ROAD NEWS
Okay, so it wasn’ t really the‘ Final Roar’ we might all have hoped for. Putting it mildly … it was a washout. Apparently it was the weather between the track and the nearest hospital that was the final straw. Needing visually clear landing at the hospital meant the low cloud and rain stopped them getting the green light for the main game on Sunday. Could it have been managed better? It is hard to see how it could have had a more disappointing end result but, hey, it is not easy to reschedule so many races across the different classes. The forecast was, well, forecast days out so the rain was inevitable. To say goodbye to such a magnificent circuit in such a way was heartbreaking for everyone, riders, fans, teams and officials. Especially poignant was Jack Miller on a green and gold Aprilia, bedecked to farewell his fans on home soil. Still, Jack being Jack, he entertained. The MotoGP circus is going to
PHILLIP ISLAND MOTOGP
miss that man. WSBK will be huge in Oz going forward, that is for sure. Anyway, at least Saturday saw action in the sprint and created enough drama to fill the Sunday void. The end result is a fractured wrist for Jorge Martin and a championship lead for a certain Marc Marquez. If there was a silver lining to the dark storm clouds of the Sunday washout it is that Aprilia didn’ t lose more points in the title chase with Martin out of action. Sure, he lost points by crashing out of the sprint but Marquez the elder didn’ t get the opportunity to add 25 more points to his buffer. So, the Final Roar was more of a wet whimper on Sunday but such is life. It did show a frailty of the Island Circuit that many were unaware of. At least Adelaide, which has just passed its final major hurdle, has a hospital nearby so a grounded helicopter won’ t stop the action. Farewell Phillip Island, sigh.
16 KIWI RIDER