the medical centre for a check-up, the neurological checks before he’s let back on the bike again.” Yet one is left to wonder how Petrucci – visibly dazed when his helmet was removed in the Pramac garage – was allowed to exit pit lane so soon after the incident itself.
“Perhaps any rider with scratches on his or her helmet should be forced to sit out a certain amount of time...” MotoGP introduced the SCAT3 assessment tool ahead of the 2015 season, following the lead of other motorsports, such as NASCAR. Used by medical professionals to probe if athletes are showing any clear signs of concussion, the checklist states: “if any of the following signs are observed … the athlete should stop participation … and not be permitted to return to sport the same day if a concussion is suspected.” Those signs include ‘Disorientation or confusion’, ‘Loss of memory’ and wearing a ‘Blank or vacant look’. According to a person with access to the garage that shall remain unnamed, it was clear from basic observation that the Italian was not fully compos mentis. Supposedly Petrucci was not even completely sure of the identity of the person on-screen when it was transmitting live pictures of himself. If Petrucci had been properly assessed – yet slipped through the net - it begs the question: does a more thorough kind of test need to be imple-
mented? Webb insists the current procedure is rigorous to the point of inciting hostility. “[The checks are] super strict. The riders get pissed off because they’ve been marched off to the medical centre often with nothing wrong. But they err on the side of caution.” In football for instance, a recent ruling ensured an independent doctor is onsite at Premier League matches to assist club doctors in diagnosing potential signs of concussion. Does MotoGP need to employ a further specialist to conduct further checks on injured riders? Or perhaps they should insist any rider with scratches on his or her helmet is forced to sit out a certain amount of time – or indeed an entire session until a correct prognosis is formed. It’s worth noting the medical team did correctly judge Stefan Bradl to have received concussion in a morning warm-up incident at his home grand prix just three months ago. Yet how Petrucci was allowed to compete so soon after the incident needs to be reviewed. That it came during a weekend in which Niccolò Bulega was fined for making an ‘inappropriate’ gesture – nothing more than the showing of his middle finger – left one questioning whether the line between what matters most and least to most sensible heads in the sport had – like Petrucci’s memory - become slightly blurred.