Bezzecchi battles penalties as Aussie trio hunt podiums

There is going to be a lot to take in, and some Aussies in the centre of the action, as the Liqui Moly Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2025 hits fever pitch on race day.

The Sunday timetable has been revised, to allow some harsh weather to pass through and provide the best of the conditions for the riders. Under the new time, the 10-minute MotoGP™ Warm-up will take place at 10:40am and the Moto3 race will start at 12:00 midday.

The Moto2™ race will start at 1:15pm and the MotoGP™ Grand Prix itself at 3:00pm.

All week Marco Bezzecchi has been dodging questions about whether he can win the 19th MotoGP™ round of the season, the Liqui Moly Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix™ at Phillip Island.

The Italian has been on a tear in the middle and latter parts of the 2025 season, and stepped into the role of team leader at Aprilia, in the injury-induced absences of World Champion Jorge Martin.

While the speed of Bezzecchi and his RS-GP racer are unquestioned, the shadow of two Long Lap Penalties (LLP), which he must serve during Sunday’s 27-lap Grand Prix, means it will be hard for him to take the win.

The long detour around the outside of Miller Corner adds about five seconds to a lap time, so two trips would generate a 10-second deficit. Hence, Bezzecchi and his team are not getting their hopes up. But after Saturday’s Sprint Race win, could he in fact do it?

Bezzecchi built his near-3.5s winning margin in little more than three laps and the form of Raul Fernandez on his Trackhouse Aprilia might actually work in Bezzecchi’s favour. The opposition getting on terms with one Aprilia is one thing; two might be a handful.

Of course, many eyes will be on Jack Miller, who was a great fourth in Saturday’s Sprint. The sweeping Phillip Island layout suits the Yamaha M1’s assets and Miller – and for that matter works Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins – could easily find themselves in the heat of the battle.

It seems odd to name many of the race contenders without mentioning a Ducati rider and there is sure to be a fightback, particularly Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Both were fast on Saturday and Di Giannantonio in particular is well versed when it comes to tyre conservation.

There will be three grid spot penalties for Francesco Bagnaia and Brad Binder, after stewards found both riders had hindered others during their Qualifying sessions. As a result Bagnaia will drop from 11th to 14th grid position and Binder will drop from 13th to 16th.

Before we get to that point there is a lot of racing, and some well-placed Aussies to watch. Joel Kelso will have a lot of eyes on him, the Darwin racer being the first Aussie to start from pole in his home race. Kelso has been on a roll, starting from the front row in the last five races in a row, and where better to score a maiden GP win?

Also on the grid is Jacob Roulstone, who is out to impress the Moto3™ pitlane as he works to stay on the grid for next season. The Tech3 KTM racer is starting from 13th and in any Phillip Island lightweight race, the platoon can easily accommodate that many machines as they snake around the classic track.

In Moto2™ Senna Agius is right in the battle. Already a winner this season, at Silverstone, the New South Wales racer faces a big challenge to take on Diogo Moreira but the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact team have been fast in race trim – and Agius has his teammate Manuel Gonzalez alongside him on the front row of the grid. The battle for the world title is very tight and that could work to Agius’s favour.

Look also for Harrison Voight, the young Queenslander looking to make ground in the first of his two rides as a replacement for the injured Unai Orradre on the QJMotor Frinsa MSI Boscoscuro.

Is it too much to ask, to hope for three Australians on the podium? Wouldn’t that be some kind of Phillip Island Sunday?