Weather forces cancellation of MotoGP race in Australia

Sunday's MotoGP race at Phillip Island, a circuit south-east of Melbourne in Australia, has been cancelled because of bad weather. MotoGP is motorcycle racing's top world championship, and this was set to be the final race at the venue, as the Australian round moves to a new street circuit in Adelaide from next season.

Organisers had already called off the earlier Moto2 and Moto3 races. They then tried to rescue the MotoGP race by pushing it back several hours. As the rain eased, parts of the track looked dry, but visibility stayed too poor for medical helicopters to fly over the circuit, and the race was scrapped.

Safety requirements

Race director Graham Webb said the helicopter needs a window of about 60 minutes at both Phillip Island and Melbourne before a race can start. He said organisers must be sure that, if there is an incident, a rider can be taken to hospital quickly.

At most circuits, a hospital can be reached within 45 minutes, which is the regulation. At Phillip Island, the hospital is more than 45 minutes away by road, so organisers depend on the air ambulance.

Championship picture

Reigning champion Marc Marquez leads the standings by 10 points with four races remaining.

Phillip Island has been on the world championship calendar for 30 years, apart from two years lost to the coronavirus pandemic. Australian two-time world champion Casey Stoner won six races in a row there from 2007 to 2012, while his compatriot Mick Doohan secured his fifth and final world title by winning the 1998 race.