Rins: Riding alone okay, race could be really dangerous

While Alex Rins felt riding on his own in the strong winds at Phillip Island was possible, he fears if the conditions remain the same it will too dangerous for the Australian Grand Prix with riders grouped together.

MotoGP qualifying was been postponed until Sunday morning in Phillip Island after high winds made track conditions unsafe as FP4 was red flagged just moments after Miguel Oliveira crashed at Turn 1 after being blown off track by a strong gust. An emergency Safety Commission meeting was called where riders voted to delay qualifying due to safety concerns.

Both Rins and Marc Marquez felt the strong winds were manageable when riders were alone on track, as Oliveira was alongside Johann Zarco on the LCR Honda during his accident, with the Suzuki rider feeling the unpredictable wind was to blame for the Portuguese rider’s off.

As a result, Rins concedes if the strong winds stay at Phillip Island for Sunday it could make racing “really dangerous” with riders bunched together.

“I was riding alone and it was windy, worse conditions than FP3, but it was okay. But maybe in a group it was worse and more dangerous but for riding alone it was okay,” Rins said. “In qualifying you try to ride alone.

“The worst or most difficult thing would have been in the race, if we start the race 22 riders all together, that could be really dangerous in the wind.”

“I was riding alone and alone it was a problem and you feel it but it was inside the limit,” Marquez added. “It looks like when the riders overtake like Johann with Oliveira then you feel it much more.”

If qualifying is unable to run at Phillip Island tomorrow morning, the starting grid will be decided by the combined free practice times which would see Rins line up in eighth place for Suzuki.

Current weather forecasts predict wind speeds to reduce overnight but high winds will still remain a risk for the rest of the Australian MotoGP weekend.