Casey Stoner will try to secure the MotoGP World Championship and Marc Márquez will seek to reinforce his lead in Moto2. Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will be protagonists of an intense duel for the final third position.
There are only three rounds left before the end of the season and the Australian Grand Prix can decide the first title, that of MotoGP. Casey Stoner will have his first chance to become the new king of the class. His team mates, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso will seek the third consecutive victory for the Repsol Honda Team to secure the third place of the overall standings. In Moto2, Marc Márquez will defend the lead of the intermediate category for the first time this year, after taking it last week in Motegi.
Competing at home and turning 26 this Sunday could become simple anecdotes for Casey Stoner if he is able to score 10 points more than Jorge Lorenzo —second in the overall standings— in this Grand Prix. This result will crown him for the second time in his career as MotoGP World Champion. His statistics in Phillip Island cannot be better. The four consecutive victories he achieved in the last four years mean that this is the track where the Aussie has been more successful in the premiere category.
After three consecutive second positions, Dani Pedrosa finally achieved a new victory in Motegi. The Spaniard of the Repsol Honda Team will compete again in Australia, where last year he was not able to be due to an injury. To add a fourth victory to this season’s record will be Pedrosa’s aim, as he is only one point away from the third position of the overall standings. That place is now in the hands of his team mate, Andrea Dovizioso. His fifth position in the Japanese Grand Prix does not reflect the good weekend he had, which was spoiled only by a ride trough penalty. The Italian rider will try to take revenge from the 2010 race at Phillip Island, where he was forced to retire due to mechanical issues, by trying to be again on the podium.
He did not score a single point of the first 75 up for grabs, but the Moto2 rookie of the year, Marc Márquez, leads the overall standings with only a 1-point advantage over the only rival that can fight with him for the title, Germany’s Stefan Bradl. His second place in Motegi —and tenth consecutive podium—, is a superb result to start the last part of the calendar. The Repsol rider will face this weekend a new challenge in Australia on his Moto2, in one of his favourite tracks on the 125cc, where last year he achieved the pole position and a crushing victory. The objective for Emilio Alzamora’s pupil will be to keep his spectacular run of good results that made him score 190 points of the last 200 up for grabs.
Dani Pedrosa,
“I’m looking forward to going to Phillip Island as the circuit is very nice with many fast corners and a lot of sliding. The tyres play an important role there as the left side of the tyre gets used a lot and therefore durability is always crucial. Last year I tried to return to racing in Australia after my collarbone operation and I realised during practice that It would be impossible for me to finish the race. It was very hard for me to accept that I was not ready to race as a result of the injury and I had to return home empty handed after a big effort. This year I would like to race in normal conditions and leave Australia with a good result”.
Andrea Dovizioso,
“Phillip Island is a nice circuit set in a unique location. Last year the race was not as we expected as I had a technical problem that prevented me to fight for the podium. My target this time is to return on the podium and gain some points in order to retain the third position in the Championship. Phillip Island is a demanding track and in the past I have struggled quiet a lot. The real issue is with the weather, the strong winds, rain and cold temperatures have often complicated the race. From a technical point of view the Australian track requires an aggressive riding style and an ability to make the bike turn whilst sliding. This is a very spectacular place, the setting by the ocean makes it special and the many fans are truly passionate. After the race weekend we had in Japan I’m looking forward to the Australian GP. Since my debut in the GPs in 2002 I have raced with Honda my whole career, for next year i have decided to take another challenge. But this is for 2012, now I’m focused on these last three remaining GPs. I want to have some spectacular races and score good results for Honda, my team and all my fans”.
Casey Stoner,
“Every year I look forward to going to Phillip Island, there are a few tracks I really enjoy, Mugello and Brno being the other tracks so I’m excited to get to there and see how the bike works. I love coming back home to race in Australia, it’s always a lot of fun and we don’t get to visit so often, as well as the track, the general atmosphere is incredible and I always enjoy the weekend as a whole and the fans are fantastic. Hopefully this weekend we can have a good race, I’m very disappointed after Japan as we knew our potential, I want to go there and win the race, like I wanted to in Japan. The season has been fantastic so far and we’ll be looking to continue this momentum. If we can top it off with a win in Phillip Island, my home Grand Prix it would be a dream. It will be a long hard weekend, and there is still a lot of work to do to win the Championship, but we’re ready for it”.
Marc Márquez,
“Australia is one of my favourite Grand Prix, because Phillip Island is one of the circuits I like the most. With the 125cc at least it was very good for me, so we will see if we have as much fun with the Moto2. It will be interesting to see how it goes at the fastest corner, such as the last one, because they are places where you ride very fast and with the Moto2 is a very big change, but I am looking forward to start. We will face the weekend in the same way as we did the rest. We arrive as leaders of the championship, but that is not going to change the way we work. This is another of the circuits where it is important to keep an eye on the weather, because it is usually cold and there is always the risk of rain. Furthermore, on this track you have to be wary of the wind, because it can have a huge effect on some corners”.
