2013 Australian MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo Wins as Marc Marquez Is Disqualified at Phillip Island
Table of Contents
- Event Overview
- Phillip Island: A Circuit Steeped in History
- Qualifying: Lorenzo Survives a Seagull to Take Pole
- Casey Stoner Becomes a MotoGP Legend
- Race Day: A New Format Forces Mandatory Bike Changes
- The Marquez Disqualification Explained
- Lorenzo Claims His Sixth Win of the Season
- Rossi Fights Through for the Podium
- Moto2 Result: Pol Espargaro Holds On
- Moto3 Result: Alex Rins Wins a Photo Finish
- Championship Picture After Phillip Island
- Circuit Records Set in 2013
- FAQ
- Related Articles
Event Overview
The 2013 Tissot Australian Grand Prix took place at Phillip Island on Sunday, October 20, 2013. It was round sixteen of the MotoGP season. Jorge Lorenzo won the premier class race after championship leader Marc Marquez was disqualified following the race for breaking a mandatory pit stop rule. The result cut Marquez's title lead over Lorenzo from 43 points down to 18 points heading into the final two rounds in Japan and Valencia.
The weekend also carried extra weight off the track. Two-time World Champion Casey Stoner was inducted as a MotoGP Legend at Phillip Island on Saturday, just three days after his 28th birthday.
Phillip Island: A Circuit Steeped in History
Phillip Island calls itself the home of Australian motorsport. Car races were held on public roads there in the 1920s, and motorcycle racing arrived in 1931. A permanent circuit opened in 1956.
The track fell into disrepair through the late 1970s and early 1980s. New owners bought it in 1985 and spent AUS $5 million rebuilding it. MotoGP returned in 1989 and 1990, then became a permanent fixture on the calendar from 1997 onward.
The layout is 4.448 km (2.764 miles) long and 13 meters wide, with seven left-hand corners and five right-hand corners. Its longest straight runs 900 meters. Riders and fans regularly rank it among the most scenic tracks in world championship racing, thanks to its ocean-side setting and fast, flowing corners.
Qualifying: Lorenzo Survives a Seagull to Take Pole
Defending World Champion Jorge Lorenzo took pole position on Saturday with a lap record, but not before a strange mid-session incident. On his first run in Q2, Lorenzo collided with a seagull while cresting Lukey Heights. The bird became lodged in his front forks.
Lorenzo still posted a provisional pole time of 1'28.681, beating Casey Stoner's previous track record from 2008. Marc Marquez briefly went quicker, pushing Lorenzo back to second as riders returned to the pits for fresh tyres with eight minutes left on the clock.
With four minutes remaining, Lorenzo went back out. This time there was no seagull to slow him down. He dipped under the 1'28 mark with a minute left and then set a final lap of 1'27.899, taking pole position.
"I had an impact with a bird on the first few laps on the bike," Lorenzo said afterward. "Luckily we could take it off and I could make a second attempt without a passenger. Maybe because of this I went a little bit faster and was able to make pole position."
Marquez qualified second, just 0.221 seconds off Lorenzo's pace. Valentino Rossi took third on the grid with a 1'28.647, his second straight front-row start.
"Coming back to Phillip Island with the new surface is fantastic," Rossi said. "I know the race is tomorrow and especially Marc and Jorge and Dani will be very hard to beat. I have to give the maximum, find a good setting and tyre, and try to fight for the podium."
Casey Stoner Becomes a MotoGP Legend
On Saturday, Casey Stoner was formally inducted as a MotoGP Legend, becoming the 20th rider to receive the honor. He joined fellow Australians Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan on the list.
Stoner entered the premier class in 2006 with Lucio Cecchinello's LCR team, then moved to Ducati and won his first world title in 2007. He added a second championship in 2011 in his debut season with Repsol Honda before retiring at the end of 2012.
Across his Grand Prix career, which began in the 125cc class in 2001, Stoner won 45 races, stood on the podium 89 times, took 43 pole positions, and set 33 fastest laps, alongside his two world titles.
