Free Practice 1 cancelled at the Australian MotoGP
Torrential rain scupᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚpers opening pract🀅ice for the 2024 Australian MotoGP.
Opening practice for the 2024 Australian MotoGP was delayed and finally abandoned, ✱due to torrential rain at Phillip Island.
As forecast, Friday dawned wet, but conditions de🐓teriorated further at the end of Moto2 free practice.
That forced the start of MotoGP FP1 to be postponed, with the BMW Safety Car was making waves as it tested tr🐻ack co🃏nditions.
The problem, as highlighted by several riders, was not only the quanti🍌ty of rain but that it seemed to be sitting on top of the new asphalt, rather than draining through it.
Home star Jack Miller told Simon Crafar in pitlane: "We're getting the full Phillip Island experience! The last two days have been fantastic and she's turne♔d to the not-so-nice part!
"Massive shout-out to the 🦩fans. A shame we're not on track yet but hopefully, there will be a gap in the rain to let the standing water clear, it looks like aquaplane-city at the moment.
"Grateful to ha📖ve new asphalt but it mean♍s the water is sitting on top."
After waiting for almost two hours, Race Direction anno𒈔unced a pit lane opening time of 12:25, prompting concerned looks f𒆙rom several riders. The decision was swiftly reversed and a further delay was announced.
Dorna Safety Officer Loris Capirossi, driving the safet✃y car, said: "As soon as the rain [eased] the track was coming good, but൲ the problem is that it started to rain a lot again. Then we have some aquaplaning and it's better to wait until the rain stops."
F🌸P1 was officially cancelled shortly after 12:30🧸 local time.
A revised schedule is yet to be issued, but wet weather is expected for the rest of the day, raising questions abo🌄ut Practice this afternoon, which is also used to decide the top 10 riders for direct Qualifying 2 access.
Saturday should be dry but windy, with Sunday predi♍cted to offer the best conditions of the Australian MotoGP weekend.
Losing dry track time on Friday means teams and riders won't gather any🐓 badly needed slick tyre data for the expanded tyre selection brought by Michelin in response to the new Phillip Island asphalt.
The soft rear slick - the medium usꦚed by most riders fo🐎r the race last year - is a 'normal' construction, but the medium and hard rears have a stiffer, heat-resistant construction, last used at Mandalika.
Michelin hopes the 13-lap Saturday 𝓰Sprint will at least be dry, to evaluate the soft rear tyre on the new asphalt.
Last year's Australian MotoGP was brought forward to Saturday afternoon, in place of the Sprint, due to a foreca൲st storm.
Peter has b🎀een in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
