Why Phillip Island Was A Great Advert For MotoGP And A Pathfinder For Other Motorsport

The 2015 Australian Grand Prix will go down in history as one of the greatest MotoGP races ever, and quite possibly one of the greatest sporting events in history. This was a motor race constructed in the dreams of fans and racers the world over.

It had it all; four of the top motorcycle racers on the planet, on three of the top bikes, in perfect conditions around, for my money, the greatest race track in the world, and add into the mix two of the four are brawling for the world championship and you've got the concoction for something that could have been fabricated by Hollywood.

For twenty-seven fast, hard, furious laps Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Iannone and Valentino Rossi fought tooth and claw for the victory. Every corner there was a change of position, the championship outlook changing by the metre. Throw in a bird strike for Iannone on lap two, a bloody brilliant overtake on Marquez and Rossi at turn ten and a last-gasp assault for the lead from Marquez on Lorenzo to take the win from the Spaniard on the final couple of corners. They really don't come much better.

For the first time, certainly I've ever seen, the world was talking about MotoGP. The fans were revelling in another fantastic event, whilst the outside knew they had witnessed something truly wonderful. Even our very own bike-loathing Frank enjoyed it! And I think, for the first time, people started to actually consider that MotoGP may well just be the greatest sport on the planet right now, if not definitely the best motorsport.

Formula One is the be all and end all for some, whilst WEC and Formula E are taking on bigger fan bases all the time. But none of these offer what MotoGP is providing week in week out.

Over the 27 laps, or forty minutes of racing, the top four alone overtook each other fifty-two times, and crossed the line covered by just one second. The race was also thirteen seconds quicker than the original race record time. These are the kinds of numbers the FIA can only dream for it's top flight series'.

What fans loved most of all was that the Australian Grand Prix was racing at its purest and most beautiful: everyone was on the same tyres, there were no false overtaking aids, no overly complicated engine regulations and a proper race circuit devoid of ninety-mile run-off zones and brimming with character. The riders were also able to utilise the individual strengths of their machines, so strategy came on the track and not from the pit wall.

The rest must fall into line now and learn from MotoGP or else they'll lose their fan base. ILM conducted a fan survey at Donington Park during the Formula E test, and they discovered that a number of F1 fans were deserting and tuning into FE. You can bet that the same thing is happening in MotoGP's favour, which may be even bigger to it than F1 fans moving to FE because it could be the first time many of them have followed bike racing!

It's not hard to comprehend why this shift is happening either. The FIM created the current set of rules and regulations to allow races like this to be a reality, and clearly they are working. The commercial contract will also add to this, as in 2017 Dorna Sports will be buying the bikes that the customer teams will ride. This takes a big financial worry away from the smaller teams and allow them to invest that money into other areas to become more competitive.

This alongside a great calendar set to get even better in the coming years, a roster of truly talented individuals that stretches all the way back into the most junior of ranks, and proper racing machines that blow out your ears and reduce you to an overly excited eight-year-old, has seen MotoGP ascend above the rest and sit firmly as the pinnacle of motorsport.

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