Spain's Marquez brothers set pace for Australian MotoGP

Jack Miller (r) was back on his feet after his crash in MotoGP practice at Phillip Island. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Spanish star Marc Marquez set the early pace amid wild scenes at Phillip Island, clocking the fastest time in practice for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix as a crash proved costly for local hope Jack Miller.

Marquez delivered a remarkable 1:27.770 lap in Friday's second practice session at the famous Victorian circuit, after a complete washout of the first.

Heavy rain and local wildlife, including geese and a rabbit, wreaked havoc throughout.

Marquez, a six-time MotoGP world champion, finished 0.102 seconds ahead of his brother and Gresini Racing teammate Alex Marquez.

Marc
Marc Marquez was in his element at Phillip Island.

Marco Bezzecchi was third in an all-Ducati top five and was one of four riders who completed practice laps in the 1:27 bracket.

MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin dusted off after an early crash and held onto fourth in practice, one spot ahead of title rival Francesco Bagnaia.

Spain's Martin (392 points) sits 10 points clear of Italy's reigning champion Bagnaia in the standings with four race weekends left.

Marc Marquez, a three-time winner in Australia (2015, 2017, 2019) relished the difficult conditions.

"We can say that these were my conditions," he told Fox Sports.

"Especially one of my strong points is to adapt well and quick to the conditions.

Jorge
Championship Jorge Martin was fourth-fastest.

"I feel good but I expect tomorrow that the step of the others, especially Martin, will be bigger."

Australian favourite Miller crashed, then led the practice session and crashed again as he slid out of the top 10.

Miller and Pedro Acosta, who also paid for a late crash in practice, were both dumped from the Q2 places.

Miller was left with a bandaged right wrist after the session, for which he had high expectations but "mucked up".

"There's quite a bit of banking (at turn six) and I was going at a rapid rate of knots when she let go," Miller told Fox Sports.

"Luckily the gravel pits here are in good condition and they pulled me up, but in the tumble I must have smacked my wrist.

"I didn't even notice until I came back in the box and had blood all over my hand and little bit of a cut on my arm.

"I'm stiffer than I used to be. I don't bounce like I used to."

On Friday morning, wet weather at Phillip Island denied riders an important session on the newly-resurfaced circuit.

Teams had wanted dry weather to gather data on what tyres are best suited to the new asphalt.

Qualifying and the sprint race will take place on Saturday, ahead of the main race on Sunday.

Wild weather caused on the Australian grand prix in 2023.

The main race was held one day early and the sprint race was pushed back to the Sunday before eventually being called off.

Little rain is forecast over this weekend, with none expected on Sunday.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store