Any grand prix season that ends without any serious crash injuries merits a sigh of relief. Thankfully, that means most of them – nowdays thanks to the active safety of ever-improving rider gear and the passive safety of Dorna’s insistence that circuits are sufficiently safe, in terms of run-off, protected barriers, and so on. Thankfully again, 2024 was one such season. Motorcycle racing is intrinsically dangerous and surviving intact is a matter of getting away with it, time and time again. Because there is one kind of crash – fallen riders hit by other bikes – when only luck determines the outcome. MotoGP came close twice over the past two seasons. In 2024, it was at Sepang, and the hair’s-breadth escapee was Jack Miller, knocked off under the wheels of the pack. His helmet was grabbed by the back wheel of Fabio Quartararo’s fallen Yamaha, which made a good attempt at pulling his head off, “then (Joan)Mir used his legs as a double jump”. By a small miracle, Jack was able to walk away. In 2023 it was Pecco Bagnaia, leading a tight pack when he flipped over the high-side in Catalunya. He was also run over, by Brad Binder. […]