**MotoGP Controversy: Simon Crafar Sheds Light on Misano Incident, But Questions on Steward Transparency Persist**

Simon Crafar's disclosure by the stewards raises further queries

New insights surface regarding the Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin incident

On Thursday in Indonesia, discussions reignited regarding the final lap collision between Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin at the MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Only four days after the contentious ending of the second Misano race, where Bastianini pushed Martin off the track at Turn 4 in the last lap to secure a win, the MotoGP teams have gathered on Lombok island for the Indonesian Grand Prix.

Discussion about the events in Misano persists, as both Bastianini and Martin addressed the topic during Thursday's pre-event press conference.

As expected, Bastianini firmly believes he did nothing wrong, a stance backed by the stewards who decided not to impose any penalties. On the other hand, Martin continues to disagree with the decision to refrain from issuing a penalty.

A point of contention has been the seeming absence of a thorough inquiry into the incident by the FIM stewards panel, led by two-time 500cc world champion Freddie Spencer.

Simon Crafar, a former grand prix winner, is set to transition from his role with Dorna to join the stewards' panel in 2025, succeeding Spencer. Recently, he provided new insights into the events of last Sunday, revealing that an investigation took place.

"The stewards looked into the matter," he stated on Thursday before the initial press conference on motogp.com.

"They look into every detail. I’ve been hanging out up there for the last four Moto3 races and all of the Moto2 sessions over the weekends, and I’m beginning to grasp what their work entails.

In Misano, there are approximately 160 cameras, with 50 specifically allocated for their use, allowing them to determine the placement.

"In addition to the international feed cameras (IPF) we watch on television, there are also the circuit CCTV cameras used for track days and similar events."

"There are nearly 160 cameras in total. From my observations, they scrutinize every detail – if there's even the slightest movement, they look into it."

"Whenever a driver goes beyond the track boundaries, there's a specific team assigned to handle such incidents. Just because you don't see 'under investigation' displayed on the TV screen doesn't imply that the matter isn't being looked into."

"They use the entire cool-down lap to review various perspectives and immediately make a decision."

"Their ruling contradicted the opinion of roughly half the people, as they determined it was not a penalty."

Crafar is accurate in stating that the stewards are not responsible for providing TV tickers with race direction updates; this task falls to the broadcast production team once they receive information to disseminate.

Last weekend, Gino Borsoi, the head of Pramac, disclosed that his team approached the stewards to understand their handling of the incident. Meanwhile, Martin mentioned that he was unable to reach Spencer when he attempted to meet with him.

"I made an attempt and visited Race Direction, but they were not available. I attempted to meet them later, but they informed me to speak with them the next day," Martin recounted to the Spanish press on Thursday in Mandalika.

"I made an attempt, but it was unsuccessful. I wish to speak with them, but not over the weekend or before a practice session. Today (Thursday) was the ideal time, but perhaps we can schedule another suitable moment."

Lingering doubts

Although Crafar’s perspective has offered a helpful update on the matter, it still leaves some questions unresolved.

If an investigation took place, why wasn't that mentioned initially? If the officials promptly decided that no penalty was necessary, it would have been logical to share that information immediately. A straightforward 'no further action' announcement on the global broadcast could have ended this discussion entirely.

According to some media sources, the stewards reviewed the incident but did not think it required a thorough investigation. This is unexpected, especially since it involved a race victory.

At its core, the real concern isn't about whether a penalty was warranted or not. That is largely subjective and will likely be revisited for analysis if it significantly impacts the championship race in Valencia. The main problem lies in the lack of clarity surrounding the stewards' decisions and the guidelines they follow.

Following the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Martin and the Pramac team emphasized that they regard Bastianini's actions as the boundary of what is permissible according to the stewards. Consequently, they believe they should not face penalties if they compete under the same conditions. This stance is understandable, and it is likely that all racers will push these ambiguous limits, as is common in the sport.

People who believe Bastianini should have faced a penalty mainly argue this because they observed him veering off the track as well. Bastianini explained this by stating he glanced over to check if Martin had fallen, although it is more plausible that he was ensuring Martin wouldn't re-enter the track at high speed right beside him.

During the final lap skirmishes, riders who go beyond the track limits typically lose a position. This rule mainly applies to run-off zones marked in green. Areas without green markings are considered not to give riders any unfair benefit. Therefore, Bastianini's actions were acceptable.

However, if the officials concluded that the incident at Misano didn't warrant a detailed examination, does this imply that a rider should just avert their gaze from their path if they realize they're veering off course? Naturally, officials can refer to data if required, but this will be contingent on their assessment of its necessity.

In our first report on the event, we mentioned that stewards publish a document at the conclusion of each day detailing every incident they looked into, along with a short justification. We highlighted a prime example of the stewards managing situations effectively without needing an extensive investigation while also providing their rationale.

During the Spanish Grand Prix, Johann Zarco made contact with Pedro Acosta at Turn 5 on the first lap, causing Acosta to be pushed wide and lose a position to Zarco. Despite the evident contact, Zarco was not penalized as he managed to rectify the situation in the next sector. Consequently, officials did not require him to relinquish his gained position, which would have been the standard penalty if the issue had persisted.

That's all it took. On Sunday at Misano, the stewards only needed to take this simple action to resolve the controversy surrounding the final lap.

After four days, it has become clear that they investigated the incident. However, the reasons behind their decision and their lack of communication remain unknown.

Future steward Crafar, who is quite adept at discussing intricate aspects of motorcycle racing on television, has shown that he is the ideal candidate to address and enhance the transparency concerns that the existing panel has allowed to persist for too long.

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