Riders call for track improvements

MotoGP championship frontrunners Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi have both expressed their fears about the lack of grip experienced in the wet.

Stoner, who thinks the circuit has got worse every year since it was last resurfaced in 2004, said: "This circuit really needs to do something about it, because it is becoming a little bit too dangerous, especially with these bikes.

"In the dry it is not too bad. You can always live with a slippery track in the dry. But in the wet it is just 'bang' and that is it. You haven't got any warning and they need to do something about it.

"These are some of the worst conditions I have ever ridden in and I rode in England for two years. It is probably one of the worst circuits I have ever ridden on."

Stoner suspects that the tricky track conditions may be the result of Donington Park lying right below the flight path for the nearby East Midlands Airport - with aviation fuel possibly contributing to the slippery surface.

"It has to be," he explained. "The old surface used to be pretty bad but nowhere near this.

"Now they have brought on this surface, every year it has consistently got worse - there is a lot less traction everywhere. With these long fast corners, downhill, something bad is going to end up happening."

Rossi added: "It is a disaster. I like the track but the grip level is critical. I don't know if it is like the old story for the airplane, or the asphalt is not in a very good shape, but the grip is very low. And it is quite dangerous because it is easy to make mistakes.

"In some parts of the track where the grip is not enough, there were a lot of crashes from the beginning. I crash also on the second or third lap, I don't remember, without pushing."

Despite his fears about the situation, Stoner has said it is not up to him to force organisers to take action.

"It is not my job, it is the Safety Commission's. It is one person's voice against another's. Maybe if people start asking me about these things then I will say something but for now I have to just let it go."

Rossi believes the issue may be discussed in Friday night's meeting of the MotoGP Safety Commission.

"I hear some other riders have the same comments," said the Italian. "I think this surface is quite old so if it is quite old it is possible to resurface for next year. I have the Safety Commission soon so maybe we talk about it."