The 2024 Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix was true to form in that the weekend at Phillip Island was punctuated by the vagaries of the weather. On an evolving and recently resurfaced track, unfamiliar to Michelin and its partners, finding the right bike settings was a real challenge.
After a very pleasant Thursday on the island of penguins, koalas and kangaroos, the weather deteriorated on Friday, and the first free practice session was cancelled due to rain. "The new layer of asphalt is very 'closed' by the bitumen, and in addition it was laid on the old surface. As a result the track doesn't drain well and Race Direction cancelled FP1 due to the many puddles of water on the track“, explained Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager.
But, while the day seemed definitively compromised, the sun broke through the clouds early in the afternoon, giving the riders the opportunity to take to the track for the Practice session on asphalt that was now almost dry.
After a night of heavy rain, the MotoGP™ paddock found itself facing a cold and wet track on Saturday morning, with strong gusts of wind sweeping across the circuit and promising a difficult day. Free practice therefore took place in wet conditions on MICHELIN Power Rain tyres. However, Q1 was contested on slick tyres despite the track still being quite wet, and Q2 finally allowed the starting grid to be determined on an almost dry track. Three sessions, with three completely different levels of grip!
Despite this variability, Q2 was generally fast, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) taking pole position in 1'27.296, just five-hundredths of a second slower than the 2023 all-time circuit lap record.
The Tissot Sprint took place in the afternoon on a track swept by cold winds with 14°C in the air and only 25°C on the asphalt, but despite this the MICHELIN Power Slick tyres delivered top-class performance. Equipped mainly with a combination of MICHELIN Power Slick Hard front and Soft rear (a specification corresponding to the 2023 Medium rear), the riders gave it their all for 13 laps. Leading the field from the start, Jorge Martin put in a series of fast laps to win the sprint race with Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) taking second place, and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing the podium.
The wind died down overnight, and on Sunday the sun welcomed a large crowd. At the start of the race, the track temperature was 35°C – ideal conditions to take full advantage of the performance of the MICHELIN Power Slick Hard front and Soft rear tyres. Marc Marquez, recovering from a difficult start, won the duel with Jorge Martin and was victorious in the Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2024. His performance was exceptional, as the Spanish rider finally broke two records that had stood for a long time. With a lap time of 1'27.765, he improved his own reference from 2013 by around four-tenths of a second. Plus, due to great consistency of lap times, Marc Marquez completed the 27 laps of the race in 39'47.702 – 46 seconds less (1.7 seconds per lap on average) than the previous record race time from 2015.
"I won't hide the fact that we were worried at the start of the weekend about the unknown of the new asphalt at Phillip Island," says Piero Taramasso. "As we didn't have the opportunity to test beforehand we brought an expanded tyre package, which for this circuit are asymmetric at both the front and rear. For the front, the MICHELIN Power Slicks, available in Soft, Medium and Hard with a reinforced left side, were made from the usual construction. We therefore only adapted the rubber compounds to the track. At the rear, the riders could count on a Soft tyre which was equivalent to the 2023 Medium, made from a standard construction, as well as two stiffer specifications with a reinforced casing. Given that the Phillip Island circuit generates a lot of heat, we were eagerly awaiting the tests to assess the ability of the Soft rear tyre to withstand the stresses of the circuit over the entire duration of the Grand Prix. However, due to the vagaries of the weather, this confirmation only came after the Tissot Sprint. In the race, the Soft rear tyre, coupled with a Hard front, allowed Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin to offer the public a breathtaking duel, as well as breaking all records. The pace and consistency of the lap times was remarkable, and at the finish line, the degree of wear perfectly met our expectations."
The next round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship will take place next weekend in Thailand, where the riders will take to the track in Buriram on Friday 25 October. The Grand Prix will be held on Sunday 27 October.
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