Here are the highlights of the Moto 2 race from Philip Island in Victoria, Australia.
Marc Marquez could become champion after this race. 25 laps are scheduled. If Marquez scores two points, or, if Pol Espargaro doesn't win, he'll be champion. Pol Espargaro has pole position. Scott Redding is second. Alex de Angelis will not start. He is having an operation on his hand after a crash in practice and will have to wait to compete in the season finale in Spain.
At the start, all the front row gets away cleanly and Marc Marquez takes the lead into Doohan corner and the Southern Loop. Toni Elias and Taki Nakagami are going for it. Taki Nakagami takes the lead. Tom Luthi, Pol Espargaro, Scott Redding, and Johann Zarco round out the top six. Scott Redding has Mika Kallio all over him and Dominik Aegerter nearly took him out! Wow! Marc Marquez leads. He wants the title, now, before going to MotoGP next year. Scott Redding passes Johann Zarco. Anthony West is ninth and coming quick. Pol Espargaro follows Nakagami over Lukey Heights, into MG corner. Marquez twitches the bike, allowing Pol Espargaro to get the lead.
Redding is now third. Dominik Aegerter and Tito Rabat are in a battle. Tom Luthi has sunk from third to ninth. Anthony West tries Tito Rabat, but can't get by. Pol Espargaro runs a 1:34 flat. He's quickest on track, in the lead. He has to win to stay in contention. Dominik Aegerter is all the way up to fourth after starting twelfth. Into Doohan corner, Espargaro stays straight and true through the corner, on the same line, trying to mess with Marquez a little bit. If Scott Redding wants to win, he must get by Marquez and chase down Pol Espargaro.
Espargaro is running laps in the 1:43 bracket. Redding continues to close on Marc Marquez. Redding tries to get by Espargaro. Andrea Ianonne has mechanical problems. He runs off at Honda hairpin with a blown motor. Redding has passed Marc Marquez with 20 laps to go. Anthony West is fourth. It seems all these bikes are evenly matched. Espargaro runs a 1:33.745 which is a second faster than the rest of the field, and near his pole time. Pol Espargaro sets fast lap in the 1:33.7 bracket, just as he has consistently done so far. Anthony West fends off Dominik Aegerter, Tito Rabat, Simone Corsi, and others. Espargaro has to manage his gap. He's growing a lead, like Casey Stoner did in the MotoGP race.
Seventeen laps left to run. Anthony West is still competitive in fourth after finishing second in Malaysia last weekend. Marquez runs third and will be world champ if he stays there. Tom Luthi languishes in tenth position at the moment. Bradley Smith crashed in qualifying and has had a bad time this weekend. Toni Elias and Julian Simon battle each other. These two have been rivals before, back in the old 125cc class. Fifteen laps left as Pol Espargaro works his way through Lukey Heights again. Scott Redding really likes this track. He's doing well running at the sharp end of the order.
The race is nearing halfway. West trails Marquez with Dominik Aegerter running a strong fifth. West is 2/10ths behind Marquez. Randy Krummenacher passes Tom Luthi and Mika Kallio is also coming quickly. Pol Espargaro is still keeping up a good pace as Anthony West is going quickly, too. Marquez is third, behind Redding. Anthony West wants a podium in this race. Ten laps left to run. Tom Luthi is out of this race. He's crashed out. He will get back into the race but has no chance of winning.
Bradley Smith and Toni Elias both move up. Gino Rea is languishing in 23rd spot. He is not having the same kind of race he did in the monsoon conditions in Malaysia last weekend. Marquez is still chasing Scott Redding. Pol Espargaro has virtually disappeared and is ahead by a country mile. Marquez is getting really close to Scott Redding and this gives a further advantage to Anthony West. Tom Luthi packs it in. He's a retirement from this race. Pol Espargaro flies down Gardner straight. Tito Rabat, Claudio Corti, Taki Nakagami, and Randy Krummenacher have had good racers today.
There's a whole pack that just can't quite catch the top three. Eric Granado is passed by the leaders. He's a backmarker, down the order. Catching Marquez is one thing for Redding, passing is another, going through Hay Shed corner. Only four laps remain. West is just behind Marquez. Anthony West is really getting close behind Marquez and Redding now. Redding knows he's there down the Gardner straight into Doohan corner. Anthony West is on the podium. The crowd is cheering their hero. Just two laps to go. Marquez will win the Moto 2 title.
Anthony West made his debut in Grand Prix motorcycle racing at Philip Island in 1998. Mika Kallio ditches his bike just before the race ends. One lap remains as Pol Espargaro is on his way to a race win, while Marc Marquez is on his way to a championship. Marquez wants to pass West to get on the podium. That might not sit well with the fans. He's going to clinch the title nonetheless. He's sitting there. Anthony West has made it to second! He almost slides the bike. Can Redding pass at Hay Shed? No. Through Lukey Heights. Pol Espargaro wins it in dominating style!
Marc Marquez gets nipped by West right at the end. But, that doesn't matter. He's third, and is 2012 Moto 2 World Champion!
#40 Pol Espargaro ESP Kalex Granollers
Champion:
#93 Marc Marquez ESP Suter Cervera
Marquez is champion! He's ready to make his move to MotoGP in 2013. There is one race remaining for Moto 2 in Valencia, Spain, coming up in two weeks.
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