Riders doing their “gardening” to prepare their start gate at GPs will be a thing of the past as a new rule says there must be a metal grid behind the start line at all world championships.

The grid was tried at the recent SMX Cup and riders liked it. Youthstream boss Giuseppe Luongo says that with competition so high in GPs now, a bad start can ruin a rider’s chances. So to make the start more even, the metal launch pad will be used.

He said: “Behind the starting gate a metal mesh will be placed giving good grip and an equal chance to all the riders in all types of weather conditions.”

GP rider Jake Nicholls was the first to signal his approval. “The new rule with mesh behind the start gate at GPs instead of dirt is the best rule I’ve head in a while.”

Photo Ray Archer/ KTM Images