Motorsport Matters: Luis Salom Tribute

Image courtesy of Ozan Kutay with thanks.

It's the day that we all know can happen but try to put to the back of our minds. Whether you're a rider, a family member of a rider, part or a team, work in the media or like the majority of us you're just a fan of motorcycle racing then you're aware of the risks involved. As fans it's the high speed danger that keeps us on the edge of our seat, marvelling at the fact that these two-wheeled warriors have not only the skills to do what we cannot but also courage beyond belief. Such platitudes are usually used to describe the events that are now taking place on the Isle of Man where since 1907 the annual TT has delivered a cocktail of skill, success and disaster. Since its inception 109 years ago 141 competitors have lost their life on the demanding road circuit whether in the TT itself or the Manx Grand Prix which takes place later in the year. As fans of the sport we almost come to expect it yet dread it at the same time with the IoM TT.

In MotoGP (and supporting classes) however it seems more of a shock when it happens. These aren't narrow country roads with bricks walls, normal kerbs and drainage grates but wide tracks with run-off areas and enough gravel to stop most flying machinery. As we saw in the Moto2 race in Mugello only two weeks ago when a rider or machine does somehow get across what is commonly referred to as 'kitty litter' there is a healthy supply of air fencing to (in most cases) prevent serious injury or worse. So when the news came today that Luis Salom had lost his life at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona the sadness we feel is exacerbated by the question of 'how' when so much is done to make the sport as safe as possible. As with any dangerous activity though there is only so much that can be done as prevention and nothing that can be considered cure. Thinking back to the two previous fatalities in the sport – Marco Simoncelli in MotoGP in Malaysia 2011 and Shoya Tomizawa in San Marino 2010 – they were to a degree 'freak' accidents with an element of wrong place at the wrong time and involved collisions with other bikes. There does not appear to have been any other bike involved with Salom but turn 12 is notoriously fast as the riders crest the hill and drop down to the final turn where Valentino Rossi famously passed Jorge Lorenzo with a seemingly impossible manoeuvre in 2009. The footage, admittedly unclear, appears to show rider and bike going off fast, across the short tarmac run-off and into the air fence. My question would be whether a gravel trap or longer run-off would have helped the situation but I'm sure the FIM will investigate that issue. The decision to switch that part of the track to the much slower Formula One layout for the remainder of the weekend could be as much to do with the safety of the corner as it could be as mark of respect to the place where Luis was effectively killed (although he succumbed to his injuries later in hospital). It has been confirmed however that several MotoGP riders were involved with the safety committee to come to that decision after visiting the site.

One can only speculate what must go through the minds of other riders at a time like this. You know the risks and you know that if it happens then your time will come doing what you love but at the same time events like today must make it seem that little bit more real. Having watched documentaries surrounding the TT I've seen interviews with riders and their families where they say that if the worst happens they know they would go doing what they loved. How many of us will be able to say that in our lives? Many people look at Luis' age and comment how 24 is no age to die. Malachi Mitchell-Thomas recently lost his life at the North West 200 at the age of 20 – another promising talent taken too soon. Isn't there a saying that the brightest flames burn for the shortest amount of time? This weekend at Catalunya will be a mixture of sombre mood but also of tribute to a young, talented rider. He came close to winning the Moto3 title in 2013 and in my opinion was developing well in Moto2. In time he may have moved up to the premier class but now we will never know. Instead he will race in the stars with Marco, Shoya, Malachi and so many (too many) that have gone before.

Sometimes it takes an incident like this to bring things into context, to make people stand back, look at the bigger picture and assess whether certain things are right or wrong. There is hope among the decent fans of the sport that (perhaps in tribute to Luis if nothing else) the recent petty antics between some riders on track, some riders off track and some fans with their attitudes to riders can be put to bed. Like any fan I have riders that I support and naturally I do not like their rivals but I still respect them putting their lives on the line for, as one of my favourite writers Neil Simmons put it, for our pleasure and their enjoyment. The optimist in me hopes that this can be an end to any hostility and that it will draw a line under things for a brighter future but at my core I am a realist and believe that certain riders have a thick enough skin not to be deterred by such issues and since they thrive off of the animosity they will keep it in play as much as possible. That being said I do think everyone will honour Luis Salom fantastically on Sunday however it is arranged. Once the tyre warmers come off, the visors go down and the lights go out however it will of course be business as usual – at least until the chequered flag drops.

The Career of Luis Salom

There are many motorcycle racing fans who only follow the MotoGP class so will not really be aware of Luis Salom. They will know the names of the major players in Moto2 that are looking for rides in MotoGP like Alex Rins, Johann Zarco, Sam Lowes and Jonas Folger but until they straddle a MotoGP bike they don't really know that much about them. Other fans like myself follow all three classes and even the FIM CEV and Red Bull Rookies championships. Luis had been in Grand Prix racing since 2009 and after two very competitive seasons in 2012 and 2013 he moved to Moto2 in 2014. I'll take a look at each season and the highlights of his career.

