Explained: The “60 minute” rule that forced MotoGP to abandon final Phillip Island race

MotoGP was forced to abandon its final race at Phillip Island because of a 60-minute safety rule.

The race was first delayed by several hours, while Warm Up and the Moto2 and Moto3 races were cancelled. Eventually, the organisers conceded it would be impossible to run the race and cancelled it, but sent the riders out for a parade lap as a kind of ‘goodbye’ to Phillip Island, which will be replaced by the parkland circuit in Adelaide next year.

The circuit at times, judging solely from TV broadcast pictures, looked to be approaching a raceable condition – during the parade lap, for example, the conditions did not look too extreme to try to ride in. 

But the problem was with the medical helicopter, which requires a certain level of visibility in order to be able to fly, and for that visibility to hold for an hour at both the location of the circuit and that of the nearest hospital.

“So, essentially, there’s a limitation on the medical helicopter to fly,” MotoGP race director Graham Webb explained to MotoGP.com before the cancellation was confirmed.

“There’s bad weather in Melbourne and here [Phillip Island]. 

“There’s actually two places that we need to be able to say ‘go’, basically. So, that helicopter needs a window of around 60 minutes in both places – Phillip Island and Melbourne – in order for us to start the race. 

“Just based on safety, we need to make sure that, if we do have any issues, we’re covered, we can get a rider quickly to hospital.”

Webb added that at other tracks it’s possible to use a road ambulance to get a rider to hospital, but at Phillip Island that’s not feasible because of the travel time.

“Generally, some circuits we can use the roads, with an ambulance,” he said. “But unfortunately, because the distance to the hospital is over 45 minutes, essentially we have to rely on that helicopter, and therefore we’re really held by the weather. 

“It’s a bit of a shame, it’s unusual. 

“Most circuits, we can reach a circuit within 45 minutes, which is our regulation, but here in Phillip Island the hospital is further than 45 minutes by road and therefore we rely on the air ambulance.”