Rain in Qatar: MotoGP at risk?

It’s raining heavily in Qatar, incredible but true. An event in itself for the Arab state, situated in the Persian Gulf, but it’s not the first time it’s happened. Remember the 2009 edition of the GP? On Sunday 12 April it was raining cats and dogs, which caused the MotoGP race, ultimately won by Casey Stoner, to be postponed.

Qatar 2009: best to avoid mud and hallucinations

The race eventually ran on Monday 13 April 2009, which called for significant logistical reorganisation. Those who had booked return flights for Monday had to change their tickets to Tuesday, with the same applying to hotels and rental cars.

A financial "bloodbath", only partly offset by the fact that the race eventually ran, and in dry conditions. On Sunday it wasn’t so much the grip that had the riders worried, but the accumulation of water, the mud-like sand blown onto the track, and, significantly, the lack of visibility when riding.

Reflections created by tricks of the light could have caused a real problem, confusing and even ‘dazzling’ riders. The artificial lighting at the Lusail Circuit is effective, but it works well when every other aspect is perfect.

It (almost) never rains in Qatar, but when MotoGP comes to town...

If you look at the rainfall for the area, you’ll immediately note just how arid and dry the territory is, just like the desert surrounding Doha. The very salty sea water around the city is desalinated at a huge plant built by a company in Genoa, Italy, to provide water that can be used for irrigation and drinking.

There were wet sessions in 2017, with the riders waiting until race day to decide whether conditions would allow for the MotoGP to take place.

In 2018, huge cisterns flooded the track, in the most evidential test of all time for the two-wheelers. Those tests answered a number of questions. Is there grip? Yes. Can you see? Yes. Would you race? Yes. Good, so if it were to rain between today and Sunday, what’s the problem?

Bagnaia vs Martin in the wet

Pecco is perhaps quicker and more sensitive than Jorge in the wet. But we’re unsure, as the Qatar track is unique in terms of visibility and location. When the pair have battled it out in wet conditions, nine times out of ten it’s Bagnaia who’s come out on top.

What about this year? Well, conditions were wet in both Argentina and the UK. At Termas #1 crashed while Martinator finished fifth. At Silverstone GoFree took second, with the Spaniard taking 10 points. We can say they’re more or less even, with emphasis on the "more or less".