“The track is ok”: Loris Capirossi, safety manager for Dorna, wanted to be very clear on this point. As soon as the Misano GP had finished he flew to India to ensure that work on the Buddh International Circuit, which will host the world championship for the first time this weekend, was proceeding as planned. He liked what he saw and is very optimistic.
Loris, what worried everyone was the homologation of the track only the day before the GP.
“All the tracks in the world are homologated on the Thursday before the Grand Prix and lose their homologation when it ends. I'll give you an example: today Misano no longer has one. This is because we ask for special types of paints and protections, most circuits remove them on the Monday after the race and therefore also lose their homologation. The case of India is the same as that of all the other tracks in the world."
However, in this case, being a circuit originally designed for Formula 1, modifications were requested to adapt it to motorcycle safety standards.
“We've been here for a week, we've been working, and today I also rode my bike to get an even clearer view. I can say that the track is fine, and the riders will be happy: all the requested changes have been made and all the necessary protections have been put in place. For my part, I can also say that the design is beautiful: there is a fantastic parabolic curve."
Does it remind you of any other tracks?
“None, it's different from all the others and also quite difficult”.
Can you already say that homologation will be a formality?
“There won't be any problem. As always, in the Misano Safety Commission we showed the riders the track with footage from a drone. It still wasn't finished, for example, the curbs weren't painted yet, but everyone was happy. Now that it's ready, it's even better: everything is fine."
As for the asphalt, how did you find it?
“They are working very well 24 hours a day to clean it, so the track will be ready from that point of view too. Obviously, they don't do many races on this circuit and so it won't have much rubber on it, but when I rode the bike today I found it already in good condition."