Marc VDS Racing’s Esteve Tito Rabat2014 Phillip Island Moto2 PreviewAfter having a sustained close battle with Marc VDS Racing Team teammate Mika Kallio, the Spaniard Esteve Rabat has now opened up a 38-point advantage over the Finn. And with only three rounds remaining in the Moto2 World Championship series, Kallio has his work cut out for him in trying to catch Rabat.
If Rabat tops the podium at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, and Kallio does no better than fourth, Rabat will have clinched the 2014 title.With his current lead, it would appear that the title is Rabat’s to lose, but a lot of things can happen in three races.Moto2 Rookie of the Year Maverick Viñales (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) – who finished second behind Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Sitag) at Motegi Moto2 last week — is third in the standings, and is theoretically still in the hunt along with Kallio.But with a 70-point gap to overcome, his chances are slim. That said, he did manage a second-place finish at Phillip Island last year in Moto3 competition, so the course is one he has done well on.Dominique Aegerter (Technomag carXpert) stands in fourth place with 143 points, only two points ahead of Luthi, who now holds fifth place.Luthi ran to a second place finish in Moto2 competition last year at Phillip Island, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for him to have a podium finish there again. Johann Zarco (AirAsia Caterham) is in sixth place overall with 117 points.
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!
