Marc VDS Racing’s Esteve Rabat2014 Phillip Island Moto2 Qualifying Results Marc VDS Racing’s Esteve Rabat took the most optimal qualifying position ahead of the Australian Grand Prix – where he can clinch the Moto2 title – first.
This was after Rabat produced a record-breaking lap of 1:32.470 at Phillip Island to secure the pole. Joining Rabat on the front row in qualifying was AirAsia Caterham’s Johann Zarco (- 0.015 of a second) and Rabat’s rival, teammate Mika Kallio (-0.228).The top five were split by a margin of just 0.287 of a second, both Maverick Viñales (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) and Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Sitag) putting in strong lap times in fourth and fifth respectively. Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) completes row two.Sam Lowes (Speed Up), Jordi Torres (Mapfre Aspar Team) and Xavier Simeon (Federal Oil Gresini) will all line up on row three. Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3) completed a top ten with all the riders qualifying within half a second of pole.Lowes and Thitipong Warokorn (APH PTT The Pizza SAG) collided at Turn 4 as qualifying drew to a close. Both riders were unhurt.Rabat needs to increase his lead in the standings by at least 12 points to clinch the Moto2 title on Sunday and the following scenarios would make him a World Champion:– Rabat wins the race and Kallio does not finish on the podium – Rabat is second and Kallio finishes eighth or lower – Rabat is third and Kallio finishes 12th or lower – If Rabat is fourth and Kallio finishes 15th or lower
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!