Paolo Simoncelli: 'I know someone who would have had fun in MotoGP Sprints'

The new half-distance Sprints have been added to the Saturday schedule to liven up the show, a tactic that Simoncelli believes worked well at the Portimao season-opener.

“An interesting, atypical, sometimes explosive MotoGP (in every sense) a MotoGP like we've never seen it, where everything is geared towards the show,” Simoncelli wrote in his Portimao blog.

“Everything evolves, even the introduction of the much talked about sprint race, in my opinion has done its duty, that is to keep the viewer's attention high. Original and alternative, a full-fledged show, just what was needed.

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“Obviously there are some things to fix and others to settle; something more could be granted to the minor categories given that the new format means that MotoGP riders are busy all day long.”

The intensity created by the Sprint has come under fire from some MotoGP riders and teams, but Simoncelli signed off by indicating that his son, who revelled in hard racing, would have enjoyed the cut and thrust:

“I liked the fierce spirit that I saw in the Sprint race, I know someone who would have had a lot of fun, even if that time [hard passes] were considered excessive manoeuvrers and at the limit...”