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[Tricky]

Curious about Moto E racing. With the bikes being so quiet, are there any types safety measures in place to let riders know where other racers are? Mostly you can hear a bike by the motor revving, I've heard there are spotters to warn riders who is approaching?

Thanks in advance

[JaimeC]

The riders can CLEARLY hear the announcers describing where everyone is.  That's something the traditional racers CAN'T hear.  Besides, most of the tracks have Jumbotron monitors for the fans that the riders themselves can clearly see (this applies to both eMoto and ICE racers).

The fact of the matter is MotoGP bikes are SO damned loud it isn't any easier to hear your opponents bikes over your own bike's sound either.

In any event, when you're racing you don't give a DAMN about who's behind you, only who is in FRONT of you.  It is the following rider's responsibility to find a safe place to pass just as it is your responsibility to find a safe place to pass the rider in front of you.

[Tricky]

Thanks Jaime. Great point about Moto GP bikes being loud, I see what you mean...

I was reading a discussion about e bikes being used in motocross, and I'm compiling info from the track towards good intel for allowance of e bikes in MX. Those against them feel the lack of noise will cause issues because a racer might not know another bike was nearby? I don't feel this way, I can sense another rider on the track a few different ways, but there is a huge bias against electric bikes in mx.

Another claim is that Moto E racing has spotters around the track to communicate info to the racers during an event, I'm not sure if they mean by radio, pit boards, etc...do you have any insight on this?

Thanks, Tony

[JaimeC]

Things are changing in MotoGP but for the most part the spotters are there for the track officials, NOT the racers (unless they crash and then they run out to assist the rider and get the bike out of the path of travel if necessary).  They alert race control of hazards on the track (debris, liquid, etc) and wave the warning flags when required.  The only communication to the racers comes from the flags and from boards held up by their pit crew as they pass the start/finish line.

The only flag I can think of pertaining to a rider being overtaken is when a back marker is being alerted he is about to be lapped.  It is then the rider's responsibility to get out of the overtaking rider's way as safely as possible.  In MotoGP, this is the blue flag (I think it's the same for WSBK and MotoAmerica too, but don't quote me on that).

[Tricky]

Actually, the claim I read was that spotters, not flaggers, are in place to assist each rider of the whereabouts of another? NASCAR allows radio communication, but is illegal in MotoGP.
Does Moto E allow any type of communication (radio, spotters around the track, etc...) besdies the pit to the rider?

[JaimeC]

To the best of my knowledge, MotoE is run under the same rules that govern the other classes in MotoGP with the exception of qualifying where only one rider at a time is on track.  I'm not sure why they went that route but with the small size of the MotoE grid it works for now.  As the series grows they may need to rethink that as qualifying would take longer and longer.

[Starpower]

MotoGP already has pit to rider comm. of sorts in the way of dash visuals for a few things -long lap penalty, map change and emergency. MotoGP is considering opening it up to a an audible system and it has been tested during off season practice. The issue has been rider challenges seeing the flags and dash. It takes 100% of physical and mental focus to keep a 300HP GP bike on line a glance away from this line can be a disaster. It takes .25 sec. to blink you eye, at 180 mph a bike travels 66 feet with your eye closed! In addition when leaned over in a turn a rider cannot see the outside curve flagger. The pro's and con's of audible safety need to be weighed. It seems most riders support it, Rossi being one of them.

[Demoni]

Energica MotoE bikes do have an audible alert system that was introduced last season (2020).
The system is only activated when the bikes are driving down pit lane, it's to alert people in the paddock that a bike is coming.

On the track it's so easy to sneak up on another rider regardless of if your on a EV or a big shouty twin.
At race pace focusing forward is the only way to be able to process information fast enough. You sometimes get a "sense" of another rider in close proximity or catch a glimpse in your periphery.
As MotoE is a spec racing series (all bikes are the same) it is very rare for the sort of massive gaps you get with MotoGP. Assuming you have 1 or more bikes nipping at your heels is the best strategy.   

Regarding communication between riders and teams. The only way the teams can communicate is via the pit board. Bikes onboard sensors record data during time on track, this is downloaded by the teams when the bikes return to the pits. I believe the teams have access to the same data on the TV broadcast overlay: speed, lean angle track position. The blue flag is used to signify a rider is about to be lapped and move off the racing line.

[JaimeC]

Audible alert in the pit area makes a lot of sense.  Pedestrians do have a habit of not paying attention to their surroundings.  Of course, I've always maintained that the RIDER should be aware of the pedestrians in front of them and make allowances but they can't really make allowances for EVERYTHING.

If you haven't seen it already, check YouTube for some amusing videos of how Dominos Pizza in Europe solved the problem of silent electric delivery scooters scaring pedestrians...

[Tricky]

Thanks for the input.
My question originated from a discussion I was in regarding ICE MX bikes and the popularity of E MX bikes. Some guys are open to them and some guys hate them. I'm open to any kind of bike and would love an MX E bike for its' lack of noise, especially, but I argued against his stand that MotoE racers were in communication by radio with their crew. He thought Moto E bikes communicated like Nascar, and because racers can't hear other bikes approaching, there were spotters around the track telling them where other riders were? Kind of embarrassed to have responded to that thread, but it had to be done, haha.
Thanks again.

[Crissa]

I didn't know any of it, so it was interesting to read.

-Crissa

[JaimeC]

E-MX has the possibility of greatly expanding Motocross in my eyes.  How?  NOISE!  Many areas don't want an MX track near them due to the noise but that complaint doesn't hold water for electric motorcycles.  I can see tracks opening up in areas that would've never considered them once E-MX bikes become more popular.

[Sklith]

Street riding instead of racing, but Energica motorcycles aren't quiet. While they're not loud compared to slip-on exhausts, they're definitely louder than stock exhaust when accelerating or decelerating. They have a distinctive sound, and people tend to take notice so I think it really helps with riding safely on the streets.

[Crissa]

I doubt it, I can't hear an Energica over my relatively quiet Mazda.  Which makes it tough to tell them from an SR/S in the mountains.

-Crissa

[JaimeC]

I really miss beIN Sports.  They used to broadcast the entire race day LIVE with no commercial interruptions during the races themselves.  I'd set the DVR to record the races since they often occurred while I was still sleeping, and then watch to my heart's content when I had the time.  That meant I could catch MotoE, Moto3, Moto2 AND MotoGP, or skip past the races I wasn't interested in.

Now that it's on NBC Sports, they only show MotoGP and usually on a significant tape delay (like in HOURS later).  If I want to see anything else I'll have to buy a VideoPass from Dorna which costs more than I'd want to pay.