Takuma Aoki's Motor Sports Life Vol.26 The Thai GP has begun! And the Australian GP moves from the traditional Phillip Island to Adelaide's city course?

Takuma Aoki is the second son of the three Aoki brothers, who made a name for themselves in domestic and international road racing in the 1990s. After winning the All-Japan championship, he moved up to the 500cc class of the World Grand Prix, and just before the start of the 1998 season, he suffered an accident during testing that left him unable to use his lower body. The 2026 season is about to begin, and we will talk about the future of MotoGP. Click here for the previous installment of "Takuma Aoki's Life in Motorsports"!

Acosta wins the first sprint race of his career - but did he really "win it all"?

The Thailand GP (February 27 - March 1) was held to kick off the 2026 MotoGP season. The stage was the well-known Buriram Chang International Circuit. The sprint race was expected to revolve around Marco Beczecki (APRILIA), who set the course record and started from pole position, but he crashed and retired early in turn 8 on the second lap. This changed the race to a one-on-one battle between Marc Marquez (Ducati) and KTM's Pedro Acosta. From the beginning of the race, Marquez was ahead and Acosta was chasing. The battle between the two riders became intense as they passed and overtook each other on the final corner. The decisive moment came with two laps to go. Marquez dove into the inside of Acosta on the final corner and pushed Acosta wide to regain the lead. This move was reviewed by the stewards and Marquez was penalized with a one-position demotion. The penalty notice lit up on Marquez's dashboard on the last lap, just as he was exiting turn 8. It was just as he was exiting turn 8. Despite the fact that Marquez was already in the lead going into the final corner, he surrendered the lead to Acosta, who finished the race in front of Marquez. Acosta went on to win the sprint for the first time in his career.

Left: M. Marquez Right: P. Acosta (photo by : motoGP)

However, Acosta's comments after the race were interesting. When I entered the straight, I thought, "What the hell is going on?" I thought, 'What's going on? Yes, Acosta himself did not expect the penalty. He added, "Even without the penalty, I think I would have been satisfied with today's race. Now, let me share with you a little bit of my personal view. Ducati team manager Davide Tarduzzi expressed his outrage at the ruling, saying, "There was no contact. Acosta himself, on the other hand, stated clearly that "there was contact. But what I find interesting is that no matter how many times I watch the footage of that moment, although Marquez dove to the inside, there was no clear indication that he hit Acosta. And it's not like Marquez himself was attacking to the point of going off the track. In other words, it was a very close overtake. So, the interpretation is that Acosta was penalized because he was surprised. ...... What I found a little surprising is that Acosta is actually more of a "strategist" than I thought. He was able to draw the steward's decision by making his reaction to Marquez, who has a lot of experience in racing, look big at that moment. It does not look that way. Of course, this is just speculation, and Acosta himself has even said that he would have done the same thing himself, so I don't know where his true intentions lie. But if he can afford to say that he would be satisfied without the penalty at such a young age, he is a very "big man".

Pablo Acosta won the fierce battle (Photo by : motoGP)

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Grand Prix of Japan--Betwecki wins out, Acosta tops the championship standings with joy

The following day, in the final race, Betzecchi made up for his disappointment of crashing out of Saturday's sprint race by going pole-to-win with a dominant performance from the beginning of the race. It was a great start for Aprilia. In second place was Acosta following the sprint. In third place was Raul Fernandez, who finished on the podium with Acosta. After the opening round of the season, Acosta leads the championship (32 points), the first time a KTM rider has topped the standings. After a dramatic win in the sprint, Acosta was consistent in the finals, finishing in second place. After last year's difficult season, I feel that Acosta has definitely improved in scale and is somewhat reminiscent of Marquez and Rossi, the champion, in his debut season. In the MotoGP class this year, Ducati's previously overwhelming advantage is shrinking. Aprilia has a package that can seriously compete, and KTM is steadily improving. Among the Ducatis, there is also a battle between Marquez and Bagnoia (this time in a hard-fought 9th place). With this in mind, the 2026 season is going to be more chaotic than ever, but that is why we can't take our eyes off of it.

The winner of this race goes to M. Bedzecki (photo by : motoGP)

Aprilia started the season with Aprilia at the top of the standings (Photo by : motoGP)

Shock! Phillip Island disappears - to the Adelaide city course

Now, just before the Thai GP, shocking news suddenly broke. The Phillip Island Circuit, which has been used for the Australian GP for many years, will end its contract after the 2026 season, and from 2027, the MotoGP will be held at the Adelaide urban track in the South Australian state of South Australia. The announcement was made jointly by South Australia's Premier Peter Malinauskas and MotoGP's Chief Sporting Director Carlos Esperator on Thursday, February 19. Phillip Island has hosted the Australian GP for almost 30 years since 1997, and its dynamic oceanfront layout has produced many legendary battles. As one of the most popular circuits among riders and fans alike, the announcement was met with some resistance. Australian former world champion Wayne Gardner angrily commented, "Jam it. Casey Stoner was also a strong critic. That's right. Phillip Island is a sacred place for Australian MotoGP fans. For a bit of history, it is said that the last world championship race to be held on an urban or public road course was the Finnish Grand Prix held in Imatra, Finland, in August 1982. In other words, Adelaide in 2027 will be a reality. If Adelaide in 2027 is realized, it will be the first time in 45 years that a world grand prix has been held on an urban track, which is so exceptional that the organizers of MotoGP have described it as "the first time in the world that MotoGP will be held on an urban track.

(The 2027 Australian Grand Prix will switch from Phillip Island to the Adelaide Street CircuitPhoto by : motoGP)

The Grade A barrier - will it really meet safety standards?

Why has MotoGP not been held on an urban track for so long?　It has a lot to do with circuit safety standards. To hold the current MotoGP, a Grade A certification by the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) is required. This can only be obtained by meeting very strict standards for the width of the runway, the size of the run-off area, the design of the barriers, and the medical system. City courses, by their very nature, are extremely difficult to meet this Grade A standard, as buildings and walls are located right next to the road. It has been announced that the Adelaide course will be designed based on the famous Adelaide Street Circuit, the famous urban circuit where F1 was held from 1985 to 1995, and will have a layout with a total length of 4,195 meters, 18 corners, and a top speed of over 340 km/h. And the organizers stress that "we will take all possible safety measures to achieve Grade A status. But ...... is it really safe?　There are even some harsh comments from motorsports people in Australia, "No matter how much you explain safety, the walls don't care (Walls don't care how good your safety briefing was). There is a big part of this that riders need to see and ride the course in person. The 2026 season, the "last Australian GP" at Phillip Island, will certainly be a historic race. And in 2027, when the MotoGP machines will really roar on the streets of Adelaide, we can't wait to see what happens.

An urban course that disappeared because of its danger has been revived. Safety measures will be the focus (photo by : motoGP)

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