2018 MotoGP
Phillip Island #AusMotoGP
Round 17 of the MotoGP World Championship sees the paddock travel over to our side of the equator for only the second time this season for its annual date with one of the most spectacular and demanding circuits on the whole calendar, our own Phillip Island.
The 4,448m layout is one of the fastest tracks of the year and its high-speed nature makes it one of the most extreme tests for tyres. Fast, flowing turns produce huge amounts of heat, with the final corner being the bend which shows the highest temperature of any of the 278 turns that the MotoGP field face during the 19-race season.
Phillip Island looks directly out over the Bass Strait and on to the Tasman Sea, but this stunning backdrop can also provide extremely inclement weather, from heavy rain to wintry showers. At this stage though, we are looking set for a mainly fine weekend.
Who will take it to #93?
Marc Marquez will be the favourite as arriving in Australia this season. Not only for his seventh crown, wrapped up only days ago at Motegi, or even for his stats from the season. It’s not even for his win count at the track, it’s his pace at Phillip Island that widens eyes – with pole position taken often. Marquez has won some incredible races here – and taken some DNFs – as well as going from P38 on the grid in Moto2 and getting on the podium. The king around here used to be Casey Stoner; now he goes by another name.
Repsol Honda are heading to Australia chasing a record 24th Constructors Title, which would also be Honda’s seventh in the past eight years. With a 47-point lead and three races remaining in the season, there is a chance for the company to reach the prestigious achievement at Phillip Island.
Marc Marquez
“It’s a great feeling to arrive in Australia with the Title already won, and I really look forward to enjoying the end of the season. Of course there are also the Constructors and the Teams’ titles to think of, so we’ll try to keep the same level of performance and win more races to achieve those goals as well, as they’re important for us and for Honda. I love Phillip Island; it’s a fast track that always favours race-long battles that are a great show for the fans. I just hope the weather will be good because it can change from sunny and warm to cold and windy in a matter of hours. Anyway, we’ll see; we’ll definitely try to be at the front and have fun.”
The other rider with the top recent record isn’t racing, either – with Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) out through injury. So that leaves only Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) as the other man with a great track record at the Island – including his most recent win in 2014 – but the ‘Doctor’ also dominated the venue before the arrival of Stoner. Phillip Island could suit Yamaha a little more than some tracks of late…
So what of the man whose absence on the final laps in Japan was so notable? Andrea Dovizioso’s crash may have assured Marquez the crown, but it also robbed us of another incredible duel. On a more positive note the Italian went out swinging and if the 04 machine crashes out, it usually means one thing – he gave everything.
Now ‘DesmoDovi’ resets to making sure he’ll end the year second overall, and carries on trying to garner as many wins as possible, race by race. Last year in Australia the race was one of the toughest of the season for Ducati so that may not be here, and some more points and keeping tabs on the Yamahas will be the goal. Rossi lurks within striking distance, but the gap back to Viñales gives Dovizioso a little more breathing space.
The fight to be top Independent Team rider, meanwhile, is beginning to space out a little more too. With his second place at Motegi, Cal Crutchlow moved to 148 points, within seven points of Viñales – and he’s a previous winner at the Island.
Behind the Brit, Johann Zarco is on 133 – and Danilo Petrucci has exactly the same, but Zarco remains ahead in the fight by virtue of his podiums. It quite literally couldn’t get any closer, and last season Zarco was tantalizingly close to the podium.
Johann Zarco
“Phillip Island is an amazing track, pretty fast and with the MotoGP it feels like pure adrenaline on every lap. I had a fantastic race there last year and it would be nice to have a race in the front group again this time. I know, that my team likes this track a lot as well and this helps me to give me a strong bike. It’s a nice place to race, I hope we are going to have some good weather, because if it’s rainy and cold, the conditions are quite tricky, but when it’s sunny, it will be funny for sure.”
Alex Rins is beginning to home in on all three, too, and after another podium he could be a complication for the three ahead of him. But the home crowd will likely have eyes for Jack Miller, who had a front row start in Japan and solid pace until crashing out of contention. He’s got form at Phillip Island, and he’ll be aiming to be more than just top Independent…
Rookie of the Year is also close and Franco Morbidelli is ahead but Hafizh Syahrin took a top ten just ahead of his rival last time out – so there’s plenty life left in that fight. That’s not even everything to look for in Australia – with Alvaro Bautista riding Lorenzo’s Ducati Team machine and a rookie to the GP18.
Hafizh Syahrin
“I’m looking forward to Phillip Island, because we’ve just done a very good race in Motegi and we are in great shape with the bike and had a decent rhythm. It’s not my best track, but I’ll try my best for sure. I aim to be in front of my rookie rivals in order to get closer in the points. But most of all, I hope to have good weather there.”
Another rookie will be in the mix this weekend as 24-year-old Mike Jones will saddle up on an Avintia Ducati GP16. The young Aussie stepping in to the Spanish MotoGP team to replace Álvaro Bautista, who in turn will cover for the injured Jorge Lorenzo at Ducati. Jones actually rode an Avintia Ducati back in 2016 at both Motegi and Phillip Island, and thus will know what to expect in his wildcard appearance with the Angel Nieto team.
Mike Jones
“ I’m very excited and grateful to race with the Ángel Nieto Team at my home race of the MotoGP. Phillip Island is a circuit that I know well and enjoy very much. I look forward to learning step by step throughout the weekend and ultimately riding to the best of my ability”.
