A new bike swap procedure is to be tested at Silverstone for flag-to-flag races. After the riders failed to reach agreement on a single procedure at the Safety Commission meeting in Austria, Race Direction met with the teams to agree a new procedure.
That procedure is to be tested on Friday, after FP2 at Silverstone. French Eurosport reporter Vanessa Guerra tweeted out the diagram of the new procedure shared with the teams:
This is the PROPOSED bike change protocol that will be TESTED tomorrow during FP2 to improve the safety in case of flag to flag races. pic.twitter.com/FpiV7V7I9Z
— Vanessa Guerra (@VanessaCarlotta) August 24, 2017
The changes made are all aimed at creating space in pit lane, and avoiding collisions. The bikes will be moved much closer to the garages. The bikes coming in will have to be parked behind the second bike.
Bikes will have to come in at a 45° angle, while the second bike will also be parked at a 45° angle. After the rider has swapped from one bike to the next, they will have to wait to be released by a mechanic holding an F1-style lollipop, who will scan behind and ensure it is safe for the riders to leave pit lane.
Photo: Vanessa Guerra (Twitter)
This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.
