3. Esteve Rabat (Moto2)
Argentina was another one of those weekends for Esteve Rabat. When he sticks his motorcycle on pole position and gets away at the start, there is simply no stopping him. The early stages of the weekend followed a similar pattern to Austin with Rabat anything but the favourite for pole position but a sensational late lap saw him upset Johann Zarco to maintain his 100% pole record in the new season.
Esteve made no mistake getting his Marc VDS Kalex off the line and as Zarco plummeted down the order, Rabat’s position continued to strengthen. The greatest challenge in the race was expected to come from Texas winner Maverick Vinales but when the teenager crashed on lap five, it was left to Xavier Simeon to take the fight to Rabat.
The Belgian rode the best race of his Moto2 career so far, keeping Rabat on his toes throughout, but whenever the Gresini Suter edged closer to him, Esteve responded and his fastest lap of the race on lap nineteen finally settled the race in his favour.
Three races in to the 2014 season and already it’s looking difficult to see anyone other than Rabat walking away with the championship, especially given the non-score from Vinales. It’s clear that Rabat is riding better than ever and if his rivals are waiting for his level to drop in order to let them back into contention, they may be waiting a while.
(Photo Credit: MotoGP.com)