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Tag: Phillip Island

  • WorldSBK: Bulega starts 2026 with Phillip Island sweep

    WorldSBK: Bulega starts 2026 with Phillip Island sweep

    The 2026 season of the Superbike World Championship kicked off down under at the Phillip Island Circuit with the Australian Round.  In the absence of Toprak Razgatlioglu, there was already a clear pre-season title favourite…

     

    Race 1

    From pole position, all Nicolo Bulega had to do after dominating the weekend so far was make it through the first lap unscathed.  He did just that and won comfortably by 5 seconds.

    Similarly unbothered in Race 1 was Yari Montella who claimed his first front-row start and ran comfortably to his best finish in 2nd place.  His new teammate Alvaro Bautista was not so fortunate, becoming the first rider of 2026 to crash out of a race in the early stages.

    Lorenzo Baldassari made a remarkable return to WorldSBK, forcing his way through to 3rd and just holding on to it ahead of Axel Bassani in a thrilling sprint to the finish line.  The two other podium contenders were the Lowes’ brothers, but Alex fell back in the closing stages to 7th behind his brother in 5th and a charging Iker Lecuona in 6th.

    Running in 8th and by far the best Yamaha rider on his debut for the marque was Xavi Vierge who was sent to the medical centre after a terrifying crash at Stoner corner that strew gravel across the track just before Miller hairpin.  Garrett Gerloff slipped up on the debris shortly after and reignited an intense battle for the lower top 10 positions.

    Gerloff had been battling impressive rookie Alberto Surra with the pair running ahead of a rejuvenated Tarran Mackenzie.  ‘Taz’ had enough pace to hold up Danilo Petrucci for several laps before Miguel Oliveria came through from the back of the grid (after a crash in Tissot Superpole) to clinch 8th at the flag.

    Mackenzie slipped to 12th but was ahead of a despondent Andrea Locatelli – the top Yamaha finisher in 13th and ahead of the two stand-in Honda HRC riders rounding out the points.  Despite the promise shown by Montella, Baldassari, Bassani and Oliveria, nothing could dispel the fact that Bulega was looking unbeatable after the opening race of 2026.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Tissot Superpole Race

    For the first time ever, Montella led a WorldSBK race after snatching the lead at the start.  Alex led his brother Sam with Bulega relegated to 4th, and his teammate Lecuona was also forced out wide at the beginning, while Vierge sadly never made the start.

    Bulega was back in the lead by lap 4 after some aggressive moves past the top 3 and was unchallenged thereafter.  Montella faded to 4th, with Bassani fighting through to 2nd ahead of his teammate Alex Lowes for a historic double Bimota podium.

    Sam Lowes was 5th ahead of Gerloff and Bautista with Race 1 star Baldassari down in 8th.  The Italian was fortunate to finish there after Oliveira’s phenomenal charge from the back of the grid fell short after suffering technical issues on the last lap so Lecuona took 9th – thus setting the grid for the first 3 rows of Race 2.

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Race 2

    With the white flag being waved midway through the Tissot Superpole Race, rain always looked like a possibility.  The soaking wet affair did nothing to faze Bulega who romped to another victory down under.

    Montella and Bassani broke free of the chasing Lowes’ brothers before Sam went down on lap 8.  Bautista settled in 4th as an impressive Mackenzie was impressively holding off Alex Lowes for 6th.

    Locatelli was having a better Race 2 than his dire Race 1 and was on his own in 7th ahead of a tight battle for 8th between Lecuona and the BMW duo, with Oliveira having come through from the back of the grid for the third race in succession.

    Montella tragically crashed out halfway through by which time Mattia Rato, Ryan Vickers and Vierge had also been eliminated from the wet affair.  Alex Lowes slid out with a fast lowside crash with 4 laps to go so all 15 riders who finished the race scored championship points.

    The retirements left big gaps for Bassani and Bautista to come home comfortably on the rostrum behind Bulega with Mackenzie scoring his best WorldSBK result in 4th, clearly enjoying his time aboard the satellite MGM Ducati.  Locatelli narrowly held off a charging Petrucci for 5th, with Oliveria, Lecuona and Baldassari close behind.

    Gerloff was alone in 10th and not quite as fast as he had been in dry conditions.  Up front, Bulega employed a swimming celebration to symbolise his treble victory around Phillip Island that has absolutely lived up to his reputation as the overwhelming 2026 title favourite.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • Moto3: Öncü Wins Down Under

    Moto3: Öncü Wins Down Under

    Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) snatched glory away from pole sitter Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) on the last lap to win the Australian Grand Prix. Aussie crowd favourite Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) took a brilliant 3rd place, rounding off the podium.

