With many Aussies showcasing their skills abroad in a range of disciplines on-track, our latest column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out, this month we have Miller, Agius, Kelso, Roulstone, Gardner, Bayliss, Power, O’Halloran, Cannon and Owens… Words: Ed Stratmann
On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP
The most recent stop on the MotoGP calendar in Qatar was one to forget for Jack Miller, as tyre issues and a crash in the race ensured it was a tough encounter for the popular Aussie. Beginning his weekend with a crash, this wasn’t ideal for Miller, who was also dealing with a bout of food poisoning during the event.
Read last month’s Aussie’s Abroad here...
His disappointment frustratingly carried over to the race under the lights at Losail, where an early spill ended his chances of getting a positive result. “That was the best I‘d felt all weekend – the bike was working well until it suddenly wasn‘t. My rhythm was strong, and I was feeling pretty comfortable catching back up to the group ahead. I switched the map, and then just before the crash, coming into Turn 15 on what could have been my best lap, the bike suddenly started vibrating violently at the rear, so much so that my legs came off the pegs,” reflected Miller.
“I lost the front. I managed to keep the bike up with my elbow, but when I pushed in deeper, it started vibrating again”…
“I had to slow down, and even then my time was a 1‘53.9. Martin passed me, and I followed him into Turn 1, but at Turn 2, another left-hander, as soon as I leaned in, I lost the front. I managed to keep the bike up with my elbow, but when I pushed in deeper, it started vibrating again. I was off-line and onto the dirty part of the track, and the bike just slid out from under me. We saw very clearly in the data that something changed from one lap to the next.
“Why, we don‘t know. The tyre looked fine; everything seemed okay, so we need to understand more about what happened. Honestly, it ended the way the whole weekend had been going. I‘m happy to be heading to Jerez; I think this bike will work well there.”Miller will now immediately shift his focus to round five in Jerez in his pursuit of a much better outcome.
Senna Agius – Moto2
Forced to undertake three Long Lap penalties in Qatar, mustering 14th was a decent result in the trying circumstances by Senna Agius. Kicking things off with a 13th in qualifying, which was a solid effort given he was working hard to find an ideal setup, he then proceeded to bank 14th in the race. Disaster struck from the off for Agius, for he was instantly handed a double Long Lap penalty for a jump start before receiving another Long Lap for not executing his initial penalty adequately. To his credit, the #81 fought back remarkably to register two points following a strong comeback from the aforementioned adversity.
“I apologise because I made a rookie mistake today. I don’t think I’ve ever jumped a start before”…
“I apologise because I made a rookie mistake today. I don’t think I’ve ever jumped a start before, so I’m angry with myself. I’m sorry because we worked really hard this weekend and made a step with both my feeling and my riding, and I threw it all away with my mistake. I tried to come back and get some points to take something home. In the end, it was my mistake. I’m sorry for my crew because they work really hard, and I work hard too to get the results I know we can achieve. I am now focusing on Jerez, but all in all, I would like to apologise to everyone,” he lamented.
Joel Kelso – Moto3
Aussie flyer Joel Kelso enjoyed a brilliant performance in Losail, as not only did he secure P2 in qualifying, but he also went on to produce a fine display to cross the line in fourth. Rapid from the outset in Qatar, Kelso laid down a marker by claiming P2 in qualifying to earn his spot on the front row.
In the hunt for the win throughout the thrilling race on a night full of drama and action, the gifted Aussie eventually grabbed P4, just 0.097s off the win in what was a crazy surge to the line. “A little bittersweet, that one. Really happy with how the weekend went. We fought super hard but just came up a little short. Feeling really good heading into the European rounds and ready to fight for that podium in Jerez.” said Joel. Hungry for more in Jerez, watch for Kelso, who occupies third in the standings, to come out swinging in Spain too.
Jacob Roulstone – Moto3
On his return to racing following a brutal injury, Jacob Roulstone logged a respectable 14th in the hugely competitive Moto3 class. Despite feeling confident and good on the bike, 22nd was all he could do in qualifying, which was more than reasonable in the situation.
“Quite a decent race today. Was able to get a better first few laps and be more aggressive. Lost touch with the second group but could close a 3.0s gap to catch them to be in P9. Unfortunately, I chewed up my tyres a bit too much doing this, so I couldn’t fight at the end and fell back to P14,” stated Roulstone. “Huge thanks to the boys and the team for the work over the weekend. Time to get stuck into some hard training this week ahead of Jerez.”
Remy Gardner – World Superbike
Remy Gardner produced an outstanding effort in Assen in what was a terrific weekend by the Australian ace. Getting off on firm footing, the GYTR GRT Yamaha pilot’s eighth in the opening race and P7 in the Superpole race were quality results. Not content with this, Gardner capped off his tremendous weekend by storming to third in race two at the historic circuit after blasting off the line to put himself in a promising spot to succeed.
