Australian MotoGP 2023: Follow all the latest news from the track at Phillip Island
Safety concerns forced the cancellation of the final MotoGP event at Phillip Island, with strong winds and wild weather causing havoc at the famous event.
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The MotoGP sprint race has also been cancelled because of the strong winds and persistent rain on Phillip Island.
The decision was made in the interests of the safety for riders and fans, a statement from race direction said.
Winds were gusting to about 70kmh and likely to increase this afternoon.
The cancellation ends the final day of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix event before 12.30pm on Sunday.
The 13-lap sprint was due to be held at 1pm.
After the announcement, Aussie Jack Miller and championship leader Pecco Bagnaia crossed the main straight to sign autographs and take selfies with fans who had endured horrible conditions all morning.
Teams will clear the GP paddock and head to Thailand for next weekend’s round.
KELSO SCORES FIRST EVER PODIUM FINISH
Aussie Moto3 young gun Joel Kelso scored his first ever podium finish with a brave third placing in difficult conditions at Phillip Island.
Kelso, 20, started from second on the grid and was competitive as temperatures dropped to 13C and rain fell consistently.
An excited Kelso even dropped the f-bomb in the post-race interview.
“It’s bloody brilliant, mate. I’m over the moon,’’ he said.
“It was tricky conditions and I thought, gee whiz, we’d have to f***ing go for it.
“I thought we were on for a win but anyway we just made a little mistake so we just put it in the bag to get it home safely.’’
The Darwin rider surpassed his previous best finish of eighth recorded last year also at the island.
Kelso was on a high before the race, having signed for the Boe Motorsports Moto3 in 2024.
His third was the first time an Aussie was on the Moto3 podium since Jack Miller’s victory in 2014.
The Moto3 Grand Prix was won by KTM rider Deniz Oncu, from Turkey, who passed pole-sitter Ayumu Sasaki’s Husqvarna on the last lap.
Sasaki said it was the craziest race he had ever been in.
Lap times early in the race were about 20 seconds slower than Friday’s best times in practice.
MOTOGP SET FOR WET AND WILD FINISH
MotoGP riders have ventured on to the Phillip Island track this morning on what is expected to be a wet and wild final day of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
The MotoGP stars hit the circuit on wet tyres for the official warm-up from 9am in damp and blustery conditions, ahead of the 13-lap sprint at 1pm.
Hundreds of brave fans were at the entry gates at 8am for the early opening after a schedule change aiming to beat the weather which is expected to deteriorate as the day goes on.
“We’re going to try and out-race the weather on Sunday,’’ an official statement said on Saturday.
Race officials are hopeful of completing the full schedule.
The 27-lap Grand Prix was brought forward a day and won on Saturday by Frenchman Johann Zarco on a Ducati. It was his first win after 120 MotoGP races.
Winds increased on the island overnight, blowing in from the north-west and reaching gusts of about 60kmh.
Wind speeds are expected to surpass 70kmh later in the day.
The weather bureau issued a severe weather warning for parts of Central, East Gippsland, South West, West and South Gippsland.
ZARCO CLINCHES DEBUT WIN IN DRAMATIC FINISH TO MOTOGP
Frenchman Johann Zarco has won his first ever MotoGP victory in his 120th race in a dramatic finale to the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
The 33-year-old Pramac Ducati rider worked his way through the field and swooped past teammate Jorge Martin who had led most of the way but his soft rear tyre gave way in the final stages and had to settle for fifth.
Zarco celebrated with his trademark back-flip, albeit seven years since it was last seen in Moto2.
Pecco Bagnaia scored second place amid the last-lap chaos with surprise package Fabio Di Giannantonio grabbing his first podium with third on the Gresini Ducati.
The result meant Bagnaia extended his championship lead to 27 points ahead of Martin.
Aussie Jack Miller finished seventh after briefly popping up in third position on the opening lap but spent most of the race battling for sixth.
PHILLIP ISLAND TRACK RECORD SMASHED IN QUALIFYING STUNNER
Spaniard Jorge Martin broke his own track record at Phillip Island to grab pole position for Saturday’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
The Pramac Ducati star continued his strong form to clock 1 min 27.246 sec, about half an second quicker than previous best lap set last year.
Martin was 0.476 seconds ahead of KTM rider Brad Binder who had been fastest in Friday practice. His second was the South African’s best qualifying result in MotoGP.
Binder’s KTM teammate Jack Miller was eight-fastest and will be on the third row of the grid in his home race.
Third fastest was defending champion and championship leader Pecco Bagnaia who had earlier moved through the Q2 session on the factory Ducati.
Martin, who trails Bagnaia by 18 points in the standings, said he hoped to continue the form into the 27-lap grand prix at 3.10pm.
“The pace was really good and we hope we can improve in the race,’’ Martin said.
MILLER SHAKES OFF SLUMP AHEAD OF PHILLIP ISLAND
Aussie MotoGP star Jack Miller has declared he is feeling upbeat about his home race this weekend at Phillip Island, on the back of two rounds of strong finishes and improving form on the factory KTM.
Miller has put a mid-season slump behind him and has completed the last six races, finding a more competitive set-up on the bike.
The Queenslander finished seventh in suffocating heat in Indonesia on Sunday, after his ninth in the Saturday sprint, and comes after sixth and fourth place results the week before in Japan.
“We had a fairly strong showing this weekend. We made a couple of little mistakes in the race which hurt us overall, but to have two decent results back to back with Japan and now here is a positive,’’ he said on Instagram.
Miller’s best MotoGP result at Phillip Island was a third in 2019 on the Ducati but he has made no secret of his burning desire to win in front on home fans.
“We’ve made some big steps forward with the new chassis and so on and with set-up in general, and the way we come into the weekends, so I reckon the KTM can work really, really well around the island,’’ he said on his website.
“The bike is nice and agile at high speed which you need there, and there’s always some decent grip there as well.’’
The 2023 championship is still wide open with defending champion Pecco Bagnaia retaining the lead with a Grand Prix race victory at Mandalika after Jorge Martin had claimed top spot by winning the sprint race on Saturday.
Bagnaia won from 13th on the grid, hitting the front late in the race after Martin had earlier crashed out while leading.
“I think we deserved a race like this,” Bagnaia said.
“Starting from P13, during the first laps I did the maximum I could. Then when I saw Martin going, I said to myself: ‘Take care of the tyres, and then let’s see’.’’
This year’s Australian GP round will be the first time island crowds can enjoy the Saturday half-distance sprint which was added to all rounds for 2023.
Riders will have one eye on the Phillip Island weather this weekend with a forecast of showers and high winds on Sunday.
Wild weather caused chaos on race day last year, and in 2019 rain and strong winds ended Free Practice 4 on the Saturday, prompting riders to meet the MotoGP Safety Commission to discuss their safety concerns.
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