One Bump at a Time: Austin

There have been several accounts of criticism surrounding The Circuit of The Americas this weekend but 2019 isn’t the first year that we have been inundated with voices chatting about what riders have and haven’t said about the ominous bumps. The circuit has been rather quiet in regards to the matter that was raised in 2017 but riders have been anything but silent. Each year since they noticed a change in the relatively new circuit they have challenged and requested changes to be made. The question at hand though is whether or not these bumps are impacting them as seriously as they say or if they have been spoiled over the years with almost perfectly smooth conditions that those during the early years weren’t as blessed with.

Since Thursdays press conference, the spotlight has been on the subject of track conditions and not in an entirely positive way. Four years after the inaugural Austin GP, comments started to sift through debriefs. It was the sheer wave of bumps scattered across the ribbon of tarmac that brought such concern to the athletes. In 2018 Valentino Rossi referred to the state of the circuit as “critical” and even more cut throat“a disaster”. Fast forward to 2019 and not much seems to have changed in the eyes of the riders. According to most, conditions have only gotten worse and Aprilia Gresini rider Aleix Espargaro was not shy to voice his opinion “The asphalt is a disaster. It is very bumpy. It is really very dangerous. This is MotoGP, not motocross”.

Speaking to VP of Operations of COTA , Rick Abbott during Saturdays track hiatus due to a lightning storm, he politely shared his ongoing fight to even out the circuits faults “While it's reasonable to expect the riders to adjust to the nuances of all surfaces, we respect their opinions, value their feedback, and are concerned for their safety. We’ve heard the comments regarding track bumps and will continue to address the issues. Following consultation with the FIM, the circuit made major improvements to portions of the track earlier this year. Clearly, there may be more needed”. Although most refer to it as a ‘bandaid’ solution you can’t fault them for attempting to solve the issue before heading down the path of a total resurfacing which could set them back months.

Credit: CormacGP

In the theme of finding solutions to fit this issue, Michelin have brought several tyre compounds with them this weekend, along with team mechanics who are working overtime to find appropriate set ups to cater to riders needs. Yet, no matter the level of technology or variety in equipment, these bumps appear to overshadow most glimmers of hope. Through pure observation, the bumps only come into conversation when a rider isn’t doing as well as they would hope for (slightly controversial, maybe). We are all guilty of finding things to blame when are going through a difficult period, it is human nature. Jack Miller whose view was similar to the majority swayed slightly after finding himself well within the top 5 “The track is a little bumpy but we are managing to make it work, I feel comfortable” versus Pecco Bagnaia who seemed deflated as he struggled to reach the top 10 “Everything was very very wrong for me, most of all the bumps. It was very difficult to ride on it”. It becomes almost a catch twenty two and difficult to distinguish what issue weighs the most.

We respect each professionals perspective and understand that their job is not easy nor straight forward, but it slowly becomes another story when generations of men before their time have endured if not more rugged terrain and gone with each and every punch as best they can. Since 1910 men were racing their machines on surfaces made from rough cut timber, across local railway tracks, bicycle velodromes, horse-racing ovals and untouched near by roads. There was no perfectly laid path with run off areas and air fences. There was a natural adaptation, which still takes places today no doubt, but the small quirks that made it that much more thrilling were embraced and somehow they worked with it. Thats not to say that there weren’t issues either, there were but there was little fight against surroundings and more on how they could conquer it. Motorbikes have become a hell of a lot more advanced since but maybe just maybe they have grown to be a little too precious that the only shape that fits is smooth tarmac and blue skies rather than just trying to beat what is trying to challenge them.

Have they become too wrapped up in the evolution of technology that the issues now become the natural world around them? We live in an age where electronics and machinery have become even more vital in the weekly process to the point where it fells like the rest should almost be unquestionably correct. No cracks, no bumps, no dust, no dirt, just a perfectly laid out map that these grunt filled machines and their masters can race upon.

Credit: CormacGP

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