“What a relief! The Superpole race wasn’t too bad in the wet, though the last laps were tough to manage. Still, I held on to secure a decent spot on the race two grid. In the final race, I got a great start and was able to battle for the win early on, staying up front until the end. We did get a bit lucky with Nicolò’s retirement, but it was still a strong race and a big improvement over Saturday. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going into the next rounds,” insisted a delighted Gardner.
Oli Bayliss – World Supersport
Even though he demonstrated many glimpses of his excellent speed, a crash in race one and a technical issue in the second stanza meant Assen was a rough round for Oli Bayliss aboard his PTR Factory Triumph machine. While there wasn’t too much upside to be extracted from his outing, the fact he launched off to a nice start in the second race was something to take away from an unsatisfactory Assen.
“Difficult day today, I struggled with the bike overheating in warm up, and then for the race on the first lap, it happened again. I rode the bike until it cut out and I unfortunately had to retire. Difficult to end the weekend like this as in qualifying/warm ups we had good speed. Thanks to my team and supporters,” recalled Bayliss.
“With Oli, when you have instances where you crash there can be problems. It was a new engine that went in the bike, and it overheated and he had to stop in the race. Another disappointing weekend for him, but we know the results will come so we just have to stay positive. We’ve a test coming up at Donington next week and we’ll look to the next round at Cremona,” said TR Triumph Racing Factory Team Manager Simon Buckmaster.
Luke Power – World Supersport
Having missed Portimao, Luke Power was back for Assen. And while his shoulder injury was still giving him grief, getting P2 in the warm up and 17th in Race 2 were highlights. Able to log some vital laps and get back in the groove, plus engage in plenty of fights for supremacy on track, this was a valuable building round for him in his search to get back to firing on all cylinders.
“Overall, it wasn’t a bad weekend after missing Portimão,” commented Power. “I started a little bit behind, but we worked through the plan on Friday and were able to qualify. I made a good start in Saturday’s first race and was aggressive, which was my focus before going into the race. I struggled a bit with pace and strength in the shoulder towards the end of the race, but it wasn’t the worst result we could have had. Finishing P2 in the warm on Sunday was really cool, and I felt I had plenty in reserve if it had continued to rain. It dried out for race two, and I made a big step with my riding to finish P17. I know on paper it doesn’t look that good, but we’re close to the points, and we showed some good speed, especially at the end of the race, which is encouraging for the rest of the year. Thanks to the team for their hard work and for sticking by me. I am already looking forward to Cremona.”
Jason O’Halloran – EWC
The Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team of Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika and Australian legend Jason O’Halloran impressively reigned supreme at the first round of 2025 FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) at Le Mans. The 48th edition of the legendary 24 Heures Motos definitely lived up to the hype, and O’Halloran played a key role in the memorable victory. Making a dream start to this new beginning, it was little wonder the O’Show cut a delighted figure when speaking after this pulsating triumph.
“My first race with YART and my first 24-hour race…so to win here at Le Mans is incredible! The whole team has done an amazing job throughout the week. Due to the conditions, it is certainly the trickiest race I have ever been involved in. We had to think on our feet on the bike all race, deciding whether you needed to pit to swap tyres or what strategy we needed to adapt. It was a long race, but my teammates were incredible. I actually enjoyed riding during the night because you can get your head down and work away at it, but when the sun comes up, you realise there is still a long way to go. The final ten minutes were probably the longest ten minutes of my life, but we did it. The whole team should be so proud, and I want to thank each and every one of them; they worked so hard, and we deserved the victory,” he explained.
Off-Track
Jake Cannon – EMX250
Trentino and Switzerland were next on the agenda for Jake Cannon, as he looked to make further strides in the demanding EMX250 class. While he’s adapted admirably to making the massive switch to Europe and already taken home some top results, the last couple of rounds have posed many challenges. Suffering some unfortunate crashes and bad luck, the Bud Racing Kawasaki speedster missed out on the points in Trentino.
Bouncing back outstandingly in Switzerland, a seventh in the first race was a fantastic result to breathe life back into his campaign. While a frustrating first-turn crash in the second moto ruined his hopes, Cannon notably recovered to bag 17th to get 12th overall.
Liam Owens – EMX250
Liam Owens’ up-and-down crusade continues in EMX250. But there have importantly been many signs of him making desired progress, which was illustrated by his pair of 15ths in Trentino even though he was caught up in an early crash and had goggle issues.
Relishing heading to Switzerland for his Cat Moto Bauerschmidt Husqvarna’s home GP, Owens eye-catchingly banked P2 in time practice and was running in fourth in the opening race before a bike problem scuppered his chances and meant he had to retire. Undeterred by this misfortune, the talented youngster posted a superb seventh in the second moto to clinch 13th overall.
