The tension is high in the Honda-powered Moto2 class, with a variety of racing chassis using identical race-tuned CBR600 engines, supplied by the organisers to guarantee close and reliable racing.

Spanish star Pol Espargaro (Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex) has been closing on mid-term leader Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex), and second in Malaysia to the English rider’s seventh brought a margin that had been 47 points down to just nine.

Physically the biggest rider in the class, Redding suffered on the long straights at the Sepang circuit. The nature of the Australian circuit, with more fast corners, might redress the balance. But Espargaro’s hopes are also high. He claimed a classic Moto2 race win at the track last year.

At the same time, second Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex rider Esteve ‘Tito’ Rabat gained ground after claiming his third win of the season at a shortened Malaysian race, which was restarted after a multiple accident on the first lap. Podium finishes at the previous two rounds have pushed him closer to the title rivals, and he arrives in Australia on form and only 19 points adrift of his team-mate, and 28 behind Redding.

The battle for the next positions is also close, although a strong fourth place in Malaysia favoured Mika Kallio (Marc VDS Racing Team Kalex), now 18 points clear of Japan’s Takaaki Nakagami (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex), eighth in Sunday’s race. Switzerland’s Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert Suter) was fifth, and now just five points behind Nakagami.


Marc VDS Racing Team rider Scott Redding says:

“I did my best at Sepang, but with two straights back to back, no matter how hard I braked or cornered, I couldn’t make up the losses. Now we need to go to Australia and win. At this point in the championship, with just three races remaining, it has to be all or nothing. We’ve lost points at the last three races, so now is the time to put it on the line and win again.”

Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex rider Pol Espargaro says:

“Now I am only nine points behind Scott and we go to the lovely circuit of Phillip Island. At Catalunya back in June I was 47 points down, so it seemed impossible to recover. Even then I told myself: ‘We can do it’. We are not many points behind, so we will keep working in the same direction and keep trying hard. Hopefully the new setting we tried at Sepang which gave me more grip will also help in Australia.”

Tuenti HP40 Pons Kalex rider Esteve Rabat says:

“We plan to continue working in the direction that has given us some great results recently. As we did at the last races, we will concentrate on pushing every lap of practice and every lap of the race. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. To push every lap – that’s my plan.”

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