5 Curious Facts about the Australian MotoGP

10/14/2024

 Seventeenth round of the MotoGP season.

After a week-long break, useful for catching their breath after three consecutive GPs, MotoGP is back with the first round of another trio of non-European races. The 34th edition of the Australian GP is held at Phillip Island, which has already hosted 27 editions because 6 were held at Eastern Creek. In total, 81 races have been run on this track, but not yet a Sprint race. Last year’s Sprint was postponed to Sunday and then canceled due to bad weather.





The GP Data 


According to Brembo technicians who work closely with all MotoGP riders, Phillip Island falls into the category of circuits that are not very demanding on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 6, it has a difficulty rating of 1, as there are only 6 braking points along the 4.45 km of the track, with only one being particularly hard on the brakes. Riders use the brakes for just 20 seconds per lap, equivalent to 22 percent of the entire race: both are negative records for the entire championship.


 

The Advantages of Marchesini 


For the 2024 season, Marchesini forged magnesium wheels equip the majority of MotoGP bikes, 10 out of 11 teams: both wheels are available in 5-spoke Y and 7-spoke variants. Since March 2000, Marchesini has been part of the Brembo Group, sharing the same production facility and values.




All these wheels come from 3D closed-die multiforging and thermal treatment, guaranteeing maximum rigidity and minimum inertia. The weight savings provided by Marchesini wheels improve acceleration and handling during direction changes, as well as corner entry with the brake applied, cornering with high lean angles (up to 60°), and corner exits with the throttle open, always with the bike leaned over.


 

The Australian School 


Australian riders have won ten races at Phillip Island: 6 by Casey Stoner, all in MotoGP, 2 by Wayne Gardner in the 500cc class, one by Mick Doohan in 500cc, and one by Jack Miller in Moto3. Some iconic parts of the track are named after them: Turn 1 is Doohan Corner, Turn 3 is Stoner Corner, and Turn 4 is Miller Corner, while the finish straight is called Gardner Straight. Less known to the international public is the naming of Lukey Heights for Turn 9. Len Lukey was a car racer, national champion in 1959. Five years later, he bought the circuit and reopened it in 1967 after four years without competitions.

The Toughest Turn 


The hardest turn at Phillip Island for the braking system is Turn 1: MotoGP bikes go from 336 km/h to 189 km/h in 3.1 seconds, covering 217 meters, thanks to a 4.1 kg load on the brake lever. The deceleration is 1.5 g, and the Brembo brake fluid pressure reaches 8.8 bar.





The Other Miller 


Forty-five years ago, one of the greatest motorcycle films of all time, *Mad Max – Interceptor*, a cornerstone of post-apocalyptic science fiction, hit Australian theaters. The protagonist was the then almost-unknown Mel Gibson, with George Miller as the writer, producer, and director. Due to a lack of funds to purchase motorcycles, a deal was made with local Kawasaki distributors, who provided about ten Z1000s. None of these were equipped with Brembo brakes, and in fact, there are no significant braking scenes—perhaps the only flaw in this masterpiece.