7 things we learnt at the Oz GP

Now the mud's beginning to dry at Phillip Island, here are seven things the cracking event taught us…

1. Aussie fans saw what Honda saw in Jack Miller two years ago

For the first time since goodness knows when, Jack Miller got through an entire race weekend without crashing. Not only that, he rode brilliantly – possibly the best we've seen from the Australian all year aside from his superb ride in the wet to claim his maiden grand prix victory. He was fast all weekend, finishing the opening FP1 session in third, half a second behind eventual race winner Cal Crutchlow. The second practice session was abandoned due to bad weather but he was second quickest next time out in the all-important FP3, just 0.05 seconds behind Marc Marquez. FP4 saw another top-five finish before his special Q2 performance, which had him starting from the front row until he was pipped at the last minute by Spanish brothers Pol and Aleix Espargaro.

2. Even aliens make mistakes

For Aussie onlookers, it may have been the most entertaining action witnessed all weekend. It's what Spanish sensation Maverick Viñales would later call, "the shame in pit lane". In trying conditions, the Suzuki rider struggled in FP3 to set a lap quick enough to lift himself into Q2 contention. With both eyes on the superscreen at the entrance to pit lane, the 21-year-old became frustrated at his result and before he knew it, his front wheel had dropped off the tarmac onto the sloshy grass and he crashed, awkwardly and heavily. And the incident received more replays than anything else that same day. What's worse was the time it then took his mechanics to repair the damage, thwarting Viñales' chances of posting a top-10 time.

3. Cal Crutchlow can win in the dry

Okay, so Marc Marquez crashed out of a probably unassailable lead, but Cal Crutchlow kept his Turn 4 fears at bay and held off the physical and psychological threat of nine-time world champ Valentino Rossi to take his second-ever MotoGP victory. The British rider's win was also proof that the controversial rule changes are working. Sure, the 20-year-old satellite LCR Honda team gets more than its fair share of factory help, but while Miller's Assen victory represented the first independent team win in a decade, Cal Crutchlow's Phillip Island win was the first independent team win in dry conditions.

4. Valentino Rossi is a racer

Regardless of what you think of the bloke, Valentino Rossi can race a motorcycle better than most. His qualifying isn't amazing and his wet-weather choices are often dreadful, but when it comes to race day, regardless of how his weekend has panned out, nine times out of 10, he's on it. And Phillip Island was the perfect example. He struggled, as did everyone, with the conditions early in the weekend. He (or someone in his team) misjudged how many laps he posted on a tyre and that ultimately lead to a string of events which had the 37-year-old Italian starting from his worst qualifying position since 2011. But something happens to Rossi on that start line and at Phillip Island he went from 15th to second place in 10 short laps, and it was beautiful to watch.

5. Marquez might want to use his head more

And that's bad news for MotoGP fans. All year he's fought his oh-so-natural and talented urge to ride on the ragged edge, to win at all cost and to hell with the title – he's a racer. Aussie fans were in for treat, because with the title wrapped up a week earlier in Japan, Marquez could put that mature title-winning strategy behind him and get out there and do what he does best, and find that very edge. And he did, spectacularly, for a while. With the shenanigans of last year's race fresh in his memory and in a bid to stamp his title-winning authority before the naysayers, he would have wanted to prove a point. In nine laps he'd raced nearly three seconds clear of the field, but his tomfoolery backfired and, for the second time in three years, he crashed out of the lead of the Australian Grand Prix. Fingers crossed it wasn't a nail in the coffin of his ragged-edge sideways ways.

6. Mike Jones is a hero

Two weeks ago, the 22-year-old Queenslander was an Aussie superbike rider who had not long relinquished his 2015 title to Troy Herfoss. Today, Mike Jones is a name being spoken all around the world after two hugely impressive and consistent MotoGP appearances on board Hector Barbera's Avintia Ducati. With the Spanish rider drafted into the factory Ducati seat because of a still-recovering Andrea Iannone, it was Mike Jones – and his connections to Ducati's star man Troy Bayliss – who got the phone call he'd always dreamt of. Despite never seeing the Motegi Circuit before he arrived not long before pit lane opened for the first practice session. And despite never having experienced MotoGP-spec Michelin tyres, or carbon brakes, or GP electronics. And despite having to work with a Spanish-speaking team. Despite all this, Mike Jones gradually improved his times during the weekend to qualify for a race he finished. With Iannone still out of action come Australia, Jones was back. And it was the same story: he got better and better as the weekend wore on and when the rest of the MotoGP field had their garage doors shut against the atrocious weather, Jones was circulating and gaining experience and data and confidence. He crossed the line in 15th place in Sunday's race and picked up his first MotoGP world championship point. And because he is possibly the first-ever MotoGP rookie to escape two race weekends without a single crash, something tells us it won't be his last.

7. Mother Nature is boss

Ah, Phillip Island. For so many years Mother Nature has thrown her worst at the practice and qualifying sessions only to allow the world's best race under bright, albeit often cool, sparkling sunshine. And in hindsight, it's beaut. Rain interrupted practice sessions, limiting the chance to get a feel for certain tyres and set-ups – the same certain tyres and set-ups the riders are forced to use during the inevitably sunny race. It throws curve balls into qualifying, as we saw at Phillip Island this year, and it's why come race day we're so often in for a treat. Without the weather we wouldn't have seen Jack Miller start his home grand prix from his career-best fifth place. We wouldn't have witnessed the flash of brilliance from Rossi which saw him carve up the field as only a nine-time world champ can. Mother Nature, you're always welcome to play your wildcard at the Australian Grand Prix.

7 things we learnt at the Oz GP

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