Japan’s keirin authorities have announced plans to increase the penalties for certain forms of dangerous riding, to take effect from the end of the year.
The measures target instances of riders ‘entering the sprinters’ lane’ (as UCI riders would know it), pushing or forcing another rider out of position, swerving or changing direction dangerously.
The announcement says it is in response to a series of serious crashes. It doesn’t name the Keirin World Series crash which ended Matthew Richardson‘s time in Japan – but the reference to dangerous swerving is surely more than just a coincidence.
Serious rider warnings increase from 10 to 15 penalty points; standard level warnings increase from 2 to 5. A disqualification remains at 30 penalty points.
Riders who accumulate 90 or more penalty points within a fixed four-month assessment period must attend a week’s special disciplinary training.
A separate rolling four-month assessment applies to suspensions from race assignments: riders accumulating 120 or more points may face a suspension of up to three months.
The announcement also revealed that the keirin industry is beginning to research and develop physical protection equipment to reduce the strain on the neck and other body parts in the event of a fall.
Body armour is not currently mandatory: Richardson admitted he would probably have worn body armour if he had known to expect a physical contest on the day of his crash.
