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This year at Dakar I believe they had an audible warning on the bike to warn them of something super dangerous coming up, they also have an audible warning if a faster car is approaching and needs by.
It would have to be LOUD to be heard during an SX race but it could be another avenue to warn them in certain situations.
What about flashing lights of a different color in the lane leading up to the lane with the Red Cross flag so they would know to be looking for something up ahead?
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Thinking about it more. My problem is that one Red Cross flag doesn’t stand out when it’s being waved in between yellow flags. If the Red Cross is needed, every flagger in that section should be waving the same flag.
Joking, obviously.
I think Feld puts too much responsibility on the riders here. You had 4 guys who broke the rule, all of which probably didn’t intend to. That tells me the signaling isn’t doing it’s job. Racing motorcycles requires a lot of attention and I cant fault the riders for missing these things. Yes it’s the riders’ responsibilty to heed the flags, but of the 20 riders still on two wheels, 4 missed them which means your safety measures are only garnering about 80% compliance. The red cross flag is there to protect the riders and track crew, not a trap for a points shake-up. The track officials need to change their methods.
As for the rules. Are you guys really sure you want to add a grey area to these cases? Are you so naive that you think the AMA/FIM are gonna nail the decisions when they're allowed to make subjective calls regarding whether they give out a penalty or not? It would just open a can of worms with horrible and inconsistent officiating.
Not one rider jumps during the red cross flag on purpose, they know they'll get a penalty. So of course he (and all the other riders in all the other cases) didn't see it for whatever reason. But other riders did see it, and i would much rather keep this rule black and white so that it makes sure there wont be any dodgy subjective penalties. Where there could be advancement is the flagging arrangement, how can the people in charge make sure it's even easier for the riders to not miss the flag. It's really important for the safety of the injured rider and the medical crew on the track. bigk218 suggested that all flaggers should have the red cross flag, that would be a start!
There is also a Rule that says "No rider may ride in such a manner as to endanger life or limb of other riders, officials or the public." So you could even argue that Tomac put another Rider in danger by Jumping into the Section, while Sexton was laying down on the Jump hurting, even when no Red Cross Flag is shown.
AMA Officials handling some Situations differently at times, and that will never Change.
There was no tree branch blocking the Red Cross flag that 14 other riders saw and obeyed
That means riders can't look out for flags and have zero chance to anticipate where imprtant signals will be shown.
No one can seriously expect them to notice this small piece of fabric at all times between all those other distractions, when its maybe not at all or only for a fraction of a second visible to them.
If a rider has evidence, that it was too late for him too change his rythm or he couldn't see it at all, he can't be penalized in my opinion.
Pit Row
Regardless if they jumped or not, which I don't think they did purposefully, let's be real I don't think any of these guys would want to risk seriously hurting anyone. The spot for the flagger was absolutely stupid. He was hidden, behind the big 180 berm, and standing on top of the first jump 3-5ft higher than everyone else, after a highspeed 20+mph sand turn where the riders not only have limited visibility due to roost, but also have significantly reduced traction. They can't stop on a dime in that stuff, especially with SX suspension, they are basically floating on ice 3 gear wide open.
The AMA should have looked at the track map, observed the locations the day before, and planned out strategic areas where crucial important flaggers should be and then have them relay information to the flagging team AND the riders. If they already do this... well they did a bad job. If they can't seem to figure that out... well they are free to hire me and pay my way to the races and I will gladly render my services.
This way the riders know as they enter that sand corner balls to the walls, and they see the flag ENTERING the turn, "hey there is something going on in this section, I can't jump until I get past it". It's not rocket science. At some point you can't let the riders take the punishments and not look within the mirror... that won't fix the issue and you are just risking something bad.
And who ever designed that start should be fired/never allowed to design a track again. Do they just sit there and decide, "what can get us good ratings, risk the riders, but we can play victim"?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKU1AwLoFY6/
Stupid post..
But how could you blame or penalize riders, for not interpreting the confuse signals they can barely see correctly?
And from another point of view: If Tomac would've hit Sexton or crashed into his bike, he probably woud've been pretty pissed for only seeing a yellow flag and not being warned better.
But the problem is the jump of Tomac...:-)
The yellow was fully there but that is just caution. Not wheels on the ground.
"You jumped on a red cross"
"But I didn't see it"
"Well, ok then, off you go"
Rules like this needs to be black and white. This is a safety issue.
Whether or not someone cut the track can be argued, but safety rules need to be clear and unwavering regardless of who is involved
Post a reply to: Roczen and anderson docked points