Race Direction has come down hard on riders dawdlilng on the racing line looking for a tow. Punishments have been handed out to a grand total of 17 riders in all three classes.
Punishment is particularly harsh in Moto3. The 11 riders who were caught waiting on the racing line were all given a penalty of 3 grid positions, basically all moving them back one row on the grid.
Among the offenders are some high-profile names, including Enea Bastianini, currently second in the Moto3 title chase and who originally qualified 2nd on the grid.
Bastianini has been moved back to 5th, Andrea Locatelli is bumped back to 9th, Jorge Navarro starts in 11th, Niklas Ajo in 13th, Jakub Kornfeil in 21st, John McPhee in 23rd, Hiroki Ono in 26th, Ana Carrasco in 27th, Maria Herrera in 31st, and Andrea Migno in 35th and dead last.
The loss of grid position is not the only punishment they face. All 11 Moto3 riders will also be forced to sit out the first 10 minutes of warm up on Sunday morning, losing them valuable set up and practice time.
The goal of such a drastic measure is to try to drive home a lesson that even a stiff talking to at Assen had not helped make clear. Race Direction is being particularly heavy handed to send out a message which the riders will immediately feel.
The punishments in Moto2 and MotoGP are less severe. Simone Corsi, Sandro Cortese, Thomas Luthi and Xavier Simeon were all handed a single penalty point in Moto2, while Mike Di Meglio also received a penalty point in MotoGP.
As a repeat offender, Hector Barbera was given 2 penalty points, as the price of having a reputation for looking for a tow.
Whether harsher penalties will improve behavior remains to be seen. We will have to wait until Indianapolis to see what effect they have.
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