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When 14-year-old Hugo Millán died in a European Talent Cup race this summer, it was far from the first time a teenager lost his life in motorcycle roadracing. But the response felt different.
Along with the usual reactions about how these things are tragic but unavoidable, and the aggravating "he died doing what he loved" comments (nobody loves getting smashed to death by a pack of following race bikes at speed), there were also some comments about how things needed to change. Some of those comments came from very prominent voices in the sport who were tired of the cost and worried about what outside forces might do to the sport if it didn't police itself.
And that was before 15-year-old Dean Berta Viñales, cousin of MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales, died in a similar crash in September. (And that's not to mention the death of slightly older Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier, age 19, in May.)
Minute of silence in honour of Dean Berta Viñales💔 pic.twitter.com/obZFOOfVTO
— WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) September 26, 2021
It felt like the tide had shifted. So I asked experienced contributor and former racer Mark Gardiner to examine the subject of teenagers racing fast motorcycles in tight packs. His article, " Another child dies road racing motorcycles but this time the reaction feels different," drew tens of thousands of readers and more than 100 comments.
Now, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the international sanctioning body, and Dorna Sports, which runs the world championships, have announced some changes in response to the backlash over the deaths and the questions raised about the ethics of putting so many teenagers on the track where they make life-and-death decisions at the same age where society doesn't consider them mature enough to vote, drink, have sex or join the military.
Age limits for many of the championships will be raised and the size of fields will be reduced.
In the Moto2 and Moto3 world championships, the minimum age will be increased from 16 to 18 beginning in 2023, matching the minimum age in the MotoGP class. The minimum age in the WorldSSP class, part of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, will also rise to 18.
Beginning in 2022, the minimum age in the WorldSSP300 class in WSBK will rise from 15 to 16 and each race grid will be limited to a maximum of 32 riders. Minimum ages are also rising next year in the various feeder series, such as the British, Northern and Asia Talent Cups and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and maximum grid sizes are also being imposed.
The reduction in the grid sizes is perhaps as important as the age limits. This year's deaths occurred because riders crashed and were hit by other riders in the huge following packs. They survived the initial crash, but not the dozens of riders bearing down on them from behind at speed and with limited visibility.
Other measures being looked at, and mentioned in the statement, include improvements in rider safety gear, mandatory airbags in gear, and improving rider communications technology so riders know instantly when there has been a crash.
The age limits include exceptions for riders who are already competing in these series and other details, which you can read in the full announcement, but the bottom line is that the FIM and Dorna have recognized that three teenagers' deaths in one season have revealed a problem, and steps are being taken to try to deal with it.