"It is very special," Stoner said. "It almost seemed a bit unrealistic when I was offered this, but I am not going to turn it down either. I am very proud of the achievements we had during our time in Grands Prix."
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said the idea had first been raised with Stoner at the end of the previous season in Valencia. "Phillip Island is the place to do it, and we are very happy and proud to see Casey and his family here," Ezpeleta said. "Casey is part of our history and must be here."
Race Day: A New Format Forces Mandatory Bike Changes
Ahead of the race, organizers announced a major change to the schedule. Practice sessions had shown tyre degradation on the newly resurfaced track was far higher than Bridgestone had expected. For safety, race distance was cut from 27 laps to 19 laps, and every rider was required to make a mandatory bike change on either lap 9 or lap 10, running the harder tyre compound throughout.
The start was clean, with no fallers. Marquez briefly attacked Lorenzo at the Honda hairpin, but Lorenzo took the position straight back on the run into Siberia corner.
The Marquez Disqualification Explained
The mandatory pit window produced the defining moment of the race. Marquez's Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa was the first rider to peel into the pits, leaving third place at the end of lap 9. Marquez had already shown title-contending pace in Malaysia, and few expected the trouble that followed.
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Lorenzo pitted at the end of lap 10, expecting Marquez to follow him in for a straight pit-lane battle. Instead, the 20-year-old rookie stayed out for another full lap. Marquez did not pit until the end of lap 11, one lap outside the permitted window of laps 9 and 10.
Race officials disqualified Marquez for the infringement. Australian rider Bryan Staring of GO&FUN Honda Gresini was also disqualified for committing the same error. Marquez had briefly touched wheels with Lorenzo as he rejoined the track from the pits, narrowly avoiding a bigger incident.
Lorenzo Claims His Sixth Win of the Season
With Marquez out of contention, Lorenzo went on to win his sixth race of 2013. It was also the first Phillip Island victory for a rider other than the now-retired Casey Stoner since 2006.
Dani Pedrosa finished second to keep his own title hopes alive. Valentino Rossi completed the podium in third, edging out a tight battle with Cal Crutchlow of Monster Yamaha Tech3 and Alvaro Bautista of GO&FUN Honda Gresini. Light rain began falling as the race reached its final laps.
Bradley Smith was sixth for Tech3, having run as high as fourth thanks to a rapid start, while the top ten was rounded out by Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team), Andrea Iannone (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Randy de Puniet (Power Electronics Aspar) who ended the race as lead CRT (Claiming Rule Team) entry for the first time all season.
Further back, Aleix Espargaro finished 11th for Power Electronics Aspar, ahead of Colin Edwards on the FTR Kawasaki for NGM Mobile Forward Racing in 12th. Yonny Hernandez and Hector Barbera rounded out 13th and 14th on their Ducati-powered machines, separated by less than a tenth of a second. Danilo Petrucci finished 15th for Came IodaRacing Project, denying a first career point to Luca Scassa, who crossed the line in 16th, less than a tenth of a second further back.
The final finishers included Claudio Corti and Michael Laverty in 17th and 18th, followed by Lukas Pesek in 19th. Hiroshi Aoyama and Australian wildcard Damian Cudlin completed the classification a lap and two laps down respectively, closing out a race that had been reshaped almost entirely by the mandatory pit window rule.
Rossi Fights Through for the Podium
Speaking after the race, Rossi described a long battle for third place that ran through both the pre-pit and post-pit phases of the race. "I had a great battle with Cal. When I understood it was for the podium, I tried to give the maximum," Rossi said. "In the last half of the lap it started to rain, which was very scary but at the end it was ok and a good result."
Rossi's quick pit stop for his mandatory bike change helped him jump both Crutchlow and Bautista, a move that proved decisive in securing his sixth podium of the 2013 season.
