Australian Heat: Analysis of Phillip Island MotoGP 2023

Due to the weather forecast, Race Direction decided to update the schedule for the MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, so the main race was moved to Saturday the 21st of October at 15:10 local time and Tissot Sprint received the updated schedule spot on. It was a wise decision after MotoGP Japan 2023, which was shortened because of the downpour. 

In the Saturday qualification, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) became a highlight of the show with a dominant performance that saw him destroy his previous lap record. The Spaniard's 1:27.246 resulted in him taking back-to-back pole positions and he was a favorite for the win on the MotoGP online betting sites. The middle spot of the front row was taken by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). 

The last front-row spot was taken by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who put in a stellar job to scrap his way through Q1. And here came the finest hour of bookies that accept bitcoin, because the "Pecco or Martinator?" question was still open. 

And thus began the four-hour wait.

There was hardly any unexpected news, as all the main leaders were in the first row, with the fans wondering whether Martin or Bagnaia would take the win. But it was a historical backflip move from Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), who took a stunning maiden MotoGP win, stealing it from teammate and title contender Jorge Martin by making a brutal, clean, and perfectly judged move on the very last lap.

Such an unexpected scenario heated the situation on the best odds betting sites. Such a bold move from the Frenchman helped Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) too, who passed his main rival by storm. 

The situation was getting worse and worse for Martin, as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) decided to seize the moment. That outcome led to a 27-point gap between Bagnaia and Martin, and all the Spaniard's hopes were on Sunday’s Tissot Sprint. 

Sure, he couldn’t get any huge advantage even with the win, but still, he could at least cut the gap. And so, sportsbooks with live betting were overheated in the wait of the classic Tissot Sprint action. 

At one moment, all eyes were on Johann Zarco who wrote his name into the historic books with a maiden MotoGP win. He finally gave away his record as the rider with the most MotoGP podiums without a win. 

But the biggest news of the Saturday action-packed race was made by Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP), as he celebrated his first-ever premier class podium. It was a swan song of sorts both for him and Zarco as they leave their teams by the end of this season. While Zarco moves to LCR Honda, Di Ginantonio's future is still unclear. After all, in 2024 his place in Gresini Racing will be taken by Marc Marquez. 

Does this mean that the Italian will be squeezing the most out of his bike for the rest of this season to show what he’s capable of? Perhaps sports betting companies should take a closer look at this young rider and calculate the odds of another podium.

A huge list of Australian bookmakers expected an ultimate action Sunday Tissot Sprint, but the forecast worsened throughout the day – and Race Direction has obliged the cancellation of further track activity following the conclusion of the Moto2 race and breaking Martin’s Sunday hopes.

That's a wrap for a truly historic, one-of-a-kind, and instantly iconic Saturday Grand Prix race at Phillip Island. Johann Zarco has etched his name into the annals of history with his first-ever MotoGP™ victory. Bagnaia, once again, demonstrated his undeniable talent and showed why he’s the favorite of all the popular betting applications. Still, the odds of his wins are most immense from race to race. Yes, Martin showcased even more blistering speed, but it wasn’t enough to get the title fight lead this time.

MotoGP will be back in action for the OR Thailand Grand Prix from the 27th to the 29th of October. Stay Tuned!