Introduction:
Phillip Island, the self-styled home of Australian motorsport, is steeped in motor racing tradition, with the first car races having been held there on public roads in the 1920s. The first motorcycle races took place in 1931 and a permanent track was built in 1956. The circuit fell into disrepair during the late 70s and early 80s until it was bought in 1985 and given a AUS $5m facelift. MotoGP returned in 1989 and 1990 before becoming a regular fixture once more from 1997 onwards.
The Phillip Island circuit is blessed with breathtaking scenery and beautiful ocean views and, as one of the fastest, most fluid, tracks on the calendar, it continues to provide some of the most spectacular racing in the MotoGP season.
CIRCUIT INFO
Length: 4.448 m / 2.764 miles
Width: 13mConstructed: 1956
Modified: 1988
Laps: 27
Left corners: 7
Right corners: 5
Longest straight: 900 m / 0.559 miles
Distance: 120.1 km - 74.6 miles
Country: Australia
Location: Phillip Island
Length: 4,448 mt.
Width: 13 mt.
Longest straight: 900 mt.
Pole Position: Left
NEWS
Bridgestone will introduce a brand new tyre allocation for the 2014 Tissot Australian Grand Prix, including a newly-developed asymmetric front slick tyre as the Official Tyre Supplier to MotoGP™ continues its efforts to develop technologies that further enhance rider safety.
(Rest can be read here: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2014/B...Phillip+Island)
DIFFICULTY FOR THE BRAKING SYSTEM
<----LIGHT----->
This is maybe the least demanding circuit on braking systems, with just three cut outs none of which is particularly demanding. Because of the latitude of the Phillip Island circuit, the GP is often characterized by rather rigid temperatures which can sometimes require the use of carbon covers on the brake discs in order to keep their initial braking temperature adequate.
POINTS SO FAR THIS SEASON
1. M. Marquez 312
2. V. Rossi 230
3. D. Pedrosa 230
4. J. Lorenzo 227
5. A. Dovizioso 153
6. A. Espargaró 117
7. P. Espargaró 116
8. A. Iannone 102
9. S. Bradl 96
10. B. Smith 92
QUOTES
Marc Marquez 2014 MotoGP World Champion:
“What we achieved in Japan a few days ago is still sinking in! To win the Championship in my first two years is a real dream and I must thank all my family, my team, Honda and Repsol for all their commitment and dedication. Now we can relax a little, but not too much! I still want to win races and finish the season on a high. Phillip Island was a bit of a nightmare for me last year so I have a score to settle! I like the track, it’s a lot of fun, so let’s hope the weather is nice so we can really enjoy the weekend!”
Dani Pedrosa Championship Standing: 3rd - 230 points:
“The race in Japan was a little frustrating so I’m looking forward to getting to Phillip Island and putting it behind me. Obviously we tested there earlier in the year but we’ll have to see how are the conditions now, some months later. The goal is of course to take second place in the Championship and I will be pushing 100% to achieve this. The layout is exciting to ride and the races are always fun, but let’s hope there are no issues like in 2013!"
Valentino Rossi Championship: 2nd / 230 points:
"We have a second place contest between me, Jorge and Pedrosa and I'm worried because Jorge is so fast. We have to give the maximum. I love Phillip Island and Sepang but three races in a row is always very difficult and a good start is very important. The podium of Japan was another positive result, especially because I have done well throughout the race and was very close to Marquez and Jorge. We held a very high pace and my bike was working very well. I really like the Australian GP and I want to ride a good race here, partly because most of my team is Australian. I want to get back on the podium and try to win again. We are working well, I like the circuit, and the Yamaha is going strong, so I think we can do it. I'm in a good shape, so it will be a fun battle."
Jorge Lorenzo Championship: 4th / 227 points:
"It was a great feeling to win in Motegi once again. Winning two races in a row after a very disappointing start of the season was unbelievable, not only for me but also for all the guys from Yamaha who worked really hard. Now I look forward to racing in Phillip Island, another amazing place to ride. Australia is always special and the layout is always perfect for having fun. To me the joy of riding there with the M1 is difficult to explain but I love the long and fast corners, especially the last one before going towards the straight to the finish. Hopefully we can have another great weekend and fight for the victory once again, which is so important regarding the second place in the championship."
ALVARO BAUTISTA “At Phillip Island we are going to race on a very different track compared to Motegi, with a lot of fast corners where you need a very stable bike. Unfortunately, if we continue to struggle with rear grip, it will be very hard to be fast on that kind of corners, because you need a lot of feeling to do it, and at the moment I can’t really feel the rear tyre. Two important aspects of this race will be he weather, as usually it rains in this period, and the tyres: after the problems we had in 2013, we will need to evaluate in the best possible way the behaviour of the new compounds avaiable this year. Obviously, we will keep working to try to fix the rear grip issues, otherwise it will be very hard to make better results compared to Motegi”.
SCOTT REDDING “Normally Phillip Island is one of my favourite tracks: it’s fast and I think that it will be funny to ride there with a MotoGP bike. We have to see when we get there how the bike is acting because usually there is a lot of wind there, so it’s going to be difficult. At Motegi I had some problems to stop the bike under braking, and this was worst at the beginning of the race, with the full tank: we still don’t know why, therefore we need to try and find a solution for this Grand Prix”.
This is a classic from Phillip Island in 2000 featuring Biaggi, Rossi and Capirossi