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The fateful curve 12th in Montmelo Circuit
On Friday, June 3, the motorcycle rider Luis Salom (Moto 2) had a fatal accident at 150 km/hour in the curve number 12 in Montmeló Circuit (Barcelona, Spain). It is an area with a known hole where usually pass without brake. The pilot was forced to brake later because he had reached 6 km/hour slower than his fastest lap (due to lower acceleration in the previous curve) and decided to stop nine meters later, then he lost stability in his front Wheel, felt and he powered his bike against the side of the circuit’s wall. It is an area where the escape is no gravel and asphalt makes it to slide more. His motorcycle impacts against the protection, absorbing part of their kinetic energy but leave the bike in place. The pilot hit directly against his bike had just bounced against these protections. A fatal accident input usually injured high cervical spine, head injury or deep chest injury.
20 years ago I was in this curve like trauma doctor in both the World Formula 1 and Motorcycle (from 1994 to 1995, opened 1991). It was called the curve of the stadium because it was around a long right curve in the stadium. Always asked to be in this place because I liked: it was a curve with low rate of accidents, with a strong presence of the public was very lively and had just put on the first two screens that were in Montmeló that made the Grand Prix could follow. Over the years the design of the curve was changing to try to reduce the speed with which reached the curve before the home straight. The different curves were taking different names (Europcar, New Holland …). They also place the protections known Formula 1 FIA F1 Techpro developed by German DEKRA group with theoretically high safety design to absorb impacts F1 to 200 km/hour. A few years ago (2007) Formula 1 decided to place a chicane to reduce high speed passed this curve, and thus reduce the speed of arrival at the final curve. This was not done in the World Moto Championship until this fatal accident. It’s difficult to understand why it was not removed and substituted with gravel or an alternative (sand, grass, …). The gravel in addition increases the chances that the sliding direction of the pilot and the bike are different, in fact fatal in this accident. Since 2008, several amendments have been made in all corners of the circuit and this remained as it was. Some drivers have talked about other problems: asphalt aged less grip (Rossi), expandable escape (Lorenzo) and circuit irregularities (Marquez).
The Commission Security F.I.M. and the Circuit must assess: 1. Change the asphalt escape to gravel or other materials, asphalt 2. Review: new asphalt and reduce the bumps and irregularities 3: Extend the escapes in question 4: Incorporate Circuit design chicane fixed 5: Increase the capacity to absorb the impact of the defenses in this area through studies that have protections not only in F1 but in MotoGP. Finally the key point, many requests from pilots on different aspects of safety circuits are silenced by different factors. A transparent mechanism that would allow all of these concerns and proposals simply because informed as the dynamics change.
A hug to the family of Luis Salom and to the family of motorcycling.
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