Sasaki battles for podium positions at Phillip Island, Van den Goorbergh finishes 22nd

Ayumu Sasaki crossed the finish line in tenth place in Sunday’s Moto2 race at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia. The Japanese rider was part of the leading group for most of the race and fought for a podium position until an issue with arm pump forced him to drop back to tenth. His teammate Zonta van den Goorbergh finished in 22^nd position.

Due to strong gusts of wind at Phillip Island the race started an hour later than originally scheduled, but the conditions eventually turned out to be quite favourable with a significantly warmer air temperature of around 21°C. Starting from seventh on the grid, Ayumu Sasaki got off to a good start and was able to stay with the leading group, maintaining a strong position throughout the early stages.

Up until the fifteenth lap, Sasaki was running inside the top five before suffering from arm pump — a common issue among motorcycle racers. The Japanese rider was forced to slightly reduce his pace, ultimately crossing the line in tenth position. With these six World Championship points, Sasaki now sits 21^st in the Moto2 standings.

Starting from 21^st on the grid, Zonta van den Goorbergh made a strong start and quickly moved up to 16^th position. The Dutchman was within reach of World Championship points but slipped back to 22^nd place in the final stages of the race.

Ayumu Sasaki (P10 / +11,351):
“It was a great race today. I was able to fight with the front guys until the final seven laps. It was a great experience and I felt good on the bike, so a big thanks to the team. In the final part of the race my arm gave up, I had a problem with arm pump so I needed to slow down a bit. It was a shame because otherwise, we probably could have fought for a podium position. In the end I’m happy with the progress we are making. We are moving in the right direction and hopefully we can continue in this way in the next races. This winter we definitely need to fix the problem I have with my arm, so we are fully ready for next season.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh (P22 / +26,217):
“We have to take the positives from the start of the race — there’s not much more we can do. There are still three races to go and three more chances to get the best possible result, and I’ll give it my all. In just a few days we’ll be back on track in Malaysia for the last overseas Grand Prix, so that’s what we’ll start preparing for now.”

The entire MotoGP paddock now heads straight to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where the twentieth Grand Prix of the 2025 season will take place next weekend from October 24^th to 26^th.