Michael Scott | October 20, 2017
Miller Back in Action
Australian Jack Miller shaved two days off Rossi’s crash-to-race broken leg record, getting back out on his VDS Honda RC213V exactly 21 days after breaking his right tibia in a low-speed trials accident at his European base in Andorra.
The fracture was promptly plated and screwed, and Miller (22) opted out of the Japanese GP last weekend to give himself more time to recuperate for his home GP.
Miller, walking with no visible limp, admitted “I even surprised myself with the speed of the turnaround. I probably could have made it to Japan, but it wouldn’t have been good for this race and Malaysia, with the swelling.”
Unlike Rossi, he hadn’t ridden a bike before the race, except for a cheesy Dorna pre-race publicity stunt in Melbourne the day before; but he had tested his leg at home in Townsville on a quad bike, with no problems beyond “losing my phone”.
On the first day of free practice, he was on the charge and placed a strong sixth. His best qualifying hitherto this year was tenth.
Folger out for the rest of the year?
German Jonas Folger is expected to be out for the rest of the season, after succumbing to a suspected virus that left him progressively weakened until he was forced to withdraw on the eve of last weekend’s Japanese GP.
The Monster Yamaha rider, who was second in his home GP before the summer break, had been suffering increasingly from fatigue, which reached such a pitch by the time he arrived in Japan that circuit medical staff sent him home to Germany for medical tests.
Folger is thought to be inflicted by a repeat infection by the Epstein-Barr virus, for which the main treatment is simply prolonged rest. As a result, he is likely to be out until the first tests next year.
Experienced Australian veteran Broc Parkes took his place at Phillip Island; while Dutch Superbike rider Michael van der Mark is expected to take the seat in Malaysia next week, and Valencia for the final round in November.
Testing Restriction hit MotoGP, Again
Further restrictions in MotoGP testing – aimed at cutting the advantage of big-budget factory teams – were announced on the eve of the Australian GP, with the number of tests and their timing restricted more than at present from the 2019 season.
The news came after a Motegi meeting of the GP Commission.
Although next season’s testing schedule is similar to this year’s, with two days at Valencia after the final round, three three-day tests out of Europe after the winter test ban, and five days of private testing for each team; new rules prevent tests at any GP circuit for two weeks either side of the event.
This year Ducati pre-tested at Misano, and Honda at Brno, shortly before the race.
For the 2019 season, which begins in November 2018, more cuts come into effect. There will be only two official three-day pre-season tests; while teams must use two of their five days before the winter test ban at the start of December.
The commission also ruled that from next season leathers fitted with approved air-bag systems will be compulsory for all classes; laid down rules restricting Moto2 chassis manufacturers to ten days of testing with the Triumph engines that will take over from Honda in 2019, and restricted factory teams to three wildcard entries per annum.
Mir on his way to the title
Joan Mir could become the first crowned champion of 2017 on Sunday, with only Romano Fenati left with a slender mathematical chance of stopping him.
Fenati won in Japan while Mir was mired in 17th and out of the points. Should Fenati win again, Mir must finish second, or the title fight will remain at least numerically open for one more race. But if Mir simply finishes ahead of Fenati, his advantage of more than 50 points will make him invulnerable.
Go Fly a Kite
Unlike Motegi, aero bodywork remained mainly in abeyance at Phillip Island, with cornering fidelity more important than wheelie control at the flowing circuit with only two slow corners.
Jorge Lorenzo flew his usual big box kites on the flanks of his Ducati, and Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone used their latest loop-scoop fairings on their Aprilia and Suzuki respectively.
For the rest, the downforce bodywork stayed in the freight boxes.
In the past at this windy track, fairings have been drilled to reduce resistance in direction changes, but so far this year there’s been no sign of that.
Barf fest continues from Dorna
Dorna’s quest for Cheesemonger of the Year award took a big step forward in Australia, with the cheesiest pre-race stunt yet.
Once confined to filming riders making pizzas in Italy or meeting sumo wrestlers in Japan, the promotional push has broken free from conventional cliché to create new ones all of their own.
This week’s contrivance paid (possibly inadvertent) tribute to Australia’s foundation as a penal colony for British convicts.
MotoGP riders Jack Miller and Alex Rins were dressed in prison gear and filmed in a deserted Melbourne prison, from which they “escaped” by hiding in a laundry basket.
This even outranked previous groan-fests, such as casting and awkward-looking Dani Pedrosa as a diminutive James Bond-alike.
Along with the introduction of frequently fatuous social media questions at press conferences, this is another important step in trivializing the World Championships.
Herrera Back in Australia
The sole girl Grand Prix racer Maria Herrera, whose AGR team folded after the last European race at Aragon, was back in Australia. The 21-year-old Spanish Moto3 rider was thrown a lifeline by the Aspar Mahindra team, to take the place of injured team regular Albert Arenas, who suffered a hand fracture in a crash in practice at Motegi.
Herrera claimed her best-yet result at Phillip Island, finishing 11th in 2015. She finished in the points once this year, with 15th in Argentina.