Moto2 Motegi: Victory and title for Pol Espargarò, Redding falls and gives up

Pol Espargarò won the Japanese Grand Prix in the Moto2 class, which also gave him the world championship in the medium category. The twenty-two year old from Team Pons and brother of Aleix (ART Aprilia MotoGP rider) first took the lead in the world championship rankings in the last two races and today he "grabbed" that title which he lost last year to his compatriot Marc Marquez.

A deserved title, but which also comes thanks to the double crash of Scott Redding, who until Sepang was leading the world championship. The Briton crashed during the Phillip Island tests where he suffered a broken wrist, thus missing the Australian GP. Today he was the unfortunate protagonist of a fall which also involved Esteve Rabat, Dominque Aegerter and Alex Marinalarena. The race was stopped by the red flag but neither Rabat nor Redding were at the second start.

On the podium were the poleman Mika Kallio and the Swiss Thomas Luthi. The best of our team was Alex de Angelis seventh, while Mattia Pasini finished tenth. Simone Corsi, however, fell without consequences.

Race report

The Moto2 class riders are ready to compete in the Japanese Grand Prix, the penultimate stage of the 2013 world championship, which will take place at the Twin Ring in Motegi. In pole position we find the Finn Mika Kallio (first pole for him in the medium category), riding the Kalex of the Marc VDS Racing Team. With him in the front row another Kalex, that of the Belgian Xavier Simeon and the Suter of the came Iodaracing Team of the French Johann Zarco.

Excellent fourth time for Simone Corsi. The Roman from Team Forward will therefore open the second row, where there are also Rafid Topan Sucipto and Esteve Rabat. Seventh time and first place on the third row for championship leader Pol Espargarò. The Team Pons driver preceded the Swiss Dominique Aegerter and the British Danny Kent.

Tenth time and fourth row for Mattia Pasini, riding the second Speed ​​Up of Team Forward NGM Mobile. The #54 is followed by Alex Marinalarena and the 2012 Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese. Fifteenth time for the returning Scott Redding, former world championship leader and now 16 points behind Espargarò.

Further back is Alex de Angelis from San Marino, twenty-second and ahead of the Japanese Takaaki Nakagami and the Spaniard Axel Pons. Everything is ready for the race, 23 laps to go for 110.423 km. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is Mika Kallio, who started ahead of the Belgian Xavier Simeon and Pol Espargarò. Bad fall in the middle of the group. Redding, Rabat, Marinelarena and Aegerter involved. Red flag! Everyone is transported to the medical center. We will keep you updated, but there shouldn't be any particular problems. Meanwhile, the new start is scheduled for 12 local time and will consist of 50 laps.

New starting line-up, the only one of the "fallen" who will start is Aegerter, therefore the injured Esteve Rabat and Scott Redding will not start, world championship therefore down for Pol Espargarò. Everything is ready, the traffic lights go out again, Kallio gets off to a good start, followed by Zarco, Espargarò (author of an excellent start), Simeon, Corsi and Pasini.

Espargarò immediately attacks, passing first Zarco and then Kallio, taking the lead. The first lap ends with the world championship leader ahead of Kallio, Corsi, Zarco, Luthi, Pasini and Simeon. Alex de Angelis is eleventh.

Unfortunately, Simone Corsi crashes, a shame for the Roman driver of Team NGM Mobile Forward Racing, who had had a good start to the race. Espargarò is looking to get ahead in a race that will most likely give him the Moto2 world title. In fact, Kallio is unable to keep the pace while behind him there is a great fight between Zarco and Simeon, who are fighting for fourth place. Third is Thomas Luthi. Alex de Angelis and Mattia Pasini are in seventh and eighth position.

Having reached the halfway point of the race we find Espargarò firmly in the lead ahead of Kallio and Luthi. The title he came close to last year is now one step away for the twenty-two year old Spanish rider, who will be riding the Yamaha MotoGP next year. Meanwhile, Johann Zarco, who had a technical problem with the Suter of the Came Iodaracing Team, withdraws.

The race goes on without major "shocks", the last lap begins, "Polyccio" Espargarò wins the race and the title, the first in his career after the one he came close to last year, when he surrendered to his compatriot Marc Marquez. A title all in all deserved, but which would have been more difficult to achieve without the crashes in the last two races of Scott Redding, also in MotoGP next year (he will be riding a Team Gresini Honda RCV1000R Production Racer). Also on the podium were Mika Kallio and Thomas Luthi.