The Indian MotoGP’s second practice session on Friday suffered delays after the event was rocked with logistic issues.
The Indian Grand Prix’s inaugural day of track action was delayed by 45 minutes due to what has been termed as logistic issues.
This is said to have been related to a lack of track marshals, which was brought on by some of the corner personnel quitting their jobs because there wasn’t enough water to drink.
The delay happened before the second Moto3 practice session began, which was previously set to begin at 13:15 local time, immediately following a one-hour lunch break.
However, the championship promoter Dorna did not display the customary TV images of the inspection or track work routinely televised in such circumstances when that session was initially delayed “due to track conditions.”
After a 45-minute delay that saw Moto2 moved to 1505 local time and MotoGP’s second-ever practice session at the Indian circuit start at 1615, the green flag was finally raised at 1400 to kick off the afternoon’s action.
The Buddh circuit was not the cause of the delay, according to insiders in the paddock who spoke with Racetrackmasters, but rather the track crew’s refusal to operate in the 35 degrees Celsius heat without hydration.
When contacted for comment, a representative from Dorna would only state that the delay was caused by “logistics issues” but would not go into further detail.
There was a rumor that a secret meeting among riders was taking place in the paddock and delaying the sessions. The 22 MotoGP riders were supposed to have a group meeting on Thursday night, but a second meeting was reportedly set for the lunch break between the first two MotoGP practice sessions.
Riders had been much more optimistic once they arrived at the Buddh circuit and toured the venue on foot after months of voicing concerns about whether the necessary changes would be made to make the former Formula 1 track more suitable for motorcycle racing.
This comes after Pol Espargaro suggested on Thursday that they had all been too “harsh” on the track in the past.
In whatever way, the delay isn’t the first logistical issue the series has encountered during its first trip to India this week.
The majority of the paddock only received their visas to enter India (organized through Dorna’s approved agency) at the last minute, and as a result, some teams were forced to spend tens of thousands of Euros on last-minute flight rebookings.
