Marc Marquez Tops Australian MotoGP Practice as Fernandez and Miller Crash
Marc Marquez tops the Australian MotoGP opening practice session at Phillip Island.
World champion Marc Marquez topped the timesheets in an incident-packed opening practice session at the Australian MotoGP on Friday. The Ducati rider set a late fastest lap as Raul Fernandez and home favourite Jack Miller suffered heavy crashes at Phillip Island.
Marquez clocked 1 minute 27.985 seconds around the waterfront circuit in warm but windy conditions. His time put him 0.048 seconds ahead of Fernandez, last year’s Australian Grand Prix winner.
Championship leader Jorge Martin finished seventh on his Aprilia. Martin holds a two-point advantage over Marquez with five rounds remaining in the season.
Marco Bezzecchi, who won the previous round in Indonesia, secured fourth place on his Aprilia and remains third in the championship standings.
Fernandez and Miller Escape Serious Injury
Fernandez crashed at Turn 7 midway through the session, skidding off the track and rolling across the gravel. Ducati-Gresini substitute Iker Lecuona also fell at the same corner while filling in for the injured Fermin Aldeguer.
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Lecuona bounced off a tyre wall, but both riders walked away uninjured.
Australian rider Miller suffered another dramatic crash at high speed at Turn 2, just seconds after recording the fastest lap. He gave a thumbs-up afterwards to indicate that he was unhurt.
The session also saw a mechanical problem for Brad Binder. The KTM rider suffered a major engine failure on the main straight and pulled off the track as white smoke poured from his motorcycle.
Phillip Island Prepares for Its Final MotoGP
Phillip Island has hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1997. However, the race will move to a street circuit in Adelaide next year, making this weekend’s event the venue’s final MotoGP appearance under the current arrangement.
The second practice session is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. local time (0400 GMT). The session is particularly important because the top 10 riders will qualify directly for the second qualifying round on Saturday.
With Marquez showing strong pace and the leading championship contenders separated by only a narrow margin, the remaining sessions could prove crucial to the weekend’s outcome.
