MotoGP Australian GP: Sprint race cancelled due to poor weather

Series promoter Dorna took the decision at around 12.30pm local time on Sunday, half an hour before the 13-lap race was due to begin.

It followed a chaotic Moto2 race which was red-flagged after just nine of 23 laps completed in the wet and windy conditions, which had been forecast from the beginning of the weekend.

Organisers took the decision on Friday to move the main race of the weekend to Saturday, and this race duly took place without incident, with Johann Zarco emerging as a first-time premier class winner.

MotoGP warm-up was held safely on Sunday morning at 9am, with Maverick Vinales setting the pace on his Aprilia, while the Moto3 race was also run in its entirety, albeit in heavy rain.

However, the wind increased in speed and changed direction ahead of the Moto2 race, making for a treacherous contest that resulted in 10 of the 30 riders crashing out before the race was called off and half points awarded.

A meeting was then held between Dorna and team representatives to decide the fate of the sprint race, and with the weather showing few signs of improvement, it was decided to abandon the contest.

Pramac Ducati rider Zarco took the victory in Saturday's 27-lap main event ahead of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, as Jorge Martin suffered a dramatic first-to-fifth slump on the final lap.

It means Bagnaia will head to next weekend's Thai Grand Prix at Buriram with a 27-point advantage over Martin, with four weekends left to decide the destiny of the championship.