I don’t think they should have changed the way races are run. Since they did though, here’s how Triple Crowns should be.
First moto. 22 riders, obviously from the highest qualified in timed qualifying like they do now. 5 minutes plus a lap. Short I know. But there’s a twist here. Top 10 automatically into moto 2. Remaining 12 go back to the line following a 10 minute break.
Here we will have 12 on the line and this race is also 5 minutes plus a lap. Top 5 of this race go on into moto 2. Sprint car fans know where this is headed I’m sure.
Now our field in moto 2 is set. The 7 riders who failed to advance to the second moto will be given points the same as any normal race in positions 16-22 based on their finish position of moto 1.
Second moto. 15 riders. 10 minutes plus a lap. Top 5 automatically into moto 3. The remaining 10 will line up following a 10 minute break.
This race is once again 5 minutes plus a lap and we will take the top 5 into the 3rd and final moto. Those not advancing to the final moto will be awarded points for places 11-15 based on their finish positions of the second moto.
Now we are down to 10 for the third moto. 15 minutes plus a lap. Finishing positions here are your final finishing positions for the night. No combining scores. This moto is where it matters and where points are paid for these top 10 riders.
This format means any given rider would spend a maximum of 40 minutes plus 5 laps on the race track. If a rider rode the heat race, semi, lcq, then the main event like many did last season, it would be very close to the same amount of track time. As for those top tier riders who will most likely qualify directly in normal races, they will spend about the same amount of time on the track as well. Probably slightly more than a normal race.
It would remove lappers from the equation for the most part. In the final moto where the best 10 riders of the night are lining up, there would be at most 1 or 2 lappers.
This would allow the top guys to battle it out in the final moto as well. Remember how excited we all get when all the top guys start in the top 5? Well ... think about it.
A bracket style format would also be a great new change in the sport, only for select races of course. Yet you still have that lcq of sorts after the 1st and 2nd motos to still make the final show.
Taking only the top 5 from that second moto would also give us some great racing for that 5th spot. Remember the great racing last year in the heats for that 4th spot? Well ... here you have it.
Some might not like it for one reason or another. Only 10 riders on the gate might seem lame for some. The whole format in general might be a turn off for others. As I said, only for select races and only because they’ve already decided to change things already. I already stated that I’m in favor of the normal format for all 17 races.
