Australian MotoGP Sprint Race has been cancelled due to the deteriorating weather at Phillip Island, the sport has confirmed.
MotoGP decided to cancel the Australian MotoGP Sprint race event due to high gusts and heavy rain. This comes after adjustments to the schedule were made in an effort to lessen the possibility of bad weather on Sunday.
As a result, the Sprint Race which was originally scheduled for Sunday but had to be moved to make room for the full-length GP, has been completely scrapped.
The Moto3 and Moto2 races on Sunday morning demonstrated how challenging the weather was already, with both including several crashes even during the reconnaissance laps leading up to the grid, particularly for Moto2 title leader Pedro Acosta.
Only nine of the scheduled 23 laps were completed before the Moto2 race was red-flagged and stopped. However, the Moto3 class completed all 21 of its scheduled laps.
The MotoGP sprint was also postponed by the promoter Dorna 30 minutes before it was scheduled to start because of the harsh weather and the likelihood that it would only become worse throughout the day.
Sunday’s weather forecast for Phillip Island called for chilly temperatures, frequent heavy downpours, and increasing wind gusts throughout the day. All of these forecasted conditions materialized exactly as predicted.
Four Moto3 riders crashed on the observation lap alone, and the number of crashes increased progressively throughout the course of the remaining 21 laps. As the weather continued to deteriorate, it first surprised everyone that Moto2 even started, with championship leader Acosta crashing again on the out-lap.
After the race started, things appeared to start getting better as the rain stopped, and the day turned more clear.
As a result of Johann Zarco’s victory on Saturday, championship leader Pecco Bagnaia now has a larger advantage over Jorge Martin in the overall standings. The Spaniard finished fifth after losing out the race lead on the final lap.
With four rounds left, the gap between the two championship rivals is currently 27 points.
