Australian Grand Prix Corporation 1, Dorna 0.
That’s how the debate on the Phillip Island race date change ended up.
After all the posturing and the more or less veiled threats of not giving the Australian circuit homologation, Dorna backed down and the race will remain on the calendar with its usual October date in 2012.
The majority of the riders, led by Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi wanted an earlier date because of the changeable October weather conditions that after last year’s cold and rainy practice sessions stepped up the debate centering itself on hypothetical safety issues.
While the Safety Commission may have been disappointed that Carmelo Ezpeleta couldn’t get the date changed, Casey Stoner was slightly ticked off with some members of the commission (which he is part of) “I was disappointed that the Safety Commission was listening to a couple of riders and going off their words that the race was unsafe.
adding that if safety issues are a reason then other tracks should be placed on questionable track safety list before Phillip Island.
“Yet we go to a track like Portugal and Indianapolis where they don’t have to change surface even though it is obvious that it is terrible.
It is friggin’ 50-years-old and not working and really bumpy and quite dangerous in some areas.
But they don’t have to change.
”We have to agree on bumpy Indianapolis, but more than the tarmac, the real bitch are those dangerous drainage grates that can rip off knee pucks.