Moody Blues: Qatar.

In the latest of his exclusive columns for Crash.net, renowned Eurosport MotoGP commentator Toby Moody reveals more 'behind the scenes' news from an incident packed round thirteen of the 2004 season; the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix at Losail...

"So the paddock reconvened after a tremendous Japanese GP where Tamada celebrated the best day of his life. Pole by 0.6 seconds, fastest lap, won the race at home in Japan on a Japanese bike and tyres in front of the Japan tobacco bosses. There will only be one better day in his career than that, but he'll have to work hard to win the World Championship...

"This was the first MotoGP race to be held in the Middle East, but maybe the hottest race ever staged for motorbikes. Sure it's hot in Malaysia and for the odd European race, but the sun here is very strong indeed. Humidity is obviously up due to the proximity of the sea - that can be seen from the press office.

"What none of us expected was one the most amazing racedays in recent times. Rossi was put to the back of the grid after the team were reportedly seen spinning the wheel of a scooter the night before the race to try and lay some rubber down on the racetrack from where Rossi was going to start the race: 8th slot (see middle pic - click to enlarge).

"Raceday dawned with non-stop gossip and chatter about the incident, but it was exceptionally easy to see that the 8th place had had some 'burn-outs' done upon it. HRC Sporting Boss Carlo Fiorani (pictured lodging the protest with other team managers), then had pressure from the Gresini team to uphold the interests of his HRC riders. Ducati protested Rossi's team and Biaggi too.

"Fiorani said, "I had to go to race control to fight for one of my riders after last year's Donington Park race..." a reference to Rossi passing under yellow flags into turn one at the start of the second lap.

"It must be noted that Rossi didn't complain too much after that decision after Donington as he still had a 'podium' place. (It also has to be noted that he is complaining vehemently this (Saturday) evening, but then zero points might be clouding his judgment.)

"The team were not going to tell Valentino until race day morning about the marks that would, "point out to you where your grid position was so that you could run over and over the position during the morning warm-up in an effort to sweep it clear of dust." said a Yamaha team member.

"For a rider not knowing where his grid slot is after having started nearly 9 years of Grands Prix and who can slide a bike to within 2cms over a blind crest at Donington Park through Coppice corner is a lame excuse in the Press Office.

"Has that line been written in the release in case a civil court of law may be used outside the jurisdiction of the FIM in case Rossi looses the Championship? Maybe, but I hope it doesn't go that deep as still it is Rossi who is the Championship favourite.

"The rule that Rossi was ruled to have broken is article 3.3.1.2 regarding Authority and Competence.

The Race Direction has the authority to penalise automatically: rider, team's personnel, officials promoters/organisers and all the persons involved in any capacity whatsoever in an event or in the Championship for infringements of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix regulations.

o any corrupt or fraudulent act, or any action prejudicial to the interests of the meetings or of the sport, carried out by a person or a group of persons occurring during an event.

The penalties may be pronounced by the race direction;
o a warning
o a fine
o a ride through penalty
o a time penalty
o a disqualification
o a withdrawal of championship points
o a suspension

"The Gauloises Yamaha squad quickly reacted with a protest against the Camel Honda squad who cleaned Max Biaggi's grid slot. Biaggi went back 6 seconds too. Why was 6 seconds chosen? Because it was enough to put them at the back of the grid, but not outside the 107% limit of pole, and therefore off the grid.

"Rossi said after the race on Italia Uno TV (National broadcaster in Italy) that the actions of the protesters were 'bastard like in their intentions' and that the 'ring leader is Juan Martinez who was well known in my team.' (Martinez, now crew chief to Gibernau used to be the Showa technician when Rossi was first at HRC.) Emotions were high.

"The Yamaha press release quotes Rossi this evening,"In fact, my crew were doing something they used to do with Doohan when the track was dirty." It seems after today that what has gone on in the past ain't going to work today and that two blacks are not going to make a white.

"Remember Rossi could have been very seriously injured today falling off that bike and that could have put him very much on the back foot for the last three races. He admits to have been happy in 4th and doubtful he could have got a podium - but at that time Checa's fuel pump hadn't gone pop. He would have got 16 points on the podium but the astro-turf does not quite give the same feedback than grass, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

"The watershed of today is not who did what to whom and when they did it. It is a statement of the Governors of the sport as to where the rules are. The line has well and truly been drawn in the sand after the Motegi and now Qatar races by Race Direction. Motegi saw no re-course upon Capirossi as it was a racing incident, whilst teams' broke the rules here.

"Rules that have been bent to breaking point in the past: Le Mans this year with Rossi stalling on the grid and then more than ONE mechanic assisting him, the over enthusiasm of the Hopkins ban and the Tamada Motegi result removal of last year. The odd backmarker gets a slapped wrist, but now the rule book is bashing many over the head. That's why it is there.

"Neil Hodgson's race was a disaster way out when a mechanic thought that the D'Antin Ducati was held on a stand and walked away. After it had crashed to the ground the brake lever was all broken and he had to start the warm up lap from the pit lane. Up to a belting points scoring position before oil starting spewing out of it was not what the Brit needed with all those points on a plate.

"Toni Elias lost his knee slider on the warm up lap from the pits to the grid which is why he had to start from the pit lane. He was then to lose it again in the race hence his drop off of form."