Explained: The cause of Jerez crashes - including Marc Marquez ‘heartbreak’
“The best riders in the world crashing through events that are outside of their control.”
Damp patches that momentarily dry out then return to the track surface - known as weepers - were the cause of multiple crashes in the Spanish MotoGP sprint race.
Marc Marquez crashed out of the lead in Jerez, while Maverick Vinales and Francesco Bagnaia were among nine riders to fail to finish.
Jorge Martin won the sprint and extended his championship lead but, ahead of Sunday’s grand prix, the state of the track was criticised.
Michael Laverty said on TNT Sports: “The Angel Nieto corner, like Turn 5, has a weeper there, since 2013. They have resurfaced it twice since then.
“I felt for Marc. He had done everything correctly.
“These crashes aren’t really a rider error.
“You are hanging down the outside. You can’t see the damp patch.
“Perhaps on that lap, at Turn 8, it had a weep through the surface. Heartbreak.
“They are so small. You know they are there, so you treat it with caution. But you can’t see it on a bike.”
Marquez’s crew chief Frankie Carchedi said: “Box is very positive. In these conditions it’s easy to touch a wet patch (majority of crashes today). The speed is there which is the most important!”
Sylvain Guintoli said on TNT Sports: “From the aerial view you can see that, on the inside, it is dry. That’s what Marc used to pass Binder, to pass Martin and Oliveira.
“The little patch, on the corner exit as you’re back on the throttle, and you don’t expect it.
“It’s like Mario Kart. Traps that are thrown at you, as you’re riding. That’s not ideal.
“You’d expect track conditions to improve. Not water thrown into random places.”
Laverty said: “The best riders in the world crashing through events that are outside of their control.”
He explained about the damp patches on the track: “The riders know that they are there. They are precarious. The tyres go over it, they get grippier.
“All of a sudden, conditions change. A temperature shift or a humidity shift.
“The water gets sucked up to the surface again. The weepers rise to the surface.
“The conditions changed momentarily.”
Guintoli said: “It’s not good enough. The track needs to be sorted. These are not conditions that the riders want to race in.
“I know it was a crazy race. But it’s not on.
“The conditions change, the water seeps to the surface.
“So, you think you are alright, you think the patches are drying. Step by step you increase your pace.
“That’s why we saw those three crashes together at Turn 5. Clearly, the water came back.”
'Extraordinary to crash from lead, twice in a row'
Marquez qualified on pole position for the first time on a Ducati.
Laverty assessed his race: “Brad Binder led into Turn 1, it changed the whole dynamic.
“Martin made his way through. Then Marc came into play.
“Marc wasted no time today. At any moment, if there was a little gap, he’d just stick it up the inside.
“It was game on. They were taking a few risks in areas where they could push. Marc was on the offensive.
“I was impressed with Marc’s push. Lap on lap he was taking three tenths out of Martin.
“Jorge saw the gap, pushed into Turn 7, let go at the apex, drifts to exit. Then Marc had an opportunity.
“He rolls around the outside of Jorge’s rear wheel, sets it up on the run-out of Turn 8, wastes no time. Straight up the inside.
“From there, I was like ‘this is Marc’s day, the stars are aligning and pole position is being converted into a tricky win’.
“Unfortunately, another damp patch.
“Heartbreak. Extraordinary to crash out of the lead, two races in a row.”
Marquez picked up his Gresini Ducati out of the gravel, to finish P7.
Guintoli analysed his comeback: “He was super aggressive. A little too aggressive.
“The pass was never on [against Joan Mir] so he got a penalty and dropped one place. “Fortunately Joan did not crash.
“He was coming from too far. There was absolutely no room. Deserved penalty.
“In Turn 9, he tried to squeeze Miguel Oliveira, coming from far.
“Marc was angry after that crash. He did some desperate moves.
“He almost scored a point, though…”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
