Phillip Island, 22 October 2023
Strong winds and rain at Phillip Island ended the Australian weekend earlier than expected.
In the morning, the track conditions caused numerous crashes during WarmUp, which was added to the weekend's sessions to allow Moto3 and Moto2 class riders to ride in wet conditions.
The race got underway regularly, with Mattia Casadei starting to set some excellent times, managing to reach tenth position, when then, due to a small mistake, he crashed without suffering any severe consequences. The Rimini rider continues his growth path in Moto2, beginning to reap the first fruits of his hard work.
Vietti, on lap nine, after having reached the thirteenth position, was betrayed by a very violent gust of wind. At the end of the main straight, he was pushed to the outside by the wind, which prevented him from setting the trajectory despite several attempts to get the bike into the corner. Once he was forced to raise the bike, a pothole caused Celestino's bike to flip over, triggering a violent carambola. Fortunately, the rider escaped unhurt.
One lap after Vietti's accident, the decision was made to stop the race due to the borderline weather conditions, leading to the cancellation of the MotoGP Sprint Race.
Celestino Vietti: "Today, the conditions were really at the limit. I am surprised they let the race start. We were going well until the crash. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything about it. Some riders saw me fall and came to check on my condition after the red flag. They told me that they managed not to slide by a miracle. I am sorry because there was the potential to bring home important points. We will get back the following weekend in Thailand".
Mattia Casadei: "Today, we were going strong. We could have collected the first points together. I'm sorry for the team. We are doing a great job, and our efforts will pay off. The feeling with the bike was great. I was catching up with the group before me when I made a small mistake and crashed. Now heads up for the next race."
