Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez returns home a champion to contest the final Moto2™ race of the season at the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valencia, where he and rival, Tuenti Movil HP 40’s Pol Espargaró, will be racing “for fun” with both Spaniards having locked out the top two places in the championship.
Whilst the promise of another Márquez vs. Espargaró battle will have crowds and fans salivating already, there will be another tussle that could prove to be quite the contest. Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone now only holds an 11-point lead in third place in the table over Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi. Both suffered misfortunes at the last race in Phillip Island, with Iannone’s engine giving up and Lüthi suffering a crash due to issues with the rear tyre. And while such a points deficit could prove difficult to overturn, with the unpredictable nature of Moto2, as well as Iannone’s seemingly off-colour form of late, Lüthi will no doubt be giving his all to finish third.
Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding has an outside chance of making it into fourth, yet is already guaranteed at least fifth, with his nearest challenger and teammate Mika Kallio too far off. Kallio, who was taken out of the last race, will hope for some better fortune this time around, as he still faces a challenge from Tech 3 Racing’s Bradley Smith, and Espargaró’s teammate Esteve Rabat. JiR Moto2’s Johann Zarco will be one to watch as he achieved the Moto2 Rookie of the Year honour in Phillip Island, yet has not managed to score a podium this season. He will be hoping to put in his best performance yet and make it onto the rostrum before the season is out.
Not lining up in Valencia will be QMMF Racing’s Anthony West, who has been banned by the FIM for one month, after failing an anti-doping test in Le Mans earlier this year for Methylhexaneamine. He will be substituted by Indonesian rider Topan Sucipto. There will also be a wild-card lining up in the shape of TSR Galicia School’s Dani Rivas.
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