Once again motorsport mourns the death of one of its protagonists, two days ago Victor Steeman passed away following injuries sustained in a tragic accident during Race 1 of the Supersport 300 in Portimao. In just over a year, he is the second rider that the cadet class of the Superbike world championship loses due to a tragic fatality. In September last year we lost Dean Berta Vinales, younger cousin of the more famous Maverick.
Precisely on the occasion of the Australian MotoGP Grand Prix scheduled for this weekend, the Aprilia rider could not avoid a comment on the terrible tragedy that once again hit the two wheels. The Dutchman was fighting for the title in 300 (although the current champion Alvaro Diaz had a decent advantage in the last round), but his dreams were shattered in Race 1, in what Maverick Vinales says is a useless and dangerous category.
Victor Steeman, MTM Kawasaki, Catalunya WSS300, 24 September 2022
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The Aprilia Spaniard is very tough on the subject, but not only because he has experienced the loss of a loved one firsthand. Vinales offers his point of view in technical terms, explaining why he is deeply opposed to continuing to support this category: “I have always had the same opinion on the Supersport 300, and I said it even before the accident of Dean. This type of category with 180-pound bikes that can be driven at a maximum of 218 km / h on the straight is useless for a rider. Nothing is learned. The riders are in a situation where if you have a faster bike you win the race. There is no talent in this. I remember when I was little and had to drive a 125, even if you were talented it was impossible to win or keep up with the most experienced riders. I remember when I got to the world championship, the first time I followed one of the good ones I did a highside. So I learned my lesson. You have to work “.
Along the lines of the Supersport 300 is Moto3, which sees group races, with a large number of riders fighting for the top. The cadet class of the production derivatives, however, is the exasperation of this concept and Vinales lashes out against the category giving his reasons and explaining the difference with what was the old 125cc: “Right now, even in Moto3, we see some good drivers. But they are all together in the race and it wasn’t like that in the past. Talent prevailed over the speed of the bike, which was the same whether it was fast or slow ”.
“For me the problem with the Supersport 300 is that the bikes weigh 160 kilos,” he continues. “They have no speed and they all go together. Obviously if someone falls in front of you it is impossible to avoid it. For me it’s not about age or riders, it’s about bikes. They have no power, they weigh like a MotoGP, the brakes suck, the swingarms are road. It’s not a question of age, because when I was 13 I rode a 125GP and nothing happened because we weren’t 20 in one group. They were groups of four or three riders, no more, because it was more complicated ”.
Dean Berta Vinales
Photo by: Dorna
Vinales also reveals that he was immediately opposed to Dean Berta Vinales’ arrival in Supersport 300. The Spaniard has tried this bike and believes that it is not only dangerous, but also useless for learning: “I tried the 300, it’s a very simple bike, you can ride in a group, there’s no power. You can be a driver two seconds slower than the best, but if you stick with it you can fight with the leading drivers. It is simply this. Of course, when it was time to decide, I’d told my family that this category wasn’t right for Dean, it wasn’t okay for him to run there. But in the end that’s how things go. Obviously though, if this continues, other things like that will happen because this category, as I said, is too heavy with too little power. So they all go together, but bikes aren’t even racing bikes. And I think this is the biggest problem ”.
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