    There was heartache for Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) after such a commanding performance at the front. Fernandez crashed out of the lead with 6 laps to go. Teammate Jaume Masia finished down in 8th place, with Masia now with just a 4 point lead to Sasaki in the championship as we head to Thailand next weekend.

    Image Credit: Red Bull KTM Ajo

    AS IT HAPPENED

    The conditions were the worst they have been all season for the race at Phillip Island. On the sighting lap, Matteo Bertelle (Rivacold Snipers Team), Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and last week’s winner Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) all crashed en route to the grid. Spare parts were rushed to the grid to make sure they all started the race.

    Fernandez could not of dreamt of a better start, moving from 9th on the grid to almost take the lead from Sasaki during the first lap. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP), from 6th, also had a great start and was up into 3rd after turn 2.

    Championship leader Masia and Öncü were both sat behind, watching the battle in front. Masia was up into 6th place from 13th on lap 1.

    We crossed the line with pole sitter Sasaki leading from Fernandez in 2nd, Veijer 3rd and Kelso in 4th. Into turn 1 and Fernandez took the lead for the first time in his career, up 8 places as we started lap 2.

    Yellow flags lit up at turn 4, as David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) lost it under the brakes. He was 4th in the Moto3 championship and 29 points behind Masia before the race. Alonso was ok though, as Fernandez looked to break away at the front.

    On lap 4, Alonso re-joined the race as Öncü went by Sasaki and up into 2nd. Fernandez had a 1.189 second lead at the front. Home favourite Kelso was in 4th. Title contenders Holgado and Masia were in 11th and 13th respectively as we approached a quarter of the race distance.

    With 14 laps to go, Öncü set the fastest lap of the race. The rain seemed to ease off at this point, as Öncü led the group behind to catch Fernandez, now just 0.434 seconds ahead as they crossed the line.

    With 10 laps to go, Fernandez was just 0.388 seconds ahead of Öncü in 2nd. Fernandez was inch perfect at this point in the race and seemingly in full command at the front. Special mention should also go to Lorenzo Fellon (CIP Green Power) who started the race in 24th place and, with 10 laps to go, was running in 8th. Championship leader Masia was unable to make any progress in the race and was seemingly stuck in 10th, with fellow title rival Holgado running way down in 16th at this stage.

    Down the start straight and Sasaki blasted by Kelso to go back up into 3rd. Only 8 laps to go now and still any of the leading group could take the victory here in Australia.

    Öncü then gifted Sasaki 2nd place coming out of Miller corner, and nearly lost the rear. Öncü, only a few corners later, had another scare and lost a place to Kelso. Öncü went from 2nd to 4th on lap 15.

    As we headed into the final part of the Grand Prix, Fernandez continued to dominate, posting the fastest lap of the race. Fernandez now had a 1.043 seconds gap to Sasaki in 2nd.

    Disaster struck for Fernandez with 6 laps to go. He went down at turn 11 which was a huge blow after such a superb performance. Sasaki was then promoted into the lead of the race and the top of the championship standings as things stood at this point.

    5 laps to go, Öncü and Kelso exchanged fastest laps as Sasaki led at the front. Sasaki was keen to pull away as Öncü was back up into 2nd place passing Kelso into turn 1.

    With 3 laps to go and Sasaki and Öncü pulled away from Kelso who looked to settle for 3rd place. Kelso is 9.918 seconds clear of Veijer in 4th. Title contender’s Masia was running in 8th and Holgado in 13th place.

    THE LAST LAP

    Öncü was not giving up the fight for the win and was right up behind Sasaki as we started the last lap of the race.

    Down the hill where Andrea Iannone head butted a seagull in 2015, Öncü barged his way into the lead of the race into turn 10. It was a brilliant block pass on Sasaki and yet another last lap winning opportunity squandered for the Husqvarna rider.

    It was heartache for Sasaki but a brilliant performance. Home favourite Kelso finished on the podium in 3rd. The front group were outstanding in the conditions today. The leaders finished over a minute ahead of Holgado who finished down in 13th place.

    We continue this triple header in Thailand next week at the Chang International Circuit. The Moto3 championship standings are all change once again, with Masia leading the championship by just 4pts to Sasaki in 2nd.

