2. Pol Espargaro (Moto2)
Although it isn’t wrapped up yet, this weekend will almost certainly go down as the Grand Prix that swung the Moto2 championship Pol Espargaro’s way. The accident on Saturday which broke Scott Redding’s wrist will be singled out as the turning point but no-one can deny that Espargaro deserved his victory in Australia, one that may well have given the championship lead even if Redding had started.
At the time of Redding’s accident, Pol already had provisional pole position and that would remain intact for the rest of the session. That was all in spite of Esteve Rabat’s efforts and after the second Pons rider had dominated free practice, beating him to pole position was some achievement from Espargaro.
The Dunlop tyre fiasco cut the race from 25 laps to 13 but that didn’t stop Pol dominating from start to finish. While Rabat cracked under the pressure and several others squabbled for the other podium places, Espargaro coolly led the way and if he does so again at Motegi in a week’s time, the Spaniard will ensure he graduates to MotoGP as a world champion. To his credit, Pol admitted himself that would rather not win the title this way but the 22 year old would be a worthy winner should he seal the deal on Sunday. On this form, it should be a formality.
(Photo Credit: MotoGP.com)
