Lorenzo suggests using F1-style shredded tires in MotoGP

The Portuguese Grand Prix left several heavy crashes and the first serious injury of the year. Pol Espargaró and Takaaki Nakagami tested the hardness of the Portimao asphalt, but at least they were able to race on Sunday. Not so Jorge Martin.

The man from Madrid suffered a chilling fall in the final part of FP3 and had to be evacuated by helicopter to the Faro Hospital for tests. There, two fractures in his hand and one in his foot were detected, which made him undergo surgery, for which he will miss the next Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez.

The truth is that the number of injuries in MotoGP has been increasing in recent years and few have been spared having to go under the knife on occasion.

Jorge Lorenzo was one of them. Throughout his career he suffered several heavy falls, but one of the last in Assen in 2019 – which could have left him paralyzed – accelerated his retirement at the age of 32.

For the Mallorcan, the main problem is the increase in the speed of the bikes, not only on the straight, but also when cornering, and he believes that measures must be taken to stop it and avoid more serious injuries.

” Portimao is a very difficult circuit, for brave people, you don’t stop going up and down, that’s why they call it the roller coaster. That, together with an asphalt with little grip , has made us see more falls than usual, violent, and they have injured several pilots starting with Nakagami, Jorge Martín, Pol Espargaró”, Lorenzo began on his YouTube channel.

“That’s where I want to reflect. MotoGP has gained a lot in spectacle. Exciting races, with equality, that we had not seen to date. And also in safety, helmets, suits, even the circuits. The passage from two to four strokes also meant eliminate falls ‘by ears’ that created many injuries, but on the other hand, motorcycles are faster on the straight and in curves”.

“There are crashes from the front, the rider hits the gravel at tremendous speed and in that gear he starts to spin around like a doll and injuries happen like it happened to me at Assen 2019 or to Martin the other day. Motorcycling will continue to be dangerous because when you combine speed and competition there is a lot of risk. I would like to see a sport with fewer injuries and safer.”

For this, he proposes three solutions: reduce the speed of the motorcycles, increase the loopholes, change the front tire. #99 even dares with a proposal that would not leave anyone indifferent.

“F1 went from slicks to mixed even in the dry. I remember the cylinders and the power were also limited. The aerodynamics were also limited. MotoGP did something like that going from 1000cc to 800cc, but then it went back to 1000cc and the bikes are running more than ever. An unlikely and viable option in the short term. I think the bikes will run more and more, “he slipped.

The five-time world champion is also wet with the issue of the yellow flags that caused so much controversy in Portimao after annulling Pecco Bagnaia’s fast lap that would have given him pole position.

“This rule is quite unfair for the rider who has his lap cancelled, but at the safety level it is the best, because we cannot afford, as in the past, that when there is a rider on the ground recovering after a crash, that he arrive at speed and impact and there is a massacre. What is clear is that the pilot has to see the yellow flag and at the moment the visibility is insufficient. The yellow flag, as happened to Pecco, was not seen. I do not know if the solution it is to make a giant screen or flash a yellow color to the pilot on the dashboard. That he can see it without a problem. We have to find a solution because visibility is very low, “he emphasizes.