Keith Huewen: 'Quartararo deserved a penalty', Rainey stuns Goodwood

Present as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed commentary team, Huewen gives a first-hand account of Rainey’s emotional return.

“There wasn't a dry eye and if I never have to commentate on anything ever again, I will feel OK - because to see Wayne back on that bike, getting more and more confident, it’s a big deal.

“Everything came to this crescendo of Wayne pulling three or four wheelies up the hill with Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan and Kenny Roberts Sr - who is remarkable when he's had half a bottle of wine!”

Huewen also had a Goodwood ‘balcony moment’ with 15-time world champion Giacomo Agostini - leading to a tale of how Huewen once flew to Italy thinking he was about to sign for Ago’s grand prix team, only to return empty handed.

Huewen said: “There were one or two people baulking at signing, so Ago flew me out as a decoy. ’Huewen is coming to Milan and if you don’t sign, we’re going to sign him’ kind of thing.

“Strangely enough, Ago doesn’t remember it that way!”

Podcast host Harry Benjamin then steers the discussion to the Dutch TT at Assen, where Fabio Quartararo made a rare mistake as he attempted to pass title rival Aleix Espargaro, leaving the Frenchman on the ground and the Aprilia rider back in 15th place.

“A very rare mistake from Quartararo, but a very silly one really,” ,” said former grand prix rider and British champion Huewen, “He came from a bit too far back, a bit too early on in the race. I think he was aware Bagnaia had pace, so he didn't want him to disappear.

“But I think he just looked a little rattled, he didn't settle in that first couple of laps.

“The move itself was from quite a long way back. He was a little wide on the way in anyway, so he came in there hot and I think that says more about Aleix than it does about Quartararo. In that Aleix was so fast that Quartararo misjudged him.

“I think that's the key here, Aleix is on such a pace now that even the likes of the mercurial Frenchman have misjudged him slightly and the ride that he had to afterwards, and that final chicane.

“For Aleix to go up the inside of two MotoGP riders in the last chicane and finish fourth was just fantastic. I think it was the ride of Aleix’s career and I think he’s going to go on to even greater things.”

‘A rash move… Quartararo did deserve the penalty’

But the fall-out from the Assen error will continue to haunt Quartararo until Silverstone with the FIM Stewards handing the world champion a Long Lap penalty for the collision. A decision that Monster Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli called ‘harsh’ and inconsistent’.

“What you tend to get is people will look at the Nakagami situation, that was deemed a racing incident,” Huewen said. “It's about the subtlety of it as well. This is where rider stewards come into it and where the likes of Freddie Spencer should come into his own really.

“Quartararo came from a long way back. There wasn't really the gap there until Aleix picked up and let him have a bit of room. He was wide anyway, from what I could see.

“I think it was a rash move. It was a rush of blood. It was early in the race, it was unnecessary at that particular point. But I think he came from a bit too far back.

“If we compare it with Nakagami, he made up all his places into Turn 1 from the start, he launched really well. He didn’t come rushing in, gaining loads of places into a corner. He was braking pretty much like everyone else was and lost the front.

“So it's a very subtle difference, but I think that Quartararo did deserve the penalty. That's my opinion - and you know what opinions are like, everyone’s got one!”

No penalty for the Mir, cause vs consequence

Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren added: “There was another incident that sort of got overlooked and that was the clash between Mir and Marini at the start.

“Marini got a wheelie off the line and Mir went to cut across in front of him and they collided. It resulted in Marini losing his wing, which ruined his race there and then. He finished 17th.

“So it had bigger consequences for Marini than the Quartararo incident had for Aleix, but there was no penalty.

“Speaking generally about the recent penalty decisions, the area where there seems to be a difference between the opinion of the riders and Stewards, is you have the cause of an accident and then the consequences of an accident.

“It seems that maybe the Stewards are focussed on the cause, because quite rightly that’s in the hands of the riders. That’s their mistake. Rather than what happens afterwards, the consequences.

“But I think the riders look at what happened with Nakagami, where the consequence was Rins is in hospital with a broken wrist and Bagnaia’s race also ruined. And there’s no penalty. Then they see Aleix didn’t even fall off at Assen, and there’s a penalty for Quartararo.

“I think you can make the argument for favouring either side of that cause-consequence argument, but it seems to be where possibly there is the most difference, with the riders wanting more of the consequences taken into account.

“Nakagami himself came back and basically said he would have accepted a penalty, purely on the grounds of the consequence side, having taken out two other riders. Even if the mistake itself wasn’t that big.”

The trip also discuss Marco Bezzecchi debut MotoGP podium for VR46, Maverick Vinales’ first rostrum for Aprilia, the Moto2 and Moto3 races, plus the first satellite team signings for 2023 in the form of Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio being confirmed at Gresini.

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