Luis, from Palma in Spain, made his Grand Prix debut in the 125cc class in 2009 for SAG-Castrol on a Honda RS125R which he raced at Jerez and Catalunya (rounds three and six). He finished 21st on his debut on 3rd May 2009 at the age of 17 but lasted only 13 laps of his second outing in Barcelona before retiring. He must have made a good impression though as he was immediately snapped up by Jack&Jones Team to race and Aprilia RSA125 for the rest of the season in place of Simone Corsi who went to Fontana Racing. He was 16th on his debut for them (missing the points by 0.014 seconds!) and scored his first championship points at the next race at the Sachsenring in Germany with 13th. He followed that up with a fantastic 6th place at Donington Park in the next race which was won by Julian Simon and had Scott Redding third on the podium. That would be his best result for over 12 months but he scored points at four more races totalling 21 points and finishing 22nd in the standings.

For the first two races of 2010 he was on a Lambretta 125 for Lambretta Reparto Corse (scoring a point at the second round at Jerez) before Michael van der Mark (now in World Superbikes) took his seat as he went to Stipa-Molenaar Racing to replace Quentin Jacquet for the rest of the season back on an Aprilia. He scored points in ten races there including the the last six of the season. He beat his previous best with fifth place at Estoril in Portugal in the penultimate race of the season won by Marc Marquez. He finished 12th in the championship on 72 points.

In the last season of the 125cc era he was again on an Aprilia, this time for RW Racing GP. His progress continued as he finished fourth at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone (won by Jonas Folger) and followed that up with his first podium and second place at Assen, finishing behind Maverick Vinales but beating Sergio Gadea to the second step of the rostrum by 0.100 seconds precisely. The good top ten finished kept coming including another second place at Philip Island in Australia behind runaway winner Sandro Cortese as he went on to finish eighth in the standings on 116 points.

The dawn of the Moto3 era bought greater success for Luis as he seemed better suited to the 250cc machinery. He raced a Kalex-KTM and stayed with RW Racing GP. Although Sandro Cortese was the runaway champion Luis was involved in a great battle with Vinales for the runner-up spot which went down to the wire. He was on the podium four time in the first eight races and then won his first race at round ten at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the United States, beating Romano Fenati by just 0.020 seconds and Cortese by 0.071 in a three-way fight for the podium. That started a good run of form which saw him take his first ever pole position at Brno where he would finish second to Folger, he would be second to Cortese in San Marino and then he won his second race on the home soil of Aragon beating both Cortese and Folger to the top step. With four races to go Salom led Vinales by fifteen points but when he crashed on the penultimate lap at Motegi, Japan and Maverick finished second the latter took a five point lead. That's when Vinales seemingly imploded though as a dispute with his team saw him withdraw from the Malaysian race and a retirement in Australia would see Salom head into the last round with a nine point advantage. At the finale in Valencia he could only manage tenth position but luckily Vinales was only two bikes further up the road in eighth. Danny Kent won that race from the new champion Cortese and Salom was runner-up in the standings.

In 2013 he would come much closer to winning the title but eventually finish once place lower than in 2012. He was signed by one of the biggest teams in Moto3, Red Bull KTM Ajo, to fight alongside Arthur Sissis and Zulfahmi Khairuddin for the title. For the first eight races of the year Luis was virtually untouchable, setting out his stall in the opening round in Qatar with a pole and a win over Vinales and Alex Rins who would be his challengers for the season. Three podiums followed at Austin, USA (third behind Rins and Vinales), second at Jerez (behind Vinales) and third at Le Mans, France (behind Vinales and Rins). It was clear that it would be a very close season but Salom did all he could to break the resolve of his challengers – he won five of the next seven races failing only at Sachsenring (second behind Rins) and Indianapolis (fifth behind not only Rins and Vinales but also Folger and Alex Marquez). As he took victory after victory in Mugello (Italy), Catalunya (with pole position as well), Assen, Brno (Czech Republic) and Silverstone he took what look to be a healthy lead in the championship. With Rins and Vinales also consistently on the podium though Salom left Silverstone with 233 points, Vinales had 207 and Rins 200. There were six races left.

For round twelve the teams headed to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli and the San Marino GP. Folger took pole from Rins and Vinales but the German was crash out on the third lap. Salom qualified down in tenth place and had to work his way through the field, getting involved in a scrap for fourth place (where he finished) with Jack Miller, Khairuddin, Miguel Oliveira and Nico Antonelli. Rins won the race from Vinales and the pair closed on Salom in the standings. Luis' 26 point lead over Vinales was down to 19 and Rins was two points further back. At Aragon Rins won from pole and Vinales qualified second and finished second. Salom was further down the grid again in eighth and fought back to fourth with Rins' team-mate Alex Marquez taking third as he had at Misano. The lead was further reduced to nine on Rins (now second) and twelve on Vinales.

