PREVIEW: Action continues on Sunday with three races at Phillip Island
Saturday, 21 October 2023
The Tissot Sprint will take place on Sunday, with Moto2™ and Moto3™ also on track.
One more special day of Grand Prix motorcycle racing awaits on Sunday in the 2023 MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
After an extraordinary finish to Saturday’s MotoGP™ race, which saw Johann Zarco take his maiden win, there is bound to be a fightback from Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia who, after stretching his points lead to 27, will lead the title fight going to Thailand next weekend, no matter what happens.
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The Tissot Sprint, now scheduled for 1:00 pm, promises to be as thrilling as Saturday’s Grand Prix. All the riders know that the Soft Michelin rear tyre will go 13 laps at least, and this could be just the ticket for KTM’s Jack Miller or Brad Binder – or Honda’s Marc Marquez – to turn the tables on the Ducatis.
With all the changes in the program, Moto3™ and Moto2™ riders will get a 10-minute warmup session, Moto3™ at 8:20 am and Moto2™ at 8:40 am, before the MotoGP™ warmup at 9:00 am.
Many eyes will be on the Moto3™ battle that will start the day at 10:00 am. Ayumu Sasaki marked himself as the man to beat by backing up his Practice form in Qualifying, but Kelso looked every inch a podium contender on Saturday to put his CFMoto KTM second on the grid.
Moto3™ is often a pack race, but at Phillip Island, the exception might just prove to be the rule. Sasaki has been on fire and should Kelso be able to stay with him, the pair could break away from the pack.
Now rescheduled for 11:15 am, Moto2™ is shaping up to be a battle between the massed fleet of Kalexes and the two Boscoscuro machines. After dominating last year’s race, the Italian brand’s leading rider is Fermin Aldeguer, who scored his maiden Moto2™ win at Silverstone earlier this year, and who dominated Qualifying.
Points leader Pedro Acosta is one rider who challenged him, but he is starting from fifth – his lowest position since Catalunya earlier this year. With seven wins in 16 races this season, a podium may be good enough for the title favourite before he moves on to Thailand next weekend.
Or, with Zarco winning in MotoGP™, could this finally – finally – be the weekend that Aron Canet also breaks through? Canet, who won six times in 72 starts in Moto3, is still looking for his first Moto2™ win after taking second place no less than 13 times... From second on the grid, could his 64th start be the charm?
“We are really strong here in Australia,” said Canet. “We worked a lot for the race, that is the most important, I think we can do big things here.”
With no Australian Moto2™ racers to cheer on, Canet might just earn himself honorary ‘Aussie’ status if he manages to break through...
