If you only watch one race of the 2015 MotoGP season, make it the masterpiece that just concluded at Phillip Island in Australia. For those who've yet to watch the race, we won't spoil it, other than to say that the entire event, from start to finish, is must-watch motorsport action. For those who seriously don't care about awesome motorcycle racing between such talented riders as nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo – multiple-time world champions themselves – well, there was at least one incident that might make you sit up and take notice anyway.
While leading on the second lap of the race, Italian rider Andrea Iannone came over a crest that sets up a fast left-hander, only to spot a big, white seagull right in the middle of the track. Iannone adjusted his line, but the seagull took to the air... right back in the rider's path. The results were not pretty. Iannone ducked, but fortunately for him, the bird struck his Ducati's front fairing instead of his helmet or tire.
The bird wasn't so lucky. Nobody seems to know what happened to the bird after the motorcycle strike, but it wasn't on the track for the next lap, so logic suggests a track worker removed it. Considering the speed of the impact, the gull almost certainly didn't survive. Inannone, on the other hand, continued to have an epic race, battling at the front of the pack all the way to the finish line. Feel free to watch the clip above to see the bike-on-bird carnage unfold as it happened, and check out the slow-mo footage below for a more detailed look.
While leading on the second lap of the race, Italian rider Andrea Iannone came over a crest that sets up a fast left-hander, only to spot a big, white seagull right in the middle of the track. Iannone adjusted his line, but the seagull took to the air... right back in the rider's path. The results were not pretty. Iannone ducked, but fortunately for him, the bird struck his Ducati's front fairing instead of his helmet or tire.
The bird wasn't so lucky. Nobody seems to know what happened to the bird after the motorcycle strike, but it wasn't on the track for the next lap, so logic suggests a track worker removed it. Considering the speed of the impact, the gull almost certainly didn't survive. Inannone, on the other hand, continued to have an epic race, battling at the front of the pack all the way to the finish line. Feel free to watch the clip above to see the bike-on-bird carnage unfold as it happened, and check out the slow-mo footage below for a more detailed look.
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