Reigning Australian Grand Prix winner Álex Rins has cast doubt on the running of this year’s race, with high winds forecast to disrupt Sunday running.
Phillips Island has basked in warm and sunny weather on Thursday, but conditions are set to deteriorate over the weekend.
Fresh winds and light showers and will arrive for qualifying and the sprint on Saturday, while Sunday’s radar predicts up to 6 millimetres of rain and strong winds of up to 45 kilometres per hour. Gusts could be as strong as 70 kilometres per hour.
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Temperatures will also plunge from as high as 22°C to no more than 16°C.
“It’s a bit difficult,” Rins told reports at Phillip Island. “For sure we need to check if it’s secure or not to ride, because with 70 kilometres, I think we won’t ride.
“If you add the water and the cold, for sure it’s even more dangerous.
“We need to check the condition. It looks like [Friday] is going to be the best day of the weekend.”
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is notoriously exposed to the elements in its picturesque position perched on the cliffs overlooking Bass Strait.
Its gusty setting has disrupted running before, with Saturday qualifying in 2019 postponed until Sunday due to winds blowing beyond 50 kilometres per hour.
Gusts were so strong and unpredictable that Miguel Oliveira was blown off the track and into a high-speed crash at turn 1 during practice. The rest of the day was called off after riders called an emergency safety meeting to express their reservations about the conditions.
But even if less extreme winds prevail, Rins was expecting riding conditions to be difficult.
“For sure it’s more demanding because you need to hold stronger the bike,” he said. “You try to play with the bike, you try to change a little bit your riding style to adapt.
“But it is what it is, it’s the same for everyone.”
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The weather could be a particular challenge for Rins, who is continuing his recovery from a broken leg sustained at the Italian Grand Prix in June.
His comeback in Japan was aborted after experiencing too much pain during practice, but he finished a gutsy ninth last weekend in Indonesia.
The physically demanding Mandalika race will have been good conditioning for the 27-year-old, who thinks the Phillip Island layout will also help to minimise his injuries.
“Theoretically it will be better — theoretically — because there are only three corners on the on the right side,” he said.
“After [Indonesia] I felt a bit tired on my right leg because I was feeling a lot of pressure on the muscles, but … they said that it’s normal because I’m demanding more than my muscle or my leg can support.
“This is part of progress. I would like to arrive here in another shape and full of confidence with the bike, fully fit, but it’s not the moment.”
Rins won one of the more exciting entries in the Phillip Island history books last season, triumphing over Marc Márquez by just 0.186 seconds and leading home a leading pack of seven riders split by just 0.884 seconds after 27 laps.
The Spaniard won Honda’s only victory of the season so far, at the United States Grand Prix at the start of the year, but the Japanese giant has otherwise struggled for form, with its only other Sunday podium coming via Márquez two rounds ago in Japan.
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But Phillip Island, being fast and flowing rather than tight and technical, tends to reduce the performance differences between the bikes, giving Rins a potential window to backing up last year’s victory with a good result.
“This is a special place because the track is really, really amazing and we did a great weekend last year, great result,” he said.
“For sure [good feelings]. When you go into a place where you are good, where you enjoy and all these things, immediately when you land in the plane there is a smile on your face.
“It happened to me when we arrived in Melbourne. It’s completely different. I feel super good here.
“But [I am] without pressure. We have a recovery process, and we need to see how we are.
“So let’s see how it goes.”