    Race Classification

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    Championship Standings

    Image Credit: MotoGP

    Feature Image Credit: Red Bull KTM Ajo

  • Moto2: Wild Weather Suits Winner Arbolino

    Moto2: Wild Weather Suits Winner Arbolino

    A drama-filled weekend on Phillip Island resulted in a change in time for the Moto2 race due to the strong winds and heavy rain predicted.

    After being the pacesetter for all the qualifying sessions, Fermin Aldeguer set the Moto2 lap record in the second qualifying session, after breaking it in practice three. His time of a 1:31.888 was 0.4s ahead of his countryman Aron Canet. He was joined by Alonso Lopez on the front row.

    Joe Roberts had a brilliant qualifying session, putting his Italtrans Racing Team bike at the head of the second row alongside championship leader, Pedro Acosta, and Jake Dixon. Tony Arbolino, second in the championship, qualified in eighth place.

    The weather on Phillip Island was cold, rainy, and windy and this resulted in the riders struggling to keep warm on the grid. That was, if the riders made it to the grid.

    Acosta crashed on the sighting lap at turn four and even with the help of the marshals was unable to get the bike restarted. Due to this, he had to start the formation lap from the pit lane and the race from the back of the grid.

    Canet got a good start from the middle of the front row and was able to take the lead from Aldeguer however the Beta Tools SpeedUp rider took the lead back at the southern loop. Arbolino was able to get past almost all the riders in front of him to end up in second place at the turn three.

    Lopez was able to recover from his poor start and was leading the race until he had a big crash at turn four which meant that the riders had to weave around him. Following this, Sergio Garcia was at the front of the field.

    Acosta improved from 31st place to 26th after the first lap.

    Arbolino passed Dixon for third place on the second lap and Sam Lowes was sitting patiently behind his countryman, looking to get past. On the second lap, the Italian rider was the fastest rider on the circuit.

    At turn one on lap three, Darryn Binder crashed and Zonta vd Goorbergh also crashed on the same lap at turn four. His teammate, Barry Baltus also crashed at the same corner on the same lap.

    After leading for a few laps, Garcia crashed at turn eight on lap four. Lowes crashed at turn ten on the same lap.

    By lap five, there were yellow flags out at all sectors due to all the crashes that had occurred. Dixon went down at the southern loop, keeping the yellow flags out in the first sector.

    Arbolino had extended his lead to 11.380s from Aldeguer due to setting laps three seconds faster than the rest of the field. He was unstoppable at the front of the pack.

    Mattia Casadei crashed at Miller Corner, causing another yellow flag.

    By lap six, Acosta had made it into the top ten following his back of the grid start and Izan Guevara made a double overtake on Alcoba and Chantra.

    On the ninth lap, Celestino Vietti crashed out of thirteenth place and following this, a red flag was called due to the weather conditions. The race was not restarted, and half points were awarded because two-thirds race distance was not completed.

    This meant that Arbolino took the win in the horrific weather in Australia from Aron Canet and Fermin Aldeguer. Pedro Acosta was able to improve from his back of the grid start to finish in ninth place.

    Feature Image Credit: Tony Arbolino on X (@TonyArbolino)

    AUSTRALIAN MOTO2 GRAND PRIX, PHILLIP ISLAND – RACE RESULTS
    POS RIDER NAT TEAM BIKE TIME
    1 Tony Arbolino ITA Elf Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex) 16m 22.970s
    2 Aron Canet SPA Pons Wegow Los40 (Kalex) 16m 38.058s
    3 Fermín Aldeguer SPA Beta Tools SpeedUp (Boscoscuro) 16m 38.584s
    4 Jeremy Alcoba SPA QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) 14m 58.401s
    5 Joe Roberts USA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 14m 59.122s
    6 Izan Guevara SPA Inde GASGAS Aspar Team (Kalex) 14m 59.124s
    7 Somkiat Chantra THA IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) 14m 59.908s
    8 Bo Bendsneyder NED Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team (Kalex) 15m 3.659s
    9 Pedro Acosta SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 15m 8.067s
    10 Marcos Ramirez SPA OnlyFans American Racing (Kalex) 15m 9.110s
    11 Taiga Hada JPN Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team (Kalex) 15m 9.263s
    12 Rory Skinner GBR OnlyFans American Racing (Kalex) 15m 14.974s
    13 Manuel Gonzalez SPA Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 (Kalex) 15m 17.292s
    14 Albert Arenas SPA Red Bull KTM Ajo (Kalex) 15m 17.379s
    15 Ai Ogura JPN IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (Kalex) 15m 18.900s
    16 Kohta Nozane JPN Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 (Kalex) 15m 29.599s
    17 Dennis Foggia ITA Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 15m 38.590s
    18 Alberto Surra ITA Forward Team (Forward) 15m 42.647s
    19 Alex Escrig SPA Forward Team (Forward) 15m 42.945s
    20 Lukas Tulovic GER Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) 16m 3.249s
      Alonso Lopez SPA Beta Tools SpeedUp (Boscoscuro) DNF
      Celestino Vietti ITA Fantic Racing (Kalex) DNF
      Mattia Casadei ITA Fantic Racing (Kalex) DNF
      Jake Dixon GBR Inde GASGAS Aspar Team (Kalex) DNF
      Sam Lowes GBR Elf Marc VDS Racing Team (Kalex) DNF
      Sergio Garcia SPA Pons Wegow Los40 (Kalex) DNF
      Filip Salac CZE QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) DNF
      Barry Baltus BEL Fieten Olie Racing GP (Kalex) DNF
      Zonta Vd Goorbergh NED Fieten Olie Racing GP (Kalex) DNF
      Darryn Binder RSA Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (Kalex) DNF

