Wallaby encounters nearly spell disaster at Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix

Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Motorcyclists preparing for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on Phillip Island experienced two close calls when wallabies bounded across the track.

A wallaby hopped out onto the track in front of a group of bikes during a practice session Friday morning, but the animal successfully crossed the tracks without causing any incidents for the riders.

"Yep, we're definitely back in Phillip Island," the official MotoGP account tweeted along with a video of the animal.

Spanish biker Aleix Espargaro ended up having an even closer call later in the day when a wallaby jumped out in front of him while he was traveling about 135 mph on the track, and the marsupial and rider missed colliding by only a fraction of a second.

It was unclear whether both incidents involved the same wallaby.