ACOSTA SAYS MOTOGP SHOULD APPRECIATE PHILLIP ISLAND AFTER WASHED-OUT FAREWELL

Pedro Acosta says MotoGP should appreciate what Phillip Island has given the championship, even though the circuit’s final Australian Grand Prix ended in disappointment. The venue, which first hosted MotoGP in 1989, will leave the calendar next season as Adelaide takes over. Phillip Island’s remote location and unpredictable late-season weather have long posed challenges, but its distinctive layout has also produced memorable racing.

Saturday’s Sprint offered one last example of the circuit’s drama. Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez fought for several laps before Martin crashed at the fast Turn 8 and broke his wrist. On Sunday, weather brought the event to a more abrupt close: poor visibility meant medical helicopters could not operate safely, and the final race at the track was cancelled.

Acosta had hoped rain might give him a chance to challenge for a podium or victory. Instead, the wind and severity of the conditions prevented him from racing. “I was asking for rain but I was not asking for that wind, you know,” he told TNT Sports after the cancellation.

The KTM rider described the farewell as “a bit sad”, but said the circuit deserved recognition for the racing it had delivered over the years. “But we enjoyed many good races around the Island,” he said. “For this we have to be very grateful to the Island, to the fans, and to all that Phillip Island gave to us.”