Since last season, the MotoGP Safety Commission has been studying and improving the circuit’s run-off areas using a full version of the software developed specifically for the championship by the University of Padua.
If there is one place in the world where movement and its effects reign supreme, it is Padua: two of the most important figures of the Renaissance, Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, graduated from the prestigious university in this northern Italian city.
For this reason, and thanks to the experience these two scientists have together spanning more than half a century, it was clear to the MotoGP directors that the University of Padua could be the perfect partner to improve the safety of circuits. This collaboration has resulted in a computer program that began development five years ago and was implemented last season, and which has become the best ally of those who certify whether circuits are safe.
Technological advances have made the bikes faster every year and this has a direct impact on safety on the track: “The straights are getting shorter and shorter and the walls seem to be getting closer and closer” is a phrase often heard on the grid of the premier class.
One of the most dangerous moments in an accident is hitting an obstacle, and riders are also aware that the increased speed of motorcycles means that certain spots are perceived as less safe than they were a few years ago.
These concerns caught the attention of those in charge, and MotoGP’s sports director Carlos Ezpeleta and technical director Corrad Cecchinelli contacted Galileo’s “protégé”. The answer was this software, developed in Padua and incorporating data from the archives of the championship promoter Dorna, the FIM, the various suppliers, the teams and the riders themselves.
Alfonso and Bagnaia on a track walk after the Indian GP circuit was homologated using software developed by the University of Padua
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“We were looking for a tool that would allow us to insert a track profile in AutoCAD and return the ideal dimensions for the runoff or show us if the existing dimensions were adequate,” explains Espeleta, speaking to Autosport alongside Cecchinelli and FIM safety director Tomé Alfonso. “We discussed this with Corrado and he put us in contact with the best people in the field of motion research in Padua.”
The starting point was to create a line that would simulate as closely as possible the bike on the track, while at the same time seeking maximum performance in terms of speed.Then came the second optimization, which brought a qualitative leap forward by predicting the trajectory that the rider will follow after hitting the ground, how fast he will slide and where he will ultimately land.
“The important thing is that from that moment on, the program already differentiated between the bike’s movements and the rider’s movements,” Cecchinelli said.
“Using the information returned by the tool, we perfected the drawings until we had the best design based on the space available.”
Carlos Espeleta
All these predictions and simulations are based on accumulated experience: “We transferred data from countless crashes over the last 10 years to our engineers in Padua,” adds Espeleta.
Like most programs, this yet-to-be-named one works based on statistical models, which result in errors. As software evolves, these errors get smaller and smaller, but they never go away. And, logically, there will be times when the electronic brain’s interpretation of all the information doesn’t perfectly match what actually happens later.
“For example, a rider will not glide across gravel that has been hardened by overnight rain in the same way as across the same gravel that is completely dry,” Alfonso says, “and in certain very similar accidents, the program may not understand that the rider is projected in a certain direction.”
The program has been a major step forward in this area.
“The homologation of circuits is still done by humans, but the software has really helped in making decisions,” added Alfonso, who had already used the software during MotoGP’s visit to India. “When you do it on a mathematical, scientific basis, it makes everything easier. We already knew what to look for, we could corroborate and confirm a lot of things, which made our job much easier.”
MotoGP’s Red Bull Ring track layout was changed after a horrific accident in which Rossi and Vinales were nearly hit by a cartwheeling bike.
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
This refers to new tracks, but Cecchinelli stresses that tracks already on the calendar also benefit: “The system allows us to import real trajectory and speed data, which reduces the margin of error in the simulation.”
Another modification made recently following a suggestion from the New Tour was a variation introduced after the first corner of the Red Bull Ring to avoid a repeat of the spectacular accidents experienced by Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli in 2020, when their out-of-control bikes nearly ran over Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales.
“The tool worked extremely well because we had a lot of limitations at track level and it was essential not to change the layout in Formula 1,” explains Ezpeleta. “With the information that the tool returned, we perfected the drawings until we had the best design according to the space available. All these versions were introduced in the software until we had the final proposal.”
GPS adds a new dimension
It is true that current bikes already have GPS transmitters built in, but the new regulations that will come into force in 2027 would introduce a more complete system that would offer a whole host of possibilities in terms of speed and precision to the teams and heads of television, but also to those who manage the programme.
Until now, the information entered into the crash history program has come from calculations based on observations of crashes using television images.
“GPS gives us real data on skids, speeds, trajectories, and so on,” Ezpeleta concludes, “which is why we’ve been working so hard to get GPS into the 2027 regulations.”
Motorsport has always been dangerous, but limiting risks and improving safety on the circuit is a constant challenge.
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
