As grand a MotoGP finale as Valencia always delivers, as the season lengthens into November the risk of poor weather increases. The race weekend was pretty good, sunny and warm. But heavy overnight rain on Monday and cold temperatures meant the track stayed wet for hours, well past the projected 10am start time.
Riders were sent out to sample conditions on single slow laps, before returning. Around noon, Dorna gave up and red-flagged the session, sending circuit staff out with leaf blowers and other equipment to speed up the drying process. At 1:20pm, the green light went on at pit lane exit again, and riders got underway for a session that was extended by an extra half hour, running into the sunset, to make up for lost time.
It was a sharp reminder of the issues with having the final round of MotoGP at Valencia. The sellout crowd is fantastic, and the race can pretty much always go ahead. But the test is usually of limited usefulness, the track too cold in the morning and temperature dropping quickly in the late afternoon. If the track is wet, you lose many valuable hours.
