Battling on the Bass Straight – Honda HRC Castrol travel to Australia
Phillip IslandThe end of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship is in sight, but Luca Marini and Joan Mir have no intentions of slowing down as they prepare for what’s already shaping up to be an intense Australian Grand Prix.
Sitting on the calendar consistently since 1997, Phillip Island has continued to defend its spot as the most spectacular circuit in the MotoGP World Championship. Resting just meters away from the ferocious Bass Straight, Phillip Island’s fast and flowing 4.45 kilometres always produce incredibly close races and have been a very happy hunting ground for Honda HRC in the past with 15 premier class wins since 1989.
A staple inside the top five throughout the Indonesian GP weekend, Luca Marini is determined to match his performance again and deliver a well-earned podium. Having put together a solid weekend in Australia back in 2024, his 2025 appearance already bodes well with significant improvements to the Honda RC213V and Marini’s own performance this year. As is always the case, keeping a level head when the weather waxes and wanes will be crucial to taking the most from round 19.
Making his World Championship debut in Phillip Island back in 2015, Joan Mir would lift his first World Championship at the very same circuit just two years later when he conquered the Moto3 World Championship on his Honda NSF250RW. Recent years have been less forgiving to the #36, but his explosive potential is undeniable.
The competition in MotoGP is only getting closer and the scene is set for a memorable Australian Grand Prix, Marini and Mir ready to once again show what they and Honda HRC are capable of.
Location: Phillip Island Circuit
Phillip Island, the self-styled home of Australian motorsport, is steeped in motor racing tradition, with the first car races having been held there on public roads in the 1920s. The first motorcycle races took place in 1931 and a permanent track was built in 1956. The circuit fell into disrepair during the late 70s and early 80s until it was bought in 1985 and given a AUS $5m facelift. MotoGP returned in 1989 and 1990 before becoming a regular fixture once more from 1997 onwards.
The Phillip Island circuit is blessed with breathtaking scenery and beautiful ocean views and, as one of the fastest, most fluid, tracks on the calendar, it continues to provide some of the most spectacular racing in the MotoGP season.
Back to work with the same focus as the last couple of rounds. In Lombok we learned a lot about many things and now we arrive in Australia ready to apply them. Phillip Island is one of the most unique circuits on the calendar in terms of the location and layout, you can arrive there to find yourself in a different place to other rounds. When the weather is good it’s a pleasure to ride so hopefully the forecast improves a bit. Our objective does not change for this weekend, myself and the Honda HRC Castrol team know what we are capable of with the package we have and it’s time to deliver.
Back to work with the same focus as the last couple of rounds. In Lombok we learned a lot about many things and now we arrive in Australia ready to apply them. Phillip Island is one of the most unique circuits on the calendar in terms of the location and layout, you can arrive there to find yourself in a different place to other rounds. When the weather is good it’s a pleasure to ride so hopefully the forecast improves a bit. Our objective does not change for this weekend, myself and the Honda HRC Castrol team know what we are capable of with the package we have and it’s time to deliver.
I have a lot of good memories in Australia, I always look forward to going back there and riding Phillip Island every year. It’s a circuit where always the rider can have a really big impact on the result, and coming there with a much stronger package compared to the previous years, I want to fight for something like we did in Japan and Indonesia. Good qualifying, see what the wind is doing on race day and get ready to battle – that’s the plan.
I have a lot of good memories in Australia, I always look forward to going back there and riding Phillip Island every year. It’s a circuit where always the rider can have a really big impact on the result, and coming there with a much stronger package compared to the previous years, I want to fight for something like we did in Japan and Indonesia. Good qualifying, see what the wind is doing on race day and get ready to battle – that’s the plan.