     

     

  • MotoGP: Zarco Finally Takes Maiden Victory at Phillip Island

    MotoGP: Zarco Finally Takes Maiden Victory at Phillip Island

    Everyone loves MotoGP at Phillip Island but, today, no one loves it more than Johann Zarco. The Australian track has given us some historic races over the years and today was no exception.

    After 258 races in MotoGP, Johann Zarco has won his maiden race. It was a stunning performance from the Frenchman as he fought his way back from a poor start and calculated the final laps to perfection.

    However, it wasn’t all joy in the Prima Pramac garage as their championship contender, Jorge Martin, lost a comfortable lead on the final lap. He dropped back from 1st to 5th as his gamble of running on soft tires failed to pay off. He spent 20 of the 27 laps with a 3+ second lead but wasn’t able to hold off the chasing pack.

    As Martin’s championship hopes faded, Pecco Bagnaia came up in 2nd place. He remained within the chasing pack for most of the race and made a stunning move with only a few corners remaining. He will certainly be celebrating extending his championship lead when it looked to likely that this wouldn’t be the case.

    The final podium place was taken by Fabio DiGiannantonio who is fighting for a place on the MotoGP grid next year. This maiden podium couldn’t have come at a better time and his aggressive, confident riding through the race, will have undoubtedly helped his cause.

    The race was packed with drama from start to finish, with big moves and plenty of overtakes happening up and down the grid. It is certainly a race that will be talked about for years to come but its effect on the final championship result are yet to be known.

    Image Credit: MotoGP
    AS IT HAPPENED

    Jorge Martin and Brad Binder, starting from 1st and 2nd respectively, flew off the line and quickly put clean air between them and the rest of the field. Despite Binder pulling up alongside Martin, it was the Prima Pramac machine that was quicker and able to keep the lead. Pecco Bagnaia then slotted himself in to 3rd. Jack Miller, the home hero, had a great start going from 8th on the grid to 4th.

    It was a tricky start for Marc Marquez who slipped back from 7th to 10th, as well as Johann Zarco who dropped from 5th to 8th.

    Martin was quick to pull a gap out between himself and Binder. Meanwhile, in to turn 11, Miller made a move up the inside of Bagnaia to take 3rd away from the championship leader. However, on the following lap, Miller goes wide and drops back to 6th. This allowed Fabio DiGiannantonio and Marquez to gain positions.

    All this battling allows Binder to pull a 1.2 second gap over Bagnaia in 3rd. Martin was then a further 0.5s down the road.

    In to turn 2 on lap 3, DiGiannantonio makes an aggressive move to steal 3rd place from Bagnaia. Further back on the same lap, Marquez goes wide thanks to pressure from Zarco. This lets through Zarco, who is now up to 5th and Miller, who is up to 6th. Marquez remains close behind Miller but isn’t able to get back past.

    With drama unfolding up and down the field, the leading trio of Martin, Binder and DiGiannantonio are all enjoying comfortable gaps. Behind them is where the drama is unfolding. It seems like Bagnaia is riding slower than others and that sees him backing up the pack somewhat.

    The battles between 4th and 10th are hotting up and, on lap 6, there are moves happening up and down the field. Zarco makes his way past Marquez for 5th, Aleix Espargaro takes 7th from Miller and Marco Bezzecchi takes 9th away from Alex Marquez. Zarco continues battling with Marc Marquez throughout the lap, with the pair jostling back and forth. Eventually, it is Zarco who comes out on top and instantly sets his sights on Bagnaia in 4th.

