Opening practice for the 2024 Australian MotoGP was delayed and finally abandoned, due to torrential rain at Phillip Island.
As forecast, Friday dawned wet, but conditions deteriorated further at the end of Moto2 free practice.
That forced the start of MotoGP FP1 to be postponed, with the BMW Safety Car was making waves as it tested track conditions.
The problem, as highlighted by several riders, was not only the quantity of rain but that it seemed to be sitting on top of the new asphalt, rather than draining through it.
Home star Jack Miller told Simon Crafar in pitlane: “We’re getting the full Phillip Island experience! The last two days have been fantastic and she’s turned to the not-so-nice part!
“Massive shout-out to the fans. A shame we’re not on track yet but hopefully, there will be a gap in the rain to let the standing water clear, it looks like aquaplane-city at the moment.
“Grateful to have new asphalt but it means the water is sitting on top.”
After waiting for almost two hours, Race Direction announced a pit lane opening time of 12:25, prompting concerned looks from several riders. The decision was swiftly reversed and a further delay was announced.
Dorna Safety Officer Loris Capirossi, driving the safety car, said: “As soon as the rain [eased] the track was coming good, but the problem is that it started to rain a lot again. Then we have some aquaplaning and it’s better to wait until the rain stops.”
FP1 was officially cancelled shortly after 12:30 local time.
A revised schedule is yet to be issued, but wet weather is expected for the rest of the day, raising questions about Practice this afternoon, which is also used to decide the top 10 riders for direct Qualifying 2 access.
Saturday should be dry but windy, with Sunday predicted to offer the best conditions of the Australian MotoGP weekend.
Losing dry track time on Friday means teams and riders won’t gather any badly needed slick tyre data for the expanded tyre selection brought by Michelin in response to the new Phillip Island asphalt.
The soft rear slick – the medium used by most riders for the race last year – is a ‘normal’ construction, but the medium and hard rears have a stiffer, heat-resistant construction, last used at Mandalika.
Michelin hopes the 13-lap Saturday Sprint will at least be dry, to evaluate the soft rear tyre on the new asphalt.
Last year’s Australian MotoGP was brought forward to Saturday afternoon, in place of the Sprint, due to a forecast storm.
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