The teams and riders then left Europe and headed for the three Pacific races before the finale at Valencia. In Malaysia Salom took control back in the standings by winning from pole position by 0.069 seconds from Rins. Vinales qualified ninth and finished only fifth, his worst position of the entire season. In Australia Salom was again on pole position but Rins came through to beat Vinales to the line by 0.003 seconds with Luis 0.178 seconds behind in third. With two races to go Salom still led with 300 points, Rins was next on 295 and Vinales was on 278. Maverick needed a miracle and at the penultimate race at Motegi he got one. Rins qualified on pole but finished 24th after crashing out of third place and remounting. Salom qualified fourth and retired on lap eight with a fall as he was making up ground at the back of the field following an accident on the first lap when Isaac Vinales, Maverick's cousin, went for an ambitious pass and lost control. The younger Vinales high-sided over Salom while the bike took out the Red Bull rider, putting both riders in the gravel and Luis' championship position in jeopardy. Vinales finished second behind Alex Marquez taking his maiden win by 0.027 seconds to set up a thrilling final race in Valencia.

As things stood Salom went into the last race still on 300 points with Vinales now two points back on 298 and Rins still on 295. Had Vinales actually beaten Marquez to the line at Motegi then he would have led by three points. Having led the championship since round six at Catalunya could that incident with Issac Vinales rob Luis Salom of his first world title? Had Salom managed a decent top six finish for at least ten points in Japan then he would have won the title with at least fourth place in Valencia and would not have needed to push so much. Unfortunately life is all about ifs and buts. In qualifying Rins took pole with Salom and Vinales joining him on the front row. With five points covering the three riders it literally was winner takes all in the Valencia showdown. This blog is a tribute to Luis but unfortunately it was not to be his day. He crashed out on lap fourteen and although he remounted he could only finish fourteenth. Vinales would go on to win the race and the title while Rins third place finish took him to second overall. Malaysia 2013 would be the last time Luis Salom would win a race and Australia the same year would be the last time he would start on pole.

In 2014 he stepped up to Moto2 with Sito Pons' Paginas Amarillas HP 40 team riding a Kalex. At the first race in Qatar he qualified seventeenth and finished fourteenth for his first Moto2 points on his maiden outing. He took his first podium at the third round in Argentina finishing third behind Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon. At the sixth round in Mugello he went one better, finished second to Rabat by 0.248 seconds. Unfortunately he was only in the top ten once more that season and that was with fourth place at the last round in Valencia. He finished eighth in the standings with 85 points, level with Cortese but ahead on count-back. He was however the second placed rookie out of thirteen riders with only Vinales in front of him.

He stayed with the team for 2015 but saw a decline in results. He was back to back fifth at Mugello and Catalunya early in the season and had a trio of sixth place finishes to end the season but could only managed thirteenth in what was ultimately a disappointing season with 80 points. It was only five points less than in 2014 but the lack of podiums will have hurt considering his excellent start to his debut year with two in the first six races.

Salom switched from Sito Pons' team to the SAG team and started the 2016 season with a second place in the Qatar race which was thrown into chaos with the controversy over the issues with the lights and the jump start penalties. Thomas Luthi won the race while Folger crashed and Rins, Sam Lowes, Johann Zarco, Takaaki Nakagami, Marcel Schrotter and Robin Mulhauser were given ride-through penalties for jump starts. The decision to punish Franco Morbidelli and Sandro Cortese came too late for a ride-through so they would face a twenty second penalty at the end of the race. This dropped the Italian from second to seventh and promoted Salom to runner-up as he beat Simone Corsi to the line by 0.055 seconds with Cortese less than a tenth behind although he would be demoted to fifteenth with his time penalty. The sad fact now is that this is the last time we would see Salom on the podium. I remember at the time being moved by his post-race interview when you could tell he had been affected by his struggles to adapt to Moto2 over the previous two seasons. Struggles which with the podium in Qatar he hoped would now be behind him. The full quote is here and it does bring a poignant lump to the throat especially “I want to say thanks to my mum and all my family” and “it was two very difficult years for me and I will make my best from now until the last race in Valencia”.

In the five races since Qatar he finished in the points in Argentina, Austin, Jerez and Le Mans but crashed out at Mugello. He was tenth in the standings with 37 points.

There have been many, many tributes from riders, teams, writers and fans. There are too many to post here and where do you decide which is more important to include than the other? If you want to find them then let social media be your guide. From my own personal point of view however my heart and thoughts go out primarily to the family and friends of Luis Salom at this terrible time, secondly to the riders and teams involved in the sport but also to you, whoever you are, reading this. Chances are that like me you are a fan of motorcycle racing when a death happens in the sport we love we all feel it, we all share the pain. So my thoughts are with you also. Let's try to get through Sunday, see some good racing and honour Luis as he and his family would want.