Toprak Razgatlioglu WorldSBK crash could have been “disastrous” - Jonathan Rea

Jonathan Rea has spoken about the crash in WorldSBK FP2 for Toprak Razgatlioglu at this weekend’s French World Superbike.

Although Rea had concerns about the crash itself, he also had a problem with the TV direction.

“I don’t know why TV decided to show it again,” Rea said, as reported by GPOne, on Friday in Magny-Cours, “because it was horrible.”

The wall itself was a more fundamental concern for the six-times champion, though.

“We discussed a lot about that spot, every year,” he said. “But there has to be a wall, because otherwise bikes can go through the barrier [and rejoin the track] and hit someone.

“However, Toprak [Razgatlioglu] hit the wall, and if the angle had been different the consequences would have been disastrous.

“I had my helmet on, looked up, saw the TV screen and screamed. It was horrible.”

Rea also felt Razgatlioglu got lucky with the way he hit the wall.

“He was lucky, because he hit the wall with his side and not with his head,” Rea said. “My mechanics had to calm me down a bit, telling me not to worry because he was fine and walking.

“I don’t understand why they have to show something like that in the middle of the session when we have to go back on track. It’s pretty stupid on the part of the TV director.”

Rea said that the situation found in Magny-Cours is not unique to the French venue.

“There is this situation on many tracks,” he said. “We are World Superbike, and now also the MotoGP bikes go really fast but the circuits don’t get bigger.”

It’s also an issue of speed, Rea explained.

“If you look at lap records, everyone wants to go faster,” he said. “Pirelli wants to make the tyres faster, and Dorna wants the teams to have superconcessions. Everything is being moved forwards, but the barriers are not being moved further back.”

Finally, Rea said that a solution to the situation would be an air fence. “I’m sure they will get some from a warehouse,” he said.

In fact, no air fence was added to the wall that Razgatlioglu hit, only some padding.

On Saturday, Rea’s Race 1 was over before the first lap was complete, as he crashed out at the final corner. Initial assessments show he has fractured his right thumb, and he will undergo further assessments at Moulins Hospital, where Razgatlioglu was taken after his FP2 crash.