First ever night race at Qatar. Was it safe?

Qatar held the first ever Moto GP night race under floodlights this year. However is night race safe for the premier class of racing?

The fairytale stage was set on Match 9^th as one of the most eagerly awaited seasons in Moto GP exploded into life at the floodlit Losail circuit. Moto GP race directors watched nervously as the race weekend progressed. Teams and riders had little data from their bikes apart from the three day test the same week.

Issues that plagued some of the riders and teams throughout the weekend were low track temperatures which greatly affected the level of grip the riders had.

Another problem was the track had a fine layer of sand blown onto it due to the wind speed difference in the night time. Therefore riders had to use every bit of skill to find the limit of their machines.

On race day the top six riders were wheel to wheel as tyre manufacturers struggled to convince the riders that the tires would last the whole race at race pace. However as the laps went by, last years world champion Casey Stoner took the initiative from Dani Pedrosa to pull away and win the race.

Despite the radical difference in what conditions the racers are usually used to there was only one rider who crashed at the race which possibly could quash any claims that the spectacle made the race more dangerous. Rider Alex De Angelis crashed on lap 6 and escaped unharmed.

Motorcycle journalist Simon Roots believes that the Qatar night race was a safety success; “If there was only one rider who crashed out of the race, the issue of safety can’t be too serious. However riders have requested to change the date of the race. As they are the experts then they obviously believe there was a strong element of danger.”

Originally the reason for the night race was not only to create a spectacle in motorcycle racing but as a way of avoiding the searing heat of the Qatar desert. The ambient temperature for the race was 18°C, degrees and track temperature was at 19°C, as apposed to daytime ambient temperatures that have reached nearly 40 degrees.

Despite the extreme change in conditions race winner Casey Stoner still managed a lap 1.4 seconds quicker than his lap record from

2007 in daytime conditions at the Losail circuit. The world champion admitted that he didn’t think the race pace would be as quick as it was due to temperatures and grip constantly dropping which as the race progressed. However Stoner is among a group of riders that have requested the race to be moved later in the year next year for safety reasons relating to track temperature.

After a successful night race under the floodlights of Qatar night racing, could become a new dimension in the world of motor racing?

Even though racing at night is new to most forms of motor sport there are championships in the world that have been doing this for years.

NASCAR racing in the U.S.A. is notorious for running races at night with 11 night races featuring in the calendar. These include the Budweiser Shootout, the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, Darlington, Phoenix, California and the Budweiser Shootout races.

NASCAR has been running night races since 1978 and now most of the circuits raced at today have facilities to accommodate a night race.

The night race at Qatar was not the first ever motorcycle race that has taken place during the night. The 24 hour Le Mans race is an endurance race that runs through the day and into the night time and has been around since 1976. There are also races that take place at the Bol d’Or, Suzuka 8 hour in Japan as well as many others that race during the night time.

Since the success of the Qatar night race in Moto GP the idea of night racing has spread across to the world of Formula 1. In the 2009 F1 season there will be a race held under floodlights in Singapore, a street style race circuit which will be a new addition to the F1 calendar.

The idea of the night race comes due to the broadcasting times being suitable for European audiences. However safety is paramount and if it is deemed unsafe to race at night then it will be run in the daytime.

Judging by many other forms of motor sport that now race in these conditions it is very much thought that F1 will stage the race at night.

The main issues that surround the idea in Formula 1 according to driver Mark Webber are blackouts which would seriously disrupt proceedings and be very dangerous. Another issue raised was the chance of rain during the race which would make visibility almost non existent.