Published on 4 November 2016

No more dirt starts in MXGP?

Giuseppe Loungo has said there will be no more dirt starts in MXGP next season.

Speaking in MXGP mag the head of Youthstream said: “behind the starting gate a metal mesh will be placed giving good grip and an equal chance to all the riders in all types of weather conditions.”

It follows the introduction of a similar system at the Monster Energy cup in October and it seems the 2017 US supercross series will be doing the same, with Chad Reed supporting the idea in his interview with Pulp mx.

“I think it’s a good thing,” explained Reed. “In the press conference I was asked that. I just think that it’s so difficult for Dirt Wurx to consistently make fair gates from gate one through gate 22. I just think that on all the different dirts and all the different stadiums and the mud and the rain and the open stadiums, I just think it’s really fair. I think it’s something that you take out of human error and they lay it down. I think it’s the same for us, week in and week out. It doesn’t beat up on our tire or anything like that. I think it gives you enough traction, enough slip to make it feel like it’s a normal start, but it’s just really, really consistent. So I’m all for it.”

It will be interesting to see how it works out but with so many races in MXGP, especially in the European rounds, it might make things fair across the gate for everyone. But it could mean the end to all the riders doing their start rut which has been the staple of the build-up to a motocross race for generations.