Peter Bohm explains why Liberty Media’s push for MotoGP teams to have just one bike is bound to backfire.
Freedom media His involvement in MotoGP did not go down well with fans and wider figures in the sport.
Many criticisms have been made. Liberty Media F1 Playbook for use in MotoGP Since they bought the premier motorcycle racing league last year.
Is this a step in the wrong direction from freedom?
Perhaps no decision has drawn more criticism from supporters of the liberal media than their recent push to lower the bike limit to just one rider.
And now, former crew chief Peter Bohm has explained exactly why this decision by the independent media will seriously hamper MotoGP and its riders.
Read more: Carmelo Izpeleta outlines how MotoGP can ‘control’ the size of Italian and Spanish riders.
Speaking on Oxley good podcast, Peter Bohm explains why a rider’s decision to change the bike limit to one can backfire in a big way.
He pointed out that this would put more pressure on the drivers and significantly disrupt the race schedules throughout the weekend.
On top of that, removing the extra bike will reduce the need for each team’s staff and engineers, he explained how Liberty Media is trying to be economical.
“For the teams and for the drivers, it’s a terrible and terrible idea, because it will be more of a lottery. You can’t afford to win big in the weekend, you just can’t because of the schedule.
“And that makes it more of a lottery because you’re not always crashing on your own. People can help you with that, or there can be a mechanical factor. Then you’re going to be really bad.”
“Yes, it saves costs, because it’s not just the bike, but also the people you need to have two bikes ready every time, so you have fewer people, people are expensive, bikes, not many, because if you don’t crash you save five bikes, compared to someone who crashes every day.
“It’s the people who need money, flights and hotels, not the bike. I think that’s a bad idea. If I were a liberal, I’d say, ‘Oh, wait, we always try to put as many bikes as we can.’ And of course, we have one less bike or maybe two bikes in practice sessions.”
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Speaking further, Bohm indicated that he would support the MotoGP Sports Entertainment team in this decision as it would help attract more viewers.
The good thing is that Dorna likes the lottery system. They don’t like a guy who is obviously going to win the race if he doesn’t make a mistake.
Love having a switch now and then for a little shake on the track. That’s a good thing. If someone does something wrong or has a mechanical[issue]suddenly he’s not even in Q1 and starts the last one…
“This is an attractive view from Dorna’s point of view. But there will be a negative side. There will be, perhaps, twice, less bikes on the grid.”
A lot has been done. Liberty Media is trying to ‘F1-ise’ MotoGP. From the time of purchase, however, this push to lower the bike limit suggests that Liberty high-end buyers don’t fully understand what they’re buying.
Liberty Media’s approach to MotoGP rider safety Just added to this discussion. One could argue that the independent media has not paid any attention to MotoGP and its story.
Hopefully, common sense can prevail, and the independent media can take more into account the traditions of MotoGP when making decisions about their future.
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