Britain’s Scott Redding has won the last pair of Moto2™ races and
carries a healthy championship lead into Round 6 at Barcelona. Behind
him, a pack of charging Spaniards – as well as Finland’s Mika Kallio –
are now hot on the heels of the Marc VDS Racing Team rider ahead of what
is, for many of them, a true home race.
Curiously, although Redding may hold the smallest amount of points of
any of the current leaders across the three categories of the World
Championship (with 101 to Dani Pedrosa’s 103 in MotoGP™ or Maverick
Viñales 106 in Moto3™), he convincingly holds the greatest advantage
thanks to a 43-point cushion. With ‘only’ 25 on offer for a race win,
this demonstrates the pressure on the shoulders of rivals.
Redding’s strong lead has come about as a combination of his steadiness coupled with the inconsistency of his closest opponents. Whereas he has achieved two wins, two second places and one fifth, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol and Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio have enjoyed only two rostrums apiece, whereas Tuenti HP 40 pairing Esteve Rabat and Pol Espargaro have both won races but also been outside the top ten on two occasions each. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, who is sixth in the standings and the final rider to have notched up half a century of points, is yet to finish inside the top three but has collected a trio of fourth place finishes.
A key part of the upcoming weekend has in fact already happened, as Moto2™ enjoyed a single day of post-race testing after the last Grand Prix at Mugello. This was especially key for the likes of pre-season title favourite Espargaro, who after the last race openly admitted that he and his squad were in need of bike improvements in order to get back on par with Redding. Qualifying will bring the first real answers.
Two wildcard entrants are set to join the action this weekend, as Petronas Raceline Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin and TSR Motorsport’s Dani Rivas take to the track. The sun is expected to shine, although Barcelona weather has been changeable of late…
Redding’s strong lead has come about as a combination of his steadiness coupled with the inconsistency of his closest opponents. Whereas he has achieved two wins, two second places and one fifth, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto2’s Nico Terol and Redding’s teammate Mika Kallio have enjoyed only two rostrums apiece, whereas Tuenti HP 40 pairing Esteve Rabat and Pol Espargaro have both won races but also been outside the top ten on two occasions each. Technomag carXpert’s Dominique Aegerter, who is sixth in the standings and the final rider to have notched up half a century of points, is yet to finish inside the top three but has collected a trio of fourth place finishes.
A key part of the upcoming weekend has in fact already happened, as Moto2™ enjoyed a single day of post-race testing after the last Grand Prix at Mugello. This was especially key for the likes of pre-season title favourite Espargaro, who after the last race openly admitted that he and his squad were in need of bike improvements in order to get back on par with Redding. Qualifying will bring the first real answers.
Two wildcard entrants are set to join the action this weekend, as Petronas Raceline Malaysia’s Hafizh Syahrin and TSR Motorsport’s Dani Rivas take to the track. The sun is expected to shine, although Barcelona weather has been changeable of late…
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