Crutchlow penalty. Right decision?

[wiltshire builders]

I've watched this a few times and not sure what to make of it.
He was moving and the rules are clear, but what was effectively a 25 sec penalty seems a little harsh. Especially as Dorna has brought in Freddy Spencer to mediate over matters like this.
Twitter is blowing up on both sides.
Anyone have an opinion?

[wiltshire builders]

For Some reason the Gif has saved as a jpeg.
Here's a link instead.
https://youtu.be/ekVIlRUZBGs

[BB]

Cruel :(

[Scotty]

Very difficult decision, whichever way it's viewed.
1. Yes, he was actually moving forward very slightly, but as I read on Twitter the right hand was holding the throttle wide open, and his left was holding the clutch in while his left thumb was on the rear brake lever to try and stop it creeping forwards - how good is your coordination, to do all this while watching the lights, adrenal glands flowing at 100% and 22 other bikes revving at full tilt all around?
2. Did the few cm his wheel crept forward (without crossing the line of his grid marker) give him any advantage for the race?

Unfortunately the rule book is a very binary object; technically Cal was creeping forwards, but a negligible distance, no advantage gained, but the rule book says that a jump start has to be punished with a pit-lane ride through. If a rider completely leaves his grid spot then fair enough, but maybe the rules need revising to add the proviso that without leaving the grid spot, pre-movement merits taking the penalty lane (at turn 7 on this circuit), a penalty of 4 or 5 seconds, more proportional to the scale of the offence than the 25 seconds that this penalty cost him. Given that Cal's pace was often second only to that of MM93, the long lap penalty could have ended with him finishing in the top 6, if not on the podium... It's probably too late to do anything about it now, and it would be tough on Cal if they were to change the rules once the season is underway without making them retrospective, and how would they mitigate it to his situation - give back 20 of the 25 seconds that he lost? That would at least have given him 4th position overall...

[Trev_P]

Very difficult decision, whichever way it's viewed.
1. the right hand was holding the throttle wide open, and his left was holding the clutch in while his left thumb was on the rear brake lever to try and stop it creeping forwards - how good is your coordination,.

i don't think mine is very good, i tried the above and i just cant make my thumb reach over enough, and to think that after squeezing my lardy arse onto a mini moto i could do anything ;)

however, i don't think it warranted a penalty as his wheel never crossed the spot boundary until the lights changed, another case of the rules being to stiff

[wiltshire builders]

It does seem to be 1 rule for the Aliens and one rule for everyone else.
Remember Marquez stalling on the grid, bump starting then riding the wrong way down the track?
Quartararo does it and has to start from pit lane.

[Mitch9128]

If rules were rules the whole grid bar Jack miller would have started from pit lane that race, which shows they can when needed be flexible.

[Scotty]

If rules were rules the whole grid bar Jack miller would have started from pit lane that race, which shows they can when needed be flexible.
Last year's start was unprecedented, and the pit lane isn't wide enough to accommodate that many bikes in a race start - none of them are that big, they'd have needed an entire grid marking out. As the entire field aside from JM43 changed, they re-formed in their qualifying order behind where the back row was. It wasn't ideal, but better than the carnage that would have ensued had 26-odd bikes tried starting in a mass melée from pit lane. Race Control and the Safety Commission had no choice but to improvise.

MM93 got a ride-through penalty for his self-start and re-position on the grid last year - actually I thought he did very well, but unfortunately it was all illegal...

[Dazr]

Tough call but perhaps the ride though penalty lane would have been a more sensible option. I bet he was fuming, still need to catch up on the after show programme.