Great Ocean Road: riding to the Island with Miller and Quartararo
Off to a flying start, the home hero and the rookie who hopes to beat him saddle up Down Under
Phillip Island (Australia), 23 Oct 2019: There are some roads that beg to be ridden, and the Great Ocean Road is one of them. Nearly 250km long and stretching along the coastline of the state of Victoria, every view is a ripper and for that kind of place, you really need to consider heading out on two wheels.
Luckily for Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT), they’re in the business of riding and Ducati and Yamaha are very much in the business of bikes. And so, it was time to saddle up for a trip to the Island, with a little helicopter action thrown in for good measure.
With two stretches of the Great Ocean Road temporarily closed for the event, Miller and Quartararo had the run of the scenery around seaside town Lorne, and the two opened the throttle to blast alongside the ocean for a few kilometers, as well as making a stop off for an awesome ride down Lorne Pier. With blue skies above and the open road ahead, there’s hardly a better way to arrive in the spectacular Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. In reality, however, the adventure didn’t quite begin and end there…
On Tuesday afternoon fresh from touchdown in the country, the two riders were whisked off for a pretty special experience – a helicopter tour of the 12 Apostles, flying down from Melbourne before touchdown on the Great Ocean Road. The 12 Apostles, further south along the route they’d ride the day after, is a Victoria classic – and from the air, even more spectacular.
And just as the riding was far from a quick stop-go for the cameras, the helicopter action didn’t stop there, either. As well as the aircraft getting some stunning shots of the ride, another helicopter was then waiting to take the two men fighting for top Independent Team rider to their ultimate destination – Phillip Island. By road, it’s a good few kms and hours. By air, it’s a short hop over the deep blue below with another set of awesome views thrown in – the ribbon of perfect tarmac hugging the coastline kilometer after kilometer.
After a little chance to catch their breath, it’s now time to change road bikes for media debriefs on Thursday and then, finally, unleash their MotoGP™ machines on Friday morning. And there, the ocean will still be alongside them and the scenery just as stunning – only this time the ‘road’ will be far from closed. The pitlane opens for the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at 9am on Friday 25th October, tune in then and stay for what’s sure to be one of the premier class races of the year on Sunday at 15:00 (GMT +11).
