In a meeting convened by Dorna, the teams received confirmation last Thursday that in a first phase, in 2025, unilateral communication between Race Direction and the riders with pre-recorded messages will be introduced. These will be short and concise messages, always aimed at improving safety.
In a second phase, already in 2026, even if the times could be reduced, the system will be bidirectional, that is, the driver will be able to communicate with the Race Direction.
The final phase, still without a concrete implementation date, foresees that the driver and his team on the pit wall will be able to communicate, a step essentially in the name of television entertainment.
Dorna and its television team, one of the most professional, knowledgeable and awarded in all of sports worldwide, have been working on the system for years.
In 2022, during a test in Jerez, some riders mounted an earpiece on their helmets to receive messages from Race Direction, essentially to improve safety. The test was then repeated in Valencia last year.
After working on the system, it was possible to design an earphone that is not placed in the pilot’s ear inside the helmet, but in the lobe, outside the ear, and the sound is transmitted through vibrations. This makes it less invasive.
“It can be very interesting for safety, if for example there is an accident, a rider in the middle of the track, the Race Direction can immediately notify”, explains Maverick Vinales, who is not part of the group of riders who are testing it which, on Monday, is reduced to Fabio Quartararo, Aleix Espargaró and Lorenzo Savadori.
“It’s clear that times are changing and that this kind of thing makes the show better,” Maverick admits about the possibility of the rider and the pit wall being able to communicate. “My favorite phrase I can already tell you, it will be: ‘now don’t bother me,'” jokes the Aprilia rider.
Maverick Viñales, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Quartararo, who tested the system in Jerez two years ago and in Valencia last year, was once again one of the chosen riders for the new system.
“Sergi (Sendra, Dorna’s TV manager) is working very well on this system. He’s been developing it for a long time and I think it’s a great idea for many reasons. We still have a long way to go because with the noise of the bike it’s still difficult to hear well,” Fabio explained on Monday.
“I told my friend and my crew chief not to talk to me in sector 3, the fast part, but it’s a bit strange to hear people talking while you’re driving and when you’re not breathing. We also need to work on the volume of the audio because in some areas you can’t hear well, but when braking you can hear a bit better,” he said of the system.
“We also used it in the Valencia test, I think it’s the third time I’ve used it. I think it’s great to have communication when something serious or serious happens on the track. If there’s oil on the track and nobody knows about it, for example.”
For Quartararo, the system can help solve safety problems but, for example, it would not have avoided the mistake of Jorge Martin who yesterday made the pit stop to change bikes too early, completely ruining his race.
#MotoGP #introduce #radio #communication #riders
