Bad weather forces cancellation of Australian MotoGP sprint

The Australian MotoGP sprint race at Phillip Island has been cancelled due to "weather conditions and forecast", organisers announced on Sunday.

The sprint was originally to be held on Saturday but was switched with the full-distance event after extreme wind and rain was forecast for Sunday, the first time a race had been moved since the Dutch Grand Prix in 2015.

Pramac Racing's Johann Zarco won Saturday's Australian Grand Prix for his first MotoGP race victory in nearly seven years in the premier class.

The cancellation leaves intact Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia's 27-point lead in the Championship race Jorge Martin, ahead of the Thailand GP on Oct. 29.