Simon Crafar to take the place of Freddie Spencer on MotoGP Stewards panel

[mangocrazy]

I for one will breathe a sigh of relief to see Freddie Spencer step down from the Stewards panel. His decision making, or more accurately the decision making of the panel while he was at the helm, has been questionable and inconsistent. Hopefully Simon will do a better job. No guarantees, mind...


https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/10526 ... ards-panel

[Yorick]

The 2 others have no racing experience

From 2023...

The new safety officer is Tomé Alfonso Ezpeleta, who was in charge of the Losail and Aragon MotoGP venues and is now preparing the Kazakhstan Grand Prix.

If his name sounds familiar it’s because it is. This Ezpeleta is the nephew of Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, whose son Carlos plays a leading role in MotoGP Race Direction and whose daughter Ana is director of Dorna’s talent promotion, which runs the numerous Road to MotoGP championships around the world.

And it goes further, while nephew Ezpeleta become MotoGP’s safety officer his partner Tamara Matko is set to become a permanent member of the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel, presiding over rider conduct during race weekends and therefore handing out penalties and sanctions.

There is a word for this kind of operation: nepotism. And, funnily enough, the root of the word is the Italian word for nephew – nipote – which was used to describe the ancient habit of popes bestowing privileges on their ‘nephews’ (who, purely from a historical point of interest and certainly not applicable to the Ezpeletas, were usually their illegitimate sons).

Nepotism isn’t a healthy way to run a business. Never has been. Even more than 2000 years ago philosophers Aristotle and Confucius condemned the practice of giving unfair favouritism towards relatives.

The Ezpeleta family now bestrides MotoGP: from the commercial side of running the championship (which is Dorna’s primary job), to playing a major role in the actual running of the races and now to overseeing the safety of the riders and punishing riders.

To call these final parts of the Ezpeleta family’s rule of MotoGP a conflict of interest would be an understatement, because you cannot have the same family overseeing the commercial aspects of the sport, as well as safety and rider contact aspects, which is why they are both jobs awarded by the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme), not Dorna.

However, the fact the sport’s governing body gave nephew Ezpeleta his new job and looks set to give his partner a job, begs further questions regarding the uncomfortably close relationship between the various bodies that run MotoGP.

Motorcycling is a wonderful sport and its world championships should not be a family fiefdom.

[Skub]

At least we won't have to listen to his commentary now. I like the guy,but the interview thing wasn't his forte. God knows what he'll be like as a steward,it's a job where you are damned if ya do...etc.

[mangocrazy]

At least we won't have to listen to his commentary now. I like the guy,but the interview thing wasn't his forte. God knows what he'll be like as a steward,it's a job where you are damned if ya do...etc.

Yes, his interview technique was more than a bit cringe. But I like the guy and his technical knowledge and insights were normally spot on. As you say, the job is a bit of a poisoned chalice.

And the background of the other members of the panel (as per Yorick's post) is deeply concerning. Sounds like Simon may be stepping into a political minefield.