve their goals. And that shows that whoever does it is not mature enough because they overlook certain values that are very important”, adds #04 , who, however, does not believe that the penalty to Öncü, by itself, can cause a change of mentality in the most precocious.
“I don’t think Öncü’s sanction makes a difference. We have to find a way to sanction young riders so that they understand what is happening and can happen, and become aware of it”, settles Dovi.
In the podcast below, the eminent psychologist Pep Font explains how the stress experienced by young drivers can be part of the cause that pushes them to the limit.
Click on ‘Full version’ at the end of the article if the podcast player does not appear here)
