Simon Crafar “won’t be swayed” as MotoGP stewards set for shake-up

Simon Crafar’s confirmation as the new chairman of Race Direction has been emphatically backed.

Crafar, the former rider and now a MotoGP broadcaster, will step into his crucial new role as Freddie Spencer’s replacement next year.

MotoGP riders have already welcomed him into a job which has seniority over how to enforce the rulebook.

“Every aspect of Simon’s personality - his experience, his fairness, he won’t be swayed by anyone - he is the perfect man,” Neil Hodgson told TNT Sports.

“Stewarding will be led in a really good direction.”

Sylvain Guintoli replied: “Transparency and consistency. Simon is the right man for the job.

“It’s a job where it’s difficult. You will never have uniformity. You will always be criticised. It’s a very tough job. But Simon can take it on.

“He knows about racing, there are a lot of ticks there to make us all think he’s the right man for the job.

“It’s an interesting signing for the future of the championship. It’s so important to have the rules applied. If you don’t, it damages the credibility of the championship. It’s bad for the public.

“We want consistency and fairness, and for the boys to race on-track.

“For them, it’s important to know what they can and can’t do.”

Hodgson added: “He cares. He’s so passionate about our sport. And safety is paramount.”

MotoGP champion Pecco Bagnaia has warned “it is not an easy job”, adding: “It's one of the hardest jobs to do here in the paddock, because to decide things is not easy. But what I think is that with Simon we can have a good dialogue with him.”

Jorge Martin said: “I know Simon quite a lot and I know that he is still riding.

"He will understand a bit better how the bike can move or how things can change so fast.”

Crafar was also welcomed by Marc Marquez who said: "It is like the referee in football, it's impossible to make everyone happy.”