Ducati questions rider meeting communication

Ducati has officially commented on the decision to cancel all three grand prix races on Sunday at Silverstone, stating it was “totally in agreement” with the call, but team manager Davide Tardozzi has questioned the communication regarding the crucial meeting between Race Direction and MotoGP riders.

A number of the premier class contingent were not present just before 16:00 on Sunday, when riders met to vote on whether racing should take place in the late afternoon to early evening on a wet track.

Speaking to Italian television channel Sky Sports Italia, Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, who was not present, expressed his disappointment that he had not been informed in an official capacity of the meeting.

On Monday, the Bologna factory released a statement in which Tardozzi also claimed there was “no official confirmation” regarding the rider’s meeting.

“Yesterday afternoon I did not receive any official notification of a meeting between the riders and the Race Direction to make a decision about the cancellation of the Grand Prix,” Tardozzi is quoted as saying in the statement.

“The initiative of the meeting with the Race Direction came about spontaneously between a number of riders who started to inform the others to come to the IRTA offices.

“For example, Jorge Lorenzo had been informed by his manager Albert Valera, who had heard from Aleix Espargarò. All the riders were not present because some of them had not been informed and others only showed up after seeing the images on television, but no one had officially called them.

“That’s exactly what I did, I saw the images on television and I went on my own to find out what was going on. As always, no Team Manager entered the meeting, just as we are not present at the Safety Commission officially organized on Friday in the circuits.

“After excluding the possibility of racing on Monday with a vote between the teams (we voted in favour of this possibility), Ducati was totally in agreement with the decision taken because it was the safest thing for everyone.

“But I still believe that a decision of this importance should be made with all the riders on the grid through an official meeting.”

This claim was put to Loris Capirossi, Dorna representative in Race Direction on Sunday evening, to which he replied, “For sure we informed everybody because we informed all the team managers and [Jorge] Lorenzo was there. I don’t go personally to inform him but I don’t know why Andrea is not there.

“I am so sorry for that but it is our intention to listen to all opinions from all riders because from our side like always the safety is the most important thing. Today we waited and postponed the race but we never found the right solution or right conditions so the riders decided together to stop.”