Follow for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island has as soon as once more been impacted by native wildlife, with each Moto2 and MotoGP periods on Friday afternoon seeing the pink flags come out resulting from Cape Barren geese on the circuit.
And, for a world championship occasion in a 2024 marketing campaign approaching title combat crunch time, that’s merely not ok.
The protected goose species weren’t the one monitor invaders throughout the day, although, with championship chief Jorge Martin additionally having a fortunate escape when a hare darted throughout the monitor in entrance of him throughout the closing minutes of the afternoon’s solely MotoGP session following heavy rain within the morning.
A correct sc(h)are 🐇 for @88jorgemartin in Follow 😱#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/BYoF6EMTJv
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2024
Clearly nobody desires to see any hurt come to animals within the surrounding space and whereas the championship has been fortunate to date to keep away from severe incidents, it presents two urgent points for MotoGP.
Firstly, and maybe most clearly and pertinently, there may be the matter of the danger posed to a racer ought to they hit one of many animals that ventures onto the monitor, a scenario that has tragically resulted in fatalities at different races prior to now.
The potential for wildlife-related disaster is of course heightened ought to a motorbike or its rider travelling at 200mph collide with not a seagull, like Ducati’s Andrea Iannone famously did within the 2015 occasion, however a heavier chicken weighing 5 kilograms as an alternative.
Extra seemingly although, is the likelihood for pink flags to intrude with the championship battle ought to a race, for instance, must be dropped at a untimely halt – one thing that Pramac Ducati racer Martin admitted that he’s thought-about.
Goose on the unfastened 🙃#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/BbbJhVGz4V
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2024
“For certain numerous wildlife over right here in Phillip Island,” he mentioned after his hare encounter.
“This shall be fascinating additionally on Sunday, or tomorrow. If we have now some animals on the finish of the race, possibly it stops, so it is necessary to be at all times in a very good place [in case a red flag declares the result].”
It’s one thing that’s been raised repeatedly by riders of their weekly security fee conferences, too – however to no avail, in keeping with a slightly cynical Aleix Espargaro.
“For me it is actually obscure that that is occurring,” he admitted when requested about it by The Race.
“It is mind-blowing, actually. I do not know the way it’s doable that it is nonetheless occurring right here. Nevertheless it’s yr after yr. Hopefully, nothing heavy will occur. Hopefully.”
Nicely, traditions 😂
These birds DO LOVE #Moto2 and so they’ve simply triggered a pink flag 🔴#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/jj6Yp3zgkI
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 18, 2024
And whereas there are actually challenges introduced by attempting to police the behaviour of the protected birds specifically, it’s hardly a very new problem on condition that it’s one confronted day by day (and managed efficiently) by airports throughout the globe.
They often make use of chase autos, noisemakers and specially-trained workers outfitted with blank-firing weapons to scare birds away, which means that options to the difficulty do exist whereas nonetheless becoming inside animal safety legal guidelines.
Chatting with The Race 12 months in the past, one suggestion pitched by ecologist Professor Rob Wallis was the usage of educated birds of prey, a transfer that has been efficiently used at different sporting occasions in Australia.
New floor bumpy however acceptable
The legendary Australian venue underwent a primary resurfacing in a decade within the low season, which was anticipated to play a significant function this weekend – particularly within the context of riders getting restricted dry-weather operating to acclimatise to the brand new floor.
However whereas it stays to be seen how precisely a race distance will play out on a repaved Phillip Island, and whether or not tyre provider Michelin will power the usage of sure tyres, the preliminary response from riders advised they have not felt a large change.
“For me, the brand new asphalt is like if there isn’t a new asphalt,” mentioned Espargaro. “The monitor is like final yr.
“A little bit bit higher grip however the bumps [are] nonetheless there, if not worse in some locations. So I did not really feel actually like a brand new asphalt. Probably not.”
That remark – barely improved grip, barely worse bumps – was echoed up and down the grid, with out a lot of a furore.
Honda rider Luca Marini mentioned of the bumps: “There have been bumps additionally earlier than – however now, within the new Tarmac, similar bumps and much more bumps elsewhere. Flip 1 is a catastrophe, Flip 2 additionally troublesome, and there are some patches with a special type of Tarmac on the bottom, I do not know why, between 11 and 12, that trigger a little bit little bit of issues.
“However I feel they made a good job with this new Tarmac, we can not complain a lot. Bumps are a part of the attribute of a monitor.”
