Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix Race Attracts Record Low Crowds

The smallest crowd in Australian MotoGP's recent history at Phillip Island "turned out to witness Jorge Lorenzo win one of the most dramatic Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix ever," according to Roje Adaimy of the AAP. A "lowly 31,500 people walked through the gates on Sunday, the lowest race-day attendance since the seaside Victorian circuit began regularly hosting the event" in '97. It was well below last year's 53,100-strong crowd "that watched Australia's Casey Stoner claim his sixth consecutive victory at the track before retiring." Organizers said that "they expected smaller crowds this year given Stoner's absence." A total of 77,200 people attended over the three days; "only in 2001 was it lower when 75,870 went" (AAP, 10/21).