Kalex motorcycles will account for virtually three quarters of the 2015 Moto2 grid after the entry list was published on Monday. The German manufacturer were the dominant force in the intermediate class last year, winning 14 out of 18 races, and with 23 of this season’s 31 entrants on board their machinery, another successful year lies in prospect.
Among those representing Kalex will be Esteve Rabat, who becomes the first rider in Moto2 history to defend his title, bringing the number one plate with him. His season-long rival from 2014, Mika Kallio, has departed the Marc VDS squad but will still threaten the frontrunners on-board an Italtrans Kalex, partnering the highly-rated Italian Franco Morbidelli.
Of last season’s top 15 championship finishers, only Maverick Vinales has left the series as he graduates to MotoGP, ensuring that Rabat and Kallio will face plenty of competition in the fight for the championship. Dominique Aegerter and Thomas Luthi will spearhead the Swiss challenge with Aegerter’s Technomag team merging with Luthi’s Interwetten outfit although ironically, Interwetten have abandoned the Swiss Suter chassis in favour of the popular Kalex.
Much of the intrigue in the intermediate class will centre on the rookies that are introduced to the series, none more so than reigning Moto3 champion Alex Marquez. The Spaniard has certainly thrown himself in at the deep end, joining Rabat at Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, while long-time rival Alex Rins will also be under scrutiny as he fills the void left by Vinales at Paginas Amarillas HP 40. Florian Alt is another new name to Moto2 and the German carries the hopes of Suter as one of just two remaining customers.
Sam Lowes knows all about the pressures of debuting in Moto2 but with a year’s experience behind him, the Briton will hope to challenge for podiums in 2015, while Gino Rea returns with the aim of regular points finishes having joined the Kalex ranks.
2015 Moto2 Entry List
1 | Esteve Rabat | Kalex | Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS |
2 | Jesko Raffin | Kalex | EMWE SAG Team |
3 | Simone Corsi | Kalex | Forward Racing |
4 | Randy Krummenacher | Kalex | JIR Moto2 |
5 | Johann Zarco | Kalex | Ajo Motorsport |
7 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | Kalex | Forward Racing |
8 | Gino Rea | Kalex | AGT Rea Racing |
10 | Thitipong Warokorn | Kalex | APH PTT The Pizza SAG |
11 | Sandro Cortese | Kalex | Dynavolt Intact GP |
12 | Thomas Luthi | Kalex | Derendinger Racing Interwetten |
19 | Xavier Simeon | Kalex | Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 |
21 | Franco Morbidelli | Kalex | Italtrans Racing Team |
22 | Sam Lowes | Speed Up | Speed Up Racing |
23 | Marcel Schrotter | Tech 3 | Tech 3 |
25 | Azlan Shah | Kalex | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia |
30 | Takaaki Nakagami | Kalex | IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia |
36 | Mika Kallio | Kalex | Italtrans Racing Team |
39 | Luis Salom | Kalex | Paginas Amarillas HP 40 |
40 | Alex Rins | Kalex | Paginas Amarillas HP 40 |
49 | Axel Pons | Kalex | AGR Team |
51 | Zaqhwan Zaidi | Suter | JPmoto Malaysia |
55 | Hafizh Syahrin | Kalex | Petronas Raceline Malaysia |
60 | Julian Simon | Speed Up | QMMF Racing Team |
66 | Florian Alt | Suter | Octo IodaRacing Team |
70 | Robin Mulhauser | Kalex | Technomag Racing Interwetten |
73 | Alex Marquez | Kalex | Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS |
77 | Dominique Aegerter | Kalex | Technomag Racing Interwetten |
88 | Ricard Cardus | Tech 3 | Tech 3 |
94 | Jonas Folger | Kalex | AGR Team |
95 | Anthony West | Speed Up | QMMF Racing Team |
96 | Louis Rossi | Tech 3 | Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2 |