Aussies in the points in Portugal

A little bit of history was made last weekend in Portimao with Aussies in the points across all three classes of competition, Jack Miller in MotoGP, Remy Gardner in Moto2 and Joel Kelso bagging a couple of points when called up at the last minute to replace a rider that had returned a positivie Covid test.

Until Remy Gardner joined the Moto2 class in 2016, Australian representation in Moto2 had been largely somewhat sporadic, and the same goes for Moto3.  With Remy Gardner’s looming promotion to MotoGP it is likely that Moto2 will not have any Aussie riders in the category for season 2022.

Darwin based teenager Joel Kelso joins the full-time ranks of Moto3 next year, but in previous seasons there has been the odd Aussie wildcard as a once or twice off, but in some years not even that. We have to go back to 2015 for the last time we had a full-time Aussie in the Moto3 ranks, and that was Remy Gardner.

We have to go further back to 2014, at Indianapolis, for the most recent occasion where Aussies clinched points across all classes, before Portimao last weekend of course.

At that 2014 event Broc Parkes claimed a single point in MotoGP, Anthony West bagged seven-points for a ninth place finish in Moto2 and Jack Miller scored a podium in Moto3.  

That trio actually managed it twice that year. The 2014 season opener at Qatar witnessed Broc Parkes card a point for 15th, Anthony West was ninth in Moto2 and Jack Miller won the Moto3 race.  There was also at least one instance a couple of years earlier than those 2014 instances, but West was later removed from the official records that season thus, as far as the official race results sheets go as they stand today, we have to go back much further again… 

The next most recent instance we have found was way back at Catalunya in 2004 with Andrew Pitt scoring a couple of points in MotoGP, Anthony West ninth in 250 and Casey Stoner fourth in 125.

Earlier that season (2004) at Mugello there were also three Aussies in the points, Stoner second in 125, Anthony West tenth in 250 and Troy Bayliss fourth in MotoGP.

They also did it at Le Mans in 2004 with Casey eighth in 125, Westy sixth in 250 and TB eighth in MotoGP. 

In 2003 at the Rio de Janeiro motorcycle Grand Prix Troy Bayliss finished tenth in MotoGP, Anthony West eighth in 250 and Casey Stoner was second to Jorge Lorenzo in the 125 race.

Source: MCNews.com.au