MotoGP riders will continue to suffer with this former champion as Commissioner

The American Freddie Spencer He was one of the great figures of the World Championship in the eighties of the last century with a brilliant career that saw him become the youngest world champion and winner of races in the main category (500cc at the time) in 1983 until Marc Márquez In 2013 he broke his records as a rookie. And in 1985 ‘Faster Freddie’ He added the crowns in the program’s two most important categories, 500cc and 250cc, the only rider in history to achieve this in both years.

With that track record he seemed like the perfect Steward to hand down the decisions in MotoGP when in 2019 they made him the new President of the Stewards Panel, replacing Mike Webb, who has devoted himself exclusively to his other role, that of MotoGP Race Director since then. But the Louisianan decisions have caused controversy only because of the inconsistency when evaluating controversial race situations, because of their different metrics for measuring contacts between drivers or the agility when issuing penalty or punishment. Although he did not spare the movements with the pilots such as meeting with them and trying to reach a consensus in the Safety Commission every Friday.

In 2020, criticism began to pour in, personified in this case by Aleix Espargaró: “I have a lot of respect for Freddie Spencer, but when was the last time he rode a MotoGP? It’s not easy, but I think we need someone to race in MotoGP six or eight years ago. Someone who is in the premier class but also knows MotoGP.”

“We riders complain that they don’t always consider every action in the same way. It depends on whether the rider falls or not, if he is leading the race, if he is in Moto3 or MotoGP. But one rule is a rule . No. “It doesn’t matter if two riders fight for the top 20 in Moto3 or if it’s Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi. I think we can improve on that.”

FIM officials for 2024

CAREER DIRECTION
Race Director and President: Mike Webb
FIM representative: Tomé Alfonso
Dorna representative: Loris Capirossi
CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
MotoGP President and Race Director: Mike Webb
Deputy and Race Director Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE: Graham Webber
FIM Safety Manager: Tomé Alfonso
FIM Medical Director: Giancarlo di Filippo
GP Technical Director: Danny Aldridge
FIM GP Technical Representative: Dominique Hebrard
FIM MOTOGP COMMISSIONERS PANEL
President (IRTA appointed): Freddie Spencer
Commissioners (appointed by the FIM): Andrés Somolinos and Tamara Matko
FIM APPEAL COMMISSIONERS PANEL
By rotation:
Ralph Bohnhorst
Raffaele De Fabritiis
Stuart Higgs
Franco Uncini
(Reserves: Paul Duparc and Paul King)
Plus a representative of the National Federation.
GRAND PRIZES COMMITTEE
Representative and President of Dorna: Carmelo Ezpeleta
FIM representative: Paul Duparc
IRTA representative: Hervé Poncharal
MSMA representative: Biense Bierma
PERMANENT BUREAU
CEO of Dorna: Carmelo Ezpeleta
President of the FIM: Jorge Viegas

In 2022, Alex Rins publicly suggested that the panel members (including Spencer) be released after Takaaki Nakagami’s action at the start of the Catalunya Grand Prix was left unpunished. And in 2023 there was not a Grand Prix where some driver did not complain bitterly about the Stewards’ decisions.

But in the statement released this Tuesday by the FIM they reiterated their confidence in the same Panel of Stewards from last year. They confirmed as president Freddie Spencerselected by IRTA, which Andrés Somolinos and Tamara Matkochosen by the FIM.