Even though the Championship is decided and you’d think the pressure is off, there’s still the manufacturer title to win, and it’ll be all-or-nothing at the Island. Find out what happens from the slightly later race time of 1600 (GMT +11) on Sunday as the lights go out at one of the greatest racetracks in the world.
MotoGP Standings following Grand Prix of Japan
- Marc MARQUEZ Honda SPA 296
- Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA 194
- Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA 185
- Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA 155
- Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR 148
- Johann ZARCO Yamaha FRA 133
- Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA 133
- Jorge LORENZO Ducati SPA 130
- Alex RINS Suzuki SPA 118
- Andrea IANNONE Suzuki ITA 113
- Dani PEDROSA Honda SPA 95
- Alvaro BAUTISTA Ducati SPA 83
- Jack MILLER Ducati AUS 74
- Franco MORBIDELLI Honda ITA 38
- Tito RABAT Ducati SPA 35
- Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA 35
- Hafizh SYAHRIN Yamaha MAL 34
- Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA 32
- Bradley SMITH KTM GBR 23
- Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda JPN 19
- Scott REDDING Aprilia GBR 12
- Mika KALLIO KTM FIN 6
- Karel ABRAHAM Ducati CZE 5
- Katsuyuki NAKASUGA Yamaha JPN 2
- Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA 1
Moto2
Francesco Bagnaia thought he’d taken a valuable second at Motegi, but some time after the race there came an announcement: the man who’d taken the flag just ahead of him, Fabio Quartararo, had been disqualified after running tyre pressures lower than the required minimum. It was heartbreak for the Frenchman but for Bagnaia it was another small step towards the crown.
That means there are a few scenarios for Bagnaia to take the title at the fast and flowing Phillip Island. If he wins, he’ll be Champion if Oliveira doesn’t finish better than fifth. If he’s second, he’ll take the title if Oliveira doesn’t finish better than P9. A third place for Bagnaia means Oliveira has to finish better than 13th, and finally, a fourth for the Italian would mean the Portuguese rider would have to suffer a DNF or not score for Bagnaia to be crowned. But who won last year?
Phillip Island 2017 was the first win for the new KTM Moto2 chassis as Oliveira made a little history, and it was also the start of a three-in-a-row rampage that saw the Portuguese rider unbeaten in Australia, Malaysia and Valencia – with teammate Brad Binder on the podium too. So the Red Bull KTM Ajo team should be walking fairly tall on the way on to the Island, with recent stats on their side.
Luca Marini will also want to get in the battle and join Binder as their teammates fight for the title, and the South African also has third overall in his sights. Alex Marquez took fourth despite a huge highside on Friday in Japan and is another to watch for back at 100%, as well as Motegi podium finisher Lorenzo Baldassarri.
Finally, one man with even more at stake is home hero Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing), who has big aspirations. Phillip Island is a track the Aussie hopes will prove a much better fit than the last two.
Moto2 Championship Standings
- Francesco BAGNAIA Kalex ITA 279
- Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM POR 244
- Brad BINDER KTM RSA 167
- Lorenzo BALDASSARRI Kalex ITA 148
- Alex MARQUEZ Kalex SPA 137
- Fabio QUARTARARO Speed Up FRA 136
- Joan MIR Kalex SPA 128
- Marcel SCHROTTER Kalex GER 123
- Mattia PASINI Kalex ITA 114
- Luca MARINI Kalex ITA 110
- Xavi VIERGE Kalex SPA 109
- Iker LECUONA KTM SPA 59
- Jorge NAVARRO Kalex SPA 55
- Simone CORSI Kalex ITA 47
- Sam LOWES KTM GBR 46
…18. Remy GARDNER Tech 3 AUS 28
Moto3
It was a KTM show in qualifying at Motegi, and on race day it was a group of the Austrian factory’s machines largely fighting it out – joined by the likes of eventual podium finisher Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Championship leader Jorge Martin fighting for Honda glory on their home turf.
In the end, however, it was a push too far for Martin and the Spaniard crashed out – as closest challenger Marco Bezzechi judged the drag to the line to perfection and won in style. That cuts the gap back to just one point.
Phillip Island is a very different track to Motegi and that will likely play a role in equaling the playing field again – and it would be no surprise to see Martin back to having a target on his back. But it’s also a track that provides some of the best racing on Earth and with Moto3 already enjoying that rep, it will definitely be a showcase of what everyone’s got. Can Martin pull that gap back out? Will Bezzecchi be able to pounce?
There are a few seriously fast faces sure to make it more than a duel, however. Dalla Porta, teammate Enea Bastianini, Darryn Binder fresh from his first podium, Gabriel Rodrigo, Dennis Foggia, John McPhee…and last but not least, Martin’s teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio.
‘Diggia’ suffered a huge highside in Japan but thankfully escaped largely unscathed. With Martin’s crash the Italian didn’t lose any ground to the top of the Championship, so his gap remains at 29 points – a longer shot but very much a possible one.
Moto3 Championship Standings
- Jorge MARTIN Honda SPA 204
- Marco BEZZECCHI KTM ITA 203
- Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Honda ITA 175
- Enea BASTIANINI Honda ITA 142
- Lorenzo DALLA PORTA Honda ITA 131
- Aron CANET Honda SPA 118
- Gabriel RODRIGO KTM ARG 116
- Jakub KORNFEIL KTM CZE 108
- Marcos RAMIREZ KTM SPA 90
- Andrea MIGNO KTM ITA 79
- Albert ARENAS KTM SPA 69
- Jaume MASIA KTM SPA 66
- John MCPHEE KTM GBR 60
- Philipp OETTL KTM GER 57
- Niccolò ANTONELLI Honda ITA 56
