The meteorologists were not wrong and MotoGP had to cancel the main course of its revised schedule on Sunday at the Australian GP. The sprint race could not be held due to the strong gusts of wind expected over the course of the week, which were accompanied by intermittent rain and quite unpleasant cold for the entire paddock. After hot temperatures in India and Indonesia, Phillip Island forced riders to remove their woolly hats despite a sunny start to the weekend.
Dorna, the event organizer, was right to swap the long race for the sprint, saving the event’s main attraction in a World Cup full of theatrical coupons. During the Moto2 race, which was stopped after 10 laps due to the approaching storm, an umbrella crossed the track. Pedro Acosta, who moved from last place to ninth after a crash on the formation lap, will have match point in Thailand next week to become Moto2 world champion. Fermín Aldeguer, second behind winner Tony Arbolino, commented on the piece with Aleix Espargaró. “You can’t understand it on TV,” said the Granollers driver to his compatriot. “No, but he’s sending you out,” confirmed the Murcian from the closed park.
Shortly afterwards, the drivers in the premier class met with the race management. Half an hour before the scheduled time, 4:00 a.m. in Spain, the organization announced the final cancellation. “Hindsight is very easy, but it shows that the decision to postpone the main race to yesterday was the right one. “Today is a little bit what we expected,” said Carlos Ezpeleta, sports director of the event, into the DAZN microphones.
“It’s understandable. These bikes reach the end of the straight too quickly. We were interested in the race, but these are not conditions,” confirmed Fonsi Nieto, sports director of Pramac Racing and one of Jorge Martín’s confidants, determined to overcome the disadvantage , which separates him from Pecco Bagnaia in the fight for the title. “The first is the safety of the pilots. In the first corner you reach 300 km / h and we do not understand the sensations and what a gust of wind means there. We have to thank the race management for this “Thank you for making a difficult but impactful decision,” said Davide Tardozzi, Ducati Corse team manager.
The storm in the Indian Ocean ended the points distribution with Saturday’s result showing Bagnaia as the clear winner in the duel with Martín for the championship. With four Grand Prix and eight outstanding races, the reigning world champion has a lead of 27 points over his rival. Two setbacks, one literally at Mandalika and another in performance after a poor strategic decision yesterday, have turned the 7-point lead in favor of the Madrid player a week and a day ago into a current disadvantage. A total of 148 points still have to be distributed in one of the most exciting results ever in the premier class.
After the disappointment, the pilots, well bundled up, approached some of the 19,000 brave people who approached the track, still enduring the rain, wind and cold, to take photos, sign autographs and have a good time. The fans undoubtedly deserve it. In less than a week, MotoGP will continue its triumphant march with the dispute at the Thai GP.
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