MotoGp, a piece of the world championship is decided in Australia. Bagnaia: “It’s like starting all over again”

PHILLIP ISLAND – It is one of the fastest, most unpredictable, spectacular races of the season MotoGP. “Only two things matter here: skill and courage,” he says Marc Marquez, one who understands. With 3 gp from the end, with Bagnaia which he has finally achieved Quartararo (in the standings they are divided by just 2 points) e Aleix Espargarò still at -20, it is a decisive appointment. A little thought to the title they do as well Bastianini (-39 from Fabio, the leader) e Miller (-40). Three Ducatis and an Aprilia, four Italian bikes, plus a Yamaha: with the Beast and the Kangaroo, fresh from marriage – Jack married Ruby Adriana last Saturday, the other Ducati rider Zarco played the guitar for the duration of the party – , which in all likelihood will help Pecco keep the platinum Frenchman behind. The long curves of the Phillip Island they seem to favor Quartararo’s M1, but Bagnaia’s GP22 has shown that it can now adapt to any track and in this moment the inertia is all in favor of the Piedmontese. It is forbidden to make mistakes. Whoever falls on Sunday can say goodbye to his dreams. Incredible balance and tension, together with the awareness that – depending on the results of this race – the world championship could already be awarded in 10 days in Malaysia.

A track for Yamaha, but this Ducati flies

The starting straight is something moving, as beautiful as it is: it goes downhill, and after an endless run it feels like diving into the ocean in front. The last to cross the finish line in the blue of the Pacific was the Cannibal: Marquez won in 2019, 3 years have passed and that time Bagnaia – in his debut season in MotoGP – closed in 4th place. Quartararo, also a rookie, instead he ended up on the ground, but in qualifying he was one of the fastest (2nd). “I had crashed in the first corner, I was already hurt at the start of practice: but it is one of my favorite tracks”, says the Frenchman. That he is back to talk, after the silence – and the depression – following the disastrous race in Thailand. “I made a mistake at the beginning, maybe I was under too much pressure.” It had already happened to him to fight for the title and suffer the comeback of an opponent, after a dazzling start to the championship: it was 2020. “And in the end Mir took the world championship with Suzuki. I hope this time it goes differently (smiles). So I learned my lesson: you have to be fast on all circuits and not just the ones you like. Pecco is now very close in the standings, but also Aleix, Enea and Jack can try: it is as if here in Australia we all started from scratch. I’m confident”.

Bagnaia: “Stoner’s advice will be decisive”

“I spoke to Casey Stoner, who has always been the greatest on this track: I think I have learned a little more and I hope I will need it on Sunday.” Pecco Bagnaia he has the serene gaze of someone who knows he has arrived in full strength for the decisive appointment. “This is one of my favorite routes, 3 years ago I had my best result and now the Ducati’s potential is much higher: power has combined with incredible handling. The frame is still the same, but the fairing has changed: and we also manage to be fast on long hairpin bends “. Quartararo says that we start from scratch. “That’s it. And there are 5 of us playing it. Personally, I feel fine: I don’t know why, but I feel less pressure here. It will be the quiet environment, the fact that you sleep at home and not in the hotel, you can prepare breakfast: everything is more serene “.

Few braking, but beware of the cold Pacific

According to the Brembo technicians, who take care of the braking systems of all the riders of the world championship, the Australian circuit is one of the least demanding in terms of “braking”: the brakes are used only in 7 of the 12 corners, during a whole lap. (4,448 meters, it will be 27 in the MotoGP race) the braking system is in operation for 22 seconds, equivalent to 25 percent of the duration of the race. Also thanks to the braking at the very slow corner 4, tackled at less than 70 km / h. Adding up all the forces exerted by a driver on the brake lever from the start to the checkered flag, it barely touches 6.4 quintals: the lowest value of the entire championship. Combined with the proximity to the icy waters of the Pacific, it can cause problems with the carbon brakes, which risk not reaching the minimum operating temperature. With its 282 meters of braking distance, the first corner after the finish is the hardest for the braking system: it goes from 344 to 181 km / h in 4.1 seconds.

MotoGP starts on Sunday at 5 am

The Phillip Island clock has moved 9 hours forward. So we get on track today at midnight in Italy with the Moto3, the first free practice session of the MotoGP is instead scheduled at 0.50, an hour later it is the turn of the Moto2. The second session of Moto3 is scheduled at 4.10 on Friday morning, the MotoGP session at 5.05, and Moto2 at 6.05. The Moto3 Fp3s will start on Friday 5 minutes before midnight, then the MotoGP at 0.50 on Saturday and the Moto3 one hour later. Qualifying, again on Saturday: Moto3 at 3.30, then the MotoGP Fp4 (4.30) with qualifying from 5.10, Moto2 qualifying at 6.10. Also on Saturday, when it will be midnight in Italy, the warm up starts. And Sunday, green light: at 2 for Moto3, at 3.20 for Moto 2 and at 5 for MotoGP.