Phillip Island's MotoGP swansong ends in damp squib after weather wipes out Australian Grand Prix
MotoGP said an emotional farewell to Phillip Island, which has hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1989. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the goodbye they had planned.
After a sensational Sprint race, Sunday’s Grand Prix was called off and the meeting abandoned due to poor visibility, which affected the operation of the medical helicopter.
It was a dramatic 13-lap Sprint race on Saturday, with Marc Marquez leading from pole position into Turn 1, while championship leader Jorge Martin, starting fourth on the grid, made a brilliant start to shadow his title rival on the opening lap.
On lap two, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) passed Martin at Turn 10, but Martin struck back immediately at Turn 1.
For the next seven laps, Marquez (Lenovo Ducati) and Aprilia’s Martin produced some unbelievable racing. With the championship lead on the line, neither rider gave an inch, but the 2024 World Champion was on the ragged edge.
On lap eight, he clipped the kerb at Turn 7, unsettled the Aprilia, and at Turn 8 lost the front at over 130mph, suffering a fractured radius and a suspected ulna fracture near his right wrist.
With Martin out, the Marquez brothers took the top two steps of the podium. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) finished third to complete an all-Ducati podium.
“Today we weren't the fastest out there, so I tried to defend my position as hard as I could against Martin and attack to retake the lead,” said Marquez.
"The pace was really fast, and it was clear that he had a rhythm I couldn't match. Once I was informed of his crash, I managed the race while trying to prevent the chasing riders from closing in, starting with Alex, who was coming back strongly.
"I'm happy with the win, but I feel sorry for Jorge. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on track soon.”
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) fought back from ninth on the grid to finish fourth, ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM). Acosta’s teammate Brad Binder was sixth after Ai Ogura was penalised post-race for tyre-pressure issues.
Marc Marquez now commands a ten-point lead in the championship as the series heads to Malaysia.
With Martin hoping to race despite his injuries, the title battle appears to be back on.