AFP, PHILLIP ISLAND, Australia
Marc Marquez was denied the chance yesterday to stretch his world championship lead over injured Jorge Martin with the last Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island canceled due to treacherous conditions.
Organizers pulled the plug despite a sell-out crowd with persistent rain and poor visibility making racing unsafe. The Moto3 and Moto2 races were also called off.
“Limited visibility has resulted in the cancellation of the Australian MotoGP,” organizers said.
Ducati Lenovo Team’s Spanish rider Marc Marquez waves to the crowd after a farewell lap following the cancelation of the last Australian motorcycle Grand Prix to be held at Phillip Island yesterday.
Photo: AFP
It was an inglorious end to nearly three decades of the sport at the waterfront circuit two hours from Melbourne, with the Australian race moving to a city-center street circuit at Adelaide next year.
While a blow for Ducati’s Marquez, it was an escape for Aprilia’s Martin, who had been ruled out of the race with a fractured forearm sustained when he crashed during the sprint on Saturday, won by his fellow Spaniard.
He risked sliding further behind seven-time world champion Marquez with only four legs of the season to go, starting next week in Malaysia. Instead he would leave Australia just 10 points adrift.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi is third in the standings, 50 points behind Marquez. Whether Martin can ride at Sepang remains to be seen.
His team said in a statement the break was not as bad as initially thought.
“The only confirmed injury is a non-displaced fracture of the distal radius,” Aprilia said, meaning the bone remains aligned. “Consequently the rider will not be returning to Spain and will undergo the necessary treatment over the coming days.”
The picturesque and often windswept Phillip Island track has been a staple on the calendar since 1997, but its contract expires this year.
Promoter MotoGP Sports Entertainment wanted to broaden its appeal and shift it to Melbourne’s Albert Park, which hosts the Australian Formula One.
The Victoria state government was adamant it should remain at Phillip Island.
With negotiations breaking down, South Australia stepped in and secured the race for six years from next year in Adelaide — the first MotoGP to be held in a city center location.