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The Marc Marquez crash near the end of the 2014 Australian GP at Phillip Island reminded us that one must not only battle against the competitors, but one must battle against the elements.

Marquez was one of several riders who were robbed of good results by how the Phillip Island circuit’s abrasive surface, high speeds, and susceptibility to large changes in ambient temperature over the course of the race resulted in a cool dual compound front tire that lost grip.

Shinji Aoki, Manager of Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department, said: “The cool and breezy conditions definitely increased the challenge of racing at Phillip Island which has the highest average speed on the MotoGP calendar. Tyre performance throughout the twenty-seven laps of the race was very consistent, but unfortunately in the final stages there were a few incidents. The double cooling effect of low ambient temperatures and cool winds have often created challenging conditions in the past at Phillip Island, and last Sunday was another example of how quickly things can change at the Australian Grand Prix.”

The entire Bridgestone press release can be viewed here.

As ever, issues beyond just the tire-related ones are explained by David Emmett at MotoMatters.

Photograph: ©2014 by Scott Jones / PHOTO.GP – All Rights Reserved

[mgallery keyword=”Phillip Island”]

Camera Info: Nikon D4 with Nikon 500mm f/4.0