Moto2 Phillip Island: Espargarò wins straight, Marquez is World Champion

Pol Espargarò won the Moto2 class Australian Grand Prix by a landslide, but the world championship on the day of the Team Pons rider's fourth victory goes to Marc Marquez, rider of the Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol. The next Honda Repsol MotoGP rider ran a careful race, attacking Scott Redding at the end to take the third step of the podium. This world championship for Marquez is more than deserved and does justice to last year's, which he lost due to a vision problem caused by a fall that was not attributable to him. Marquez then repeats the title won in 2010 in the 125cc class. The numbers speak for him: 25 victories (10 in 125cc, 15 in Moto2), 5 second places in Moto2, 8 third places (4 in the eighth-liter class and 4 in Moto2), 38 podiums (14 in 125cc and 24 in Moto2), 28 pole positions (of which half in Moto2) and 15 fastest laps, 9 in 125cc and 6 in Moto2.

Race report

The Moto2 class riders are ready to compete in the AirAsia Australian Grand Prix, the sixteenth round of the 2012 intermediate class motorcycle championship which will be held on the Phillip Island circuit. Pole position (the seventh of the year) for “Polyccio” Espargarò, driver of the Tuenti Movil HP 40 Team. In the front row with him the British Scott Redding on the Kalex of the Marc VDS Racing Team and his compatriot and world championship leader Marc Marquez, in riding the Suter of Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol. First of the Italian drivers is Andrea Iannone, eighth with the Speed ​​Up of Team Speed ​​Master, while the Roman from Ioda Racing (racing with an FTR) Simone Corsi is eleventh. Alessandro Andreozzi with the second Speed ​​Up of Team Speed ​​Master is in twenty-seventh position. However, Alex de Angelis, driver of the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team, will not start. The rider from San Marino, winner last Sunday in Sepang, suffered a tear in the annular tendon of his left hand in a fall at the end of qualifying and required surgery. Everything is ready, twenty-five laps to go, a pale sun emerges to illuminate the Australian circuit. The traffic lights go out, the fastest at the start is Marc Marquez, who however is overtaken at the end of the straight by the Japanese team member Italtrans Takaaki Nakagami. Followed by Pol Espargarò and Luthi. Redding, Zarco, Rabat, Iannone, Aegerter and Kallio.

The first lap ends, Nakagami leads the race ahead of Marquez, Pol Espargarò, Zarco, Redding. Luthi, Rabat, Aegerter, Iannone and West. Simone Corsi with the FTR of Ioda racing is 13th. Meanwhile, Marquez is going strong, taking the lead of the race. Polyccio Espargarò makes a comeback, who after overtaking Nakagami is now chasing world championship leader Marc Marquez. The Team Pons driver passes him on the straight and then sets two consecutive fastest laps 1'34"028 and 1'33"861.

The Team Tuenti Movil HP 40 rider begins his breakaway, his advantage increasing curve after curve. Unfortunately in the meantime there is a problem with Andrea Iannone's Speed ​​Up, the bike smoking and the race over for the Abruzzo rider from Team Speed ​​Master. Scott Redding is also strong, overtaking Marc Marquez on the Kalex of the Marc VDS Racing Team, moving into second position.

Said of the first three, in fourth position we find the home driver Anthony West, who with his Speed ​​Up of the QMMF Racing Team precedes the Swiss Dominique Aegerter, the Spaniard Esteve Rabat, the French Johann Zarco and the Roman of Ioda Racing Simone Corsi. Takaaki Nakagami and Mika Kallio close the temporary Top Ten.

At halfway through the race, Polyccio Espargarò's advantage over his pursuers is embarrassing, more than nine seconds. However, it must be said that Marquez will certainly be thinking about the world championship, he is currently the "virtual" champion of this Moto2. The Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol rider is still behind Scott Redding, second with the Kalex. Meanwhile, Thomas Luthi falls, getting back on his bike and continuing his race.

Meanwhile, Anthony West is riding very fast behind him and is now just one second behind Marquez. The Australian, author of a good race under the water of Sepang, will try to secure the podium in his home race. Final laps, at the moment Marquez is virtually the new world champion of the Moto2 class, in fact the 25 points of the victory are not enough for Pol Espargarò. Meanwhile, Simone Corsi's race was good, now fifth. However, the Roman from Ioda Racing will not be able to improve further, fourth is in fact far away.

West attacks Marquez taking third position. The Spaniard (next Honda Repsol MotoGP rider) doesn't want to take unnecessary risks when there's just over a lap to go until the end of the race. The last lap begins, West also attacks Scott Redding taking second place, while Pol Espargarò goes on to win his fourth race of the year, with West on the podium with him and Marquez, who gets on the podium after overtaking Redding, giving himself the world title 2012 Moto2. A season worth remembering for the Spaniard, who won 2012 races in 8.