Moto GP : Marc Marquez handed two penalty points for warm-up crash

The Silverstone race direction has been very strict this weekend. After giving Andrea Iannone a penalty point on Friday for obstructing Andrea Dovizioso, they have now handed Marc Marquez two penalty points for not heeding the yellow flags following Cal Crutchlow’s crash during the warm-up session, that put in danger the marshals, but also the Yamaha rider.

The FIM statement reads:

Rider Marc Marquez (93) was riding in a section of the circuit where waved yellow flags were displayed due to an earlier accident. He continued at racing speed and did not slow down and be prepared to stop as required by the regulations. His subsequent crash at the same point as the previous accident seriously endangered the rider being attended and the marshals in the accident zone. This is an infringement of Article 1.22.2 of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations. A Race Direction hearing was held at Silverstone on 1st September 2013 and the decision of the Race Direction is to impose two penalty points on the 2013 season total of the MotoGP rider number 93 Marc Marquez. No appeal has been lodged. The decision of the Race Direction is final.

Marquez said that he did not see the yellow flags, “I know with a yellow flag you have to slow down and especially with an oil flag, you have to slow down a lot, but I didn’t see.”

The Repsol Honda rider’s crash left him with a dislocated shoulder that was put back in place by the doctors of the medical center, but the injury din not hinder him one iota, as he finished a stunning second in a thrilling battle with Jorge Lorenzo in the final laps.

The Penalty Point system was introduced this season and the Race Direction can sanction a rider with between 1 and 10 penalty points. Accumalating four points give a rider back of grid start, 7 points a pit lane start and 10 points a disqualification.

Andrea Dovizioso and Hector Barbera were the first MotoGP riders to be punished with the new system at Assen after an altercation during qualifying.

via TWOWHEELSBLOG