Marc VDS Racing’s Scott Redding2013 San Marino Grand Prix Moto2Ahead of Misano Moto2, the big news is that the man who took the debut Moto2 title in 2010, Toni Elias, has departed the Blusens Avintia team.
The Spaniard is in negotiations regarding a move to the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, while he is replaced in the intermediate class by Argentina’s Ezequiel Iturrioz.Fresh from winning his home race, Marc VDS Racing Team’s Scott Redding will head into this weekend’s GP Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in Misano as favourite, with Tuenti HP 40 title rival Pol Espargaro needing a good race to reduce the Brit’s lead.Redding was on superb form in Silverstone, and will prove tough to beat in Misano, however with the likes of Interwetten Paddock Moto2 Racing’s Tom Luthi and Italtrans Racing Team’s Takaaki Nakagami on form at the moment, there are many contenders for the win. Espargaro had a weekend to forget in the UK, though in Misano will still remain one of the favourites for the podium, as will his teammate Esteve Rabat, who usually looks strong towards the end of the race.The NGM Mobile Forward Racing team could be one to watch with local rider Alex de Angelis, as well as two other strong Italians in the form of Simone Corsi and Mattia Pasini. Idemitsu Honda Team Asia has replaced Yuki Takahashi permanently with Malaysian Azlan Shah, whilst Australian Jason O’Halloran steps in once again for the inured Mike di Meglio in the JiR Moto2 team.Gino Rea is the only wildcard this weekend with his Gino Rea Montaze Broz Racing team. Blusens Avintia’s Dani Rivas will not contest the race due to injury and will be covered for by Spanish compatriot Alex Mariñelarena. At Federal Oil Gresini Moto2, Italy’s Franco Morbidelli stands in for Doni Tata Pradita for this event.Argiñano & Gines Racing’s Steven Odendaal is set to appear in Misano, despite suffering a broken right ankle in Moto2 Warm-Up at Silverstone, but will have to pass a medical test before being allowed out on-track.
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This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
