Australian MotoGP cancelled as poor visibility blocks medical flights

The Australian MotoGP race was cancelled on Sunday after rain and poor visibility prevented the event from going ahead at Phillip Island, BBC Sport reported. Organisers delayed the start for several hours before abandoning what had been scheduled as the circuit's final race in the premier class ahead of the Australian round's move to Adelaide.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M70qjRuqyKw

The decisive problem was emergency medical access, rather than simply the condition of the racing surface. Although the rain eased and parts of the track appeared dry, visibility remained insufficient for medical helicopters to operate. That left organisers unable to provide the air ambulance cover needed to run the race safely at the island venue off Melbourne.

Race director Graham Webb explained that a suitable flying window of about 60 minutes was required at both Phillip Island and Melbourne before racing could begin. In comments carried by the BBC, he said organisers needed to be certain they could get an injured rider to hospital quickly if an incident occurred. The hospital journey from Phillip Island takes longer than 45 minutes by road, making air transport essential under the safety requirements he described.

The cancellation followed the loss of the Moto2 and Moto3 races earlier in the day. Organisers continued trying to stage the main MotoGP event by moving its start back, but the improvement in rainfall did not resolve the separate visibility problem. Sunday's programme therefore ended without any of those three races being completed, despite the extended effort to find a workable opportunity for the premier-class event.

According to the BBC's report, reigning champion Marc Marquez leads the championship by 10 points, with four races remaining. He has won four premier-class races at Phillip Island. The Australian round is due to take place on a new street circuit in Adelaide from next season, ending the island's long association with the championship.

Phillip Island has featured on the world championship calendar for 30 years, apart from two editions lost during the coronavirus pandemic. Its history includes six consecutive victories for Australia's Casey Stoner between 2007 and 2012. Fellow Australian Mick Doohan secured his fifth and final world title by winning there in 1998.