On Friday at the Valencia Grand Prix, MotoGP held a press conference to announce that 1982 500c world champion Uncini would be retiring from his role as official safety officer at the end of this season.
His place will be taken by Bartolome Alfonso Ezpeleta, nephew to Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and formerly head of the Aragon and Losail circuits, and who is currently spearheading the circuit in Kazakhstan set to host a grand prix in 2023.
The Ezpeleta reach in MotoGP extends to various key aspects of the championship, with Carmelo’s son Carlos Ezpeleta a key figure in race direction on top of his role as Chief Sporting Officer, while daughter Ana heads Dorna’s talent cup programs.
Bartolome Alfonso Ezpeleta’s partner is also set to gain a key role in the MotoGP stewards’ panel.
The new safety officer’s appointment has sparked a debate in the paddock over whether the reach of Dorna in the series has grown too much.
However, many riders when asked about it pleaded to allow Ezpeleta to be given time to settle into his role and prove himself.
“It’s difficult to say something,” 2020 world champion Joan Mir said when asked about it. I mean, what can I say? We will judge when we understand the type of work he does.
“At the moment we can’t judge.”
Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
When asked if a rider should have the role of safety officer, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says this is not always a good solution, and believes Ezpeleta will bring a fresh perspective on circuit safety to the paddock given his background – though conceded that the involvement of another because his namesake doesn’t “sound professional”.
“I know Tom,” Espargaro said. “He lives in Andorra and I know him from a long time. He’s working in terms of safety and discovering new tracks, so he has some experience on this.
“The only thing I can say is that we need to wait and give Tome an opportunity. But the only thing I can say is that it’s not always better to put a rider [in that role].
“We already have Loris [Capirossi]who is very intelligent and has been a rider.
“But maybe some other people with some more experience on safety that travel around the world can give us another point of view.
“I know for you guys, the surname sounds not professional. But let’s give him some time. I know him and I like him, his job in the past was not bad.”
Ezpeleta’s involvement with the Kazakhstan circuit has also sparked fears of a conflict of interest, and while Honda’s Pol Espargaro says these accusations can be levied if the track doesn’t turn out to be safe, he notes no judgments can be made now.
“I don’t know, we need to go, if we go there and the track is not safe enough, I would say yes,” he replied when asked by Motorsport.com about the Kazakhstan conflict of interest.
Tomé Alfonso, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“But we need to give him a chance to show how he does it and if he is good or not.
“In theory, on the pictures we’ve seen, the runoff areas are nice and the track looks good. But maybe the problem is it is in the middle of nowhere.
“We need something else than the circuit when we go there, but let’s give it a chance.”
Several riders, including reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo, declined to comment on the matter for fear of getting in trouble for saying the wrong thing.
But this also raised questions on whether riders feel free to speak their minds on incidents without fear of repercussions from the organizers.
Mir noted that in all industries care has to be taken when making comments on a matter, but feels he is able to speak freely within MotoGP’s safety commission meetings.
“Well, if you are not a rider and work for a company you also have to measure your words in some aspect,” he said.
“It’s not only the sport, that’s the case in life. It’s true in some moments you want to speak freely, but there’s a lot of compromises you have and business and everything [you have to consider].
“That’s for everybody. As riders we have to… I think it’s normal, as a rider you want to speak a bit more but there are a lot of people and a lot of things that [you have to consider].”