Over at http://motorbikeroadracing.blogspot.com/ my friend MG is bitching about how the MotoGP officials messed up when they made Folger give up a position then gave him a ride through plenty on the last lap because he did not give up the position in time.
It use to be that we raced on dangerous tracks, on unreliable bikes with useless gear. It use to be that when you cut the course you lost a lot of time off road riding. Now we race at nice tracks with paved run off room on fast bikes with great gear. Now when you cut the course you don’t crash and many times don’t even lose any ground but that’s not fair to the riders who stayed on the track.
So Folger cut the course somewhere. He knew he cut the course and he knew he did not give up the position. When he later got the give up one position board after pulling away from those guys he should have slowed way down so that they caught him at the slowest part of the track giving him the best chance of letting only the one guy past and the best shot at getting back ahead and the most remaining laps to go after the next guy. Instead he kept going like a track day rider waiting for his slow friend who is on the other side of the track.
Folger caused and compounded this problem. He should be penalized for messing up the battle behind him and for not following the rules, not fussed over because the officials looked like poor parents trying to deal with a bratty six year old.
As to what MG says about DMG’s last AMA Pro weekend, he is spot on.
Up-dated with MG response: By the way, he is right.