    A few laps later and there seemed to be spots of rain falling across the track. It isn’t heavy enough to affect the riders but it was certainly visible on their visors. By this point, Martin was now leading by 2.4 seconds.

    On lap 11, Joan Mir crashed out of 15th place. Going in to turn 4, he bumped in to Luca Marini and ended up in the gravel. The incident was reviewed by the stewards deemed that no further action was necessary.

    The following lap and the battle behind the leading pack continues. Espargaro gets past Marquez for 7th and, a few corners later, Miller makes a similar move. This pushes Marquez back down to 8th.

    On lap 13, turn 4 takes another victim as Augusto Fernandez slides out of contention.

    Bagnaia, by lap 15, is the fastest rider on the field and catching up to DiGiannantonio. However, with Zarco breathing down his neck, the reigning champion is forced to turn his attention to defending and that allows DiGiannantonio to pull a 1 second lead over his rivals.

    With rubber flying off everyone’s tires – even the medium tires – Martin’s lap times were dropping significantly. However, he had been able to maintain a steady gap. Just behind, and despite being close on his tail for a few laps, it wasn’t until lap 19 when DiGiannantonio was able to get past Binder for 2nd. Their battle allows Bagnaia to close the gap and he is now hot on the tail of Binder.

    With DiGiannantonio now in second, he gets his head down and starts to chase down Martin in the lead. He quickly brings down the gap from 3.4 seconds to 2.8, and brings Binder (in 3rd), Bagnaia (in 4th) and Zarco (in 5th) along with him.

    On the following lap, the gap is cut by a further 0.3 seconds and DiGiannantonio has even managed to pull out a 0.5 second lead over Binder.

    On lap 22, Zarco takes 4th place away from Bagnaia – he came up alongside the Italian on the start-finish straight and had shut the door on him but turn 1. At the same time, Martin reacts to the mounting threat behind him and stabilises the gap – DiGiannantonio is now no longer closing in on him.

    The following lap, Binder is able to pull up alongside DiGiannantonio and regain 2nd place. It’s Binder who now significantly closes the gap at the front and, within 2 laps, this is reduced to less than 1.2 seconds.

    On lap 26, Zarco is able to get past Binder for 2nd place. The attack forces him slightly wide and as the pack bunches up, Binder ends up dropping from 2nd to 5th. Now, the chasing pack are just 0.4 seconds behind Martin.

    On the final lap of the race, we have an exciting 5-way battle for the win with Martin in 1st, Zarco 2nd, Bagnaia 3rd and DiGiannantonio 4th. But Zarco is able to pull away from Bagnaia, leaving him vulnerable to DiGiannantonio who makes his move up to 3rd. Zarco then makes a move for the lead, which he times to perfection. He brings Bagnaia with him who makes a stunning move for 2nd place. The chaos lasts for a few final corners, in which Martin drops from 1st to 3rd.

    As the checkered flag falls, it’s Zarco who claims the victory, ahead of Bagnaia in 2nd and DiGiannantonio in 3rd. Just behind them, on the final straight, Martin loses 4th place to Binder. Bezzecchi is the “best of the rest” in 6th, whilst Miller snatches 7th place away from Espargaro on the line.

    FULL RESULTS
    1 Johann Zarco Prima Pramac
    2 Pecco Bagnaia Ducati
    3 Fabio DiGiannantonio Gresini
    4 Brad Binder Red Bull KTM
    5 Jorge Martin Prima Prama
    6 Marco Bezzecchi Mooney VR46
    7 Jack Miller Red Bull KTM
    8 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia
    9 Alex Marquez Gresini
    10 Enea Bastianini Ducati
    11 Maverick Vinales Aprilia
    12 Luca Marini Mooney VR46
    13 Miguel Oliveira CryptoDATA RNF
    14 Fabio Quartararo Yamaha
    15 Marc Marquez Repsol Honda
    16 Raul Fernandez CryptoDATA RNF
    17 Franco Morbidelli Yamaha
    18 Pol Espgararo GASGAS Tech3
    19 Takaaki Nakagami LCR Honda

    DNFs = Augusto Fernandez (GASGASG Tech 3), Joan Mir (Repsol Honda)

    CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
    1st Pecco Bagnaia 366 points
    2nd Jorge Martin 339 points
    3rd Marco Bezzecchi 293 points
    4th Brad Binder 224 points
    5th Johann Zarco 187 points

    Feature Image Credit: MotoGP