‘Safety is the most important factor’: MotoGP event brought forward over wind gust fears

Fears over dangerous wind gusts at Phillip Island’s MotoGP circuit on Sunday have caused the showpiece motor sport event to be rescheduled to Saturday.

Organisers were concerned that Victoria’s inclement weather, and some forecasts of wind gusts of up to 70km/h, could threaten the safety of riders.

Casey Stoner rides to one of his victories at Phillip Island.Credit: Joe Armao

The main MotoGP race will take place at 3.10pm on Saturday, with the sprint event to be held on Sunday, subject to the weather conditions.

Melbourne has experienced ideal spring conditions this week, but the weather is expected to turn sour on Sunday. Colder temperatures and a 95 per cent chance of rain are forecast for Phillip Island.

Organisers were concerned about a repeat of conditions experienced at the picturesque venue in 2019 when qualifying was stopped due to the wind. Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira crashed heavily in the main straight that year when blown off his bike.

“From the morning to the afternoon the wind completely changed direction and was going sideways on the straight,” Oliveira told crash.net four years ago.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which manages the event as well as the Formula 1 grand prix at Albert Park, was informed of the decision by various MotoGP stakeholders, including Dorna Sports, which holds the MotoGP commercial rights.

“The conditions and the forecast are quite changing,” Dorna chief sporting officer Carlos Ezpeleta told a media conference.

“After consultation with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, we wanted to wait until today to get the appropriate, the best forecast we could from the [weather] bureau.

“We have a very good reference for our tolerance to wind on this circuit after having to red flag … [qualifying] in 2019.

“It looks like our forecast here for Sunday is very similar to the one that we had four years ago.

Casey Stoner in the paddock on Friday.Credit: Getty Images

“As we always say safety is the most important factor, safety of the riders and … all the people involved in the event.”

Ezpeleta said all teams were consulted, and it was a unanimous decision to make the switch.

“This [the MotoGP event] is our most important race of the weekend,” he said.

“Obviously we will react to the forecast on Sunday. We will try and complete the full schedule.”

The Bureau of Meteorology says there could be between two and 10 millimetres of rainfall at Phillip Island.

The AGPC has outlined what options are available to racegoers due to the scheduling changes. Patrons who purchased Sunday-only grandstand seats will be given general admission access to the circuit on Saturday.

The corporation said refunds will be offered under certain circumstances. These include:

• Sunday (only) Island Pass ticket holders that cannot attend on Saturday and no longer wish to attend on Sunday.
• Sunday (only) Grandstand ticket holders that cannot attend on Saturday and no longer wish to attend on Sunday.
• Sunday (only) Grandstand ticket holders who attend Saturday as a general admission patron and no longer wish to attend on Sunday will be offered a partial refund (being the difference between the Saturday general admission price and the price of their Sunday grandstand ticket).

Patrons were asked to contact Ticketmaster to handle their refund enquiries.

The AGPC is still finalising new plans for the weekend, including potential ticket refunds to fans who wanted them.

“This decision has been taken proactively in order to guarantee the best and safest possible show for all competitors and fans attending Phillip Island grand prix circuit this weekend,” the AGPC said in a statement.

An AGPC statement said: “AGPC has been advised by Race Direction, comprised of IRTA, FIM and Dorna Sports, of a change to the schedule for MotoGP.

“AGPC management is now in the process of considering the impact of these changes and appropriate updates will be communicated as soon as possible.”

The BOM has forecast a maximum of 16 degrees and a minimum of 10 degrees at Phillip Island on Sunday, with “showers [and] very windy conditions”.

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