JAKARTA - The Ducati Lenovo Team rider duo, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, are compact in supporting the restart rules in MotoGP which have just been introduced by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and will officially apply starting this year's competition.
The rule prohibits riders from trying to start their motorcycles in either the track area or the run-off after they have been involved in an accident and their bikes are dead. This is done to reduce the risk of officers on the track.
"I agree because in the end it's a safer way. What I read is that the rule only applies if the engine dies. So, if you have a small accident and the engine doesn't stop then you can continue the race," said Marquez as reported by Crash.
In the most prestigious motorcycle racing competition, riders involved in accidents usually immediately try to start their motorcycles so they can continue the race. However, the old rule is considered to endanger other riders or marshals.
Seeing the risk, the FIM also decided to issue their new rules. The regulation requires that the rider's motorcycle that died due to an accident must be pushed to the service area first before it can be turned on again.
This new rule makes it take much longer for the riders to get back on track. The reason is that pushing the bike to the service area will take longer than pushing the bike to the run-off area.
Bagnaia said that the change was very good because it concerned safety. According to him, the rider must be clever in keeping the motorcycle on when falling so that he can get back on track faster.
"You can't push (start) the motorcycle if it's dead. If it's still on, you can. So, the most important thing is that you have to try to keep (the engine) on," he said.
The 2026 MotoGP race will start on February 27 at the Buriram International Circuit, Thailand. There are a total of 22 race series in this year's calendar, including the return of Brazil as the host after an absence of 22 years.
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