Moto2 Result: Pol Espargaro Holds On
In Moto2, Pol Espargaro took pole for Tuenti HP 40 and converted it into victory, finishing just 0.591 seconds ahead of Thomas Luthi of Interwetten Paddock Moto2. Jordi Torres completed the podium for Aspar Team Moto2, less than a tenth of a second behind Luthi.
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Simone Corsi and Alex de Angelis rounded out the top five. De Angelis also set the fastest lap of the race, a new circuit record of 1'32.814. Dominique Aegerter finished sixth for Technomag carXpert, ahead of Mika Kallio in seventh for Marc VDS Racing Team. Esteve Rabat, who had qualified second, recovered to eighth after a tougher race, with Nicolas Terol ninth for Aspar Team Moto2. Australian rider Anthony West completed the top ten for QMMF Racing Team, giving the home crowd a points finish to cheer in the intermediate class.
Moto3 Result: Alex Rins Wins a Photo Finish
The Moto3 race produced one of the tightest finishes of the weekend. Alex Rins of Estrella Galicia 0,0 beat Maverick Viñales of Team Calvo by just 0.003 seconds, with pole-sitter Luis Salom completing the podium a further 0.175 seconds back.
Alex Marquez finished fourth for Estrella Galicia 0,0, and also set the fastest race lap. Australian rider Jack Miller finished fifth on home soil for Caretta Technology - RTG, giving local fans a result to celebrate in the smallest class. Jonas Folger was sixth for Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3, just ahead of Efren Vazquez in seventh for Mahindra Racing. Niccolo Antonelli completed the top eight for GO&FUN Gresini Moto3, with Niklas Ajo ninth for Avant Tecno and Alexis Masboru rounding out the top ten for Ongetta-Rivacold. The result meant seven different manufacturers and constructor combinations were represented inside the top ten, underlining how tightly matched the Moto3 field was throughout the 2013 season.
Championship Picture After Phillip Island
Marquez's disqualification changed the shape of the 2013 title fight. His points lead over Lorenzo shrank from 43 to 18 with two rounds remaining. The title fight went down to the wire in Valencia, but first, the series moved on to the Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi Twin Ring, before the championship was due to be decided at the season finale in Valencia, Spain, on November 10.
Circuit Records Set in 2013
- Pole Lap: Jorge Lorenzo, 1'27.899, 182.1 km/h
- Fastest Race Lap: Marc Marquez, 1'28.108, 181.7 km/h (lap 13)
- Circuit Record Lap: Marc Marquez, 1'28.108, 181.7 km/h
FAQ
Who won the 2013 Australian MotoGP?
Jorge Lorenzo won the 2013 Tissot Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, his sixth victory of the season.
Why was Marc Marquez disqualified from the 2013 Australian MotoGP?
Marquez pitted for his mandatory bike change on lap 11, one lap outside the permitted window of laps 9 and 10 that race organizers had set for safety reasons.
Why was the 2013 Australian MotoGP race distance reduced?
Practice sessions showed unexpectedly high tyre degradation on the newly resurfaced Phillip Island track. Organizers cut the race from 27 laps to 19 laps and made a mid-race bike change mandatory for every rider.
Who was inducted as a MotoGP Legend at Phillip Island in 2013?
Casey Stoner was inducted as the 20th MotoGP Legend on the Saturday of the 2013 Australian Grand Prix weekend.
Who won the Moto2 and Moto3 races at Phillip Island in 2013?
Pol Espargaro won the Moto2 race for Tuenti HP 40. Alex Rins won the Moto3 race for Estrella Galicia 0,0 in a photo finish with Maverick Viñales.
How did the Marquez disqualification affect the 2013 championship?
Marquez's points lead over Lorenzo dropped from 43 to 18 points with two rounds left, in Japan and Valencia.
What is the Phillip Island circuit's history?
Phillip Island held its first motorcycle races in 1931, opened as a permanent circuit in 1956, fell into disrepair by the late 1970s, and was rebuilt in 1985 before MotoGP returned for good from 1997 onward.
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