Track Focus: Phillip Island
Added on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Track Focus: Phillip Island
If fantastic scenery, great sightlines and the opportunity to see motorcycles at their fastest are what make a MotoGP circuit in your eyes, then Phillip Island in Australia is right up your street.
Located in Westernpoint Bay some 140km from Melbourne, Phillip Island is home to some of Victoria’s most outstanding wildlife habitats. The Island is one of the few places in the world where humans can get up close with Little Penguins as well as Wombats, Koalas, Kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils, various parrots and birds of prey, snakes and reptiles. It’s because of more than 300 species of animals that Phillip Island sees the bulk of its tourist trade but of the 3.5m tourists flock to the island annually, a significant chunk are there for something very different.
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, situated on the southern tip of the island, is one of the most eagerly anticipated calling points on the calendar of every championship that calls there. Having hosted the opener of the 2009 World Superbike Championship, the circuit is a calling point of all of the major Australian motorsport championships, including Formula 4000, Formula 3 and V8 Supercars.
MotoGP takes its turn this weekend with Casey Stoner looking to become the first rider since Valentino Rossi, and the first Australian, to win three Aussie GPs in a row.
For many fans, Phillip Island is a circuit that allows riders to demonstrate the very pinnacle of high-speed riding. The Australian circuit is the fastest in the MotoGP calendar, with sweeping corners and changing gradients offering riders plenty of opportunity to get on the gas.
Perched on the southern coast of the island, the scenery is superb and as a spectator venue, it’s up there with the best. Whilst grandstands are few and far between, the constant changes in gradient offer plenty of fantastic viewing opportunities and even with general admission tickets, it’s easy to get close to the action.
Looking back at the record books, both Stoner and Valentino Rossi have perhaps the fondest memories here. Rossi clocked up five wins on the bounce between 2001 and 2005 before Marco Melandri took the chequered flag in 2006, with Stoner winning in 2007 and 2008.
Lorenzo and Pedrosa have won here in 250cc and Andrea Dovizioso won the 125 race in 2004. The only other rider currently in the paddock with a history of wins in the Australian Grand Prix is Loris Capirossi, although his win in 1996 came at Eastern Creek in New South Wales.
Track Focus: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria, Australia
| Location | Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia | Google Maps |
| Opened | 1956 |
| First MotoGP | 1989 |
| Length | 4.445km (2.762mi) |
| Turns | 12 (7 Left, 5 Right) |
| Lap Record | Nicky Hayden (Honda) 2008: 1:30.059 |
| 2008 Winner | Casey Stoner (Ducati) |
