MotoGP Farewells Phillip Island
S
unday was a long day, with
little to do but wait for delays
as MotoGP bikes made their
final run at the famous Phillip
Island venue.
The start time was pushed
back on several occasions. But
the writing was on the wall once
Moto3 was removed from the
eventual schedule at 13:48 lo-
cal time. Twelve minutes later,
Moto2 was canceled.
Many asked why Sunday's rac-
ing was canceled when several
riders commented track condi-
tions were wet but acceptable.
Limited visibility around Phillip
Island and the nearby city of
Melbourne meant the medical
helicopter couldn't take off or
land safely at either location.
There is added importance on
the helicopters for this round.
MotoGP protocol requires
a clear air access route if a
potential ambulance journey to
the nearest major hospital takes
more than 45 minutes. On Sun-
day, the drive from the circuit to
Melbourne took two hours.
Later in the day, visibility
improved sufficiently over Phillip
Island for a takeoff. But Mel-
bourne remained engulfed in fog
for much of the day. MotoGP
then had an ever-diminishing
window to play with. As the
afternoon progressed, tempera-
tures decreased, making racing
less likely.
"The further we pushed
things on, the more sensitive
we became to situations with
tire temperatures as the tem-
perature started to drop," said
Race Director Graham Webber.
"The updates we were getting
suggested there was a pos-
WIND
IN THE
P48
An emotional
Jack Miller chats
to respected
motorsports
journalist Greg
Rust as it becomes
clear no racing will
take place at Phillip
Island on Sunday.
