Closely fought championship battle continues in Australia

Posted on Oct 12, 2010 by Pixel Pixel

The relentless chase for 125cc honours continues this weekend and looks as though it will be the only one of the three categories in MotoGP that will rumble on until the final round at Valencia. With two races behind them in two weekends in Asia, the series now moves to Australia and the Phillip Island circuit, a favourite amongst the riders.The circuit combines fast and slow corners with dramatic elevation changes and puts the onus on the rider to make the difference. Nico Terol, Marc Márquez and Pol Espargaró will look to do just that as they continue their closely-fought battle for the title.

Bancaja Aspar rider Nico Terol confirmed once again last Sunday that he is perhaps the most consistent of the three contenders, taking third place at Sepang - a circuit where he has enjoyed limited success in the past. Other than obligatory absences through injury at Barcelona and Sachsenring, the only time this season that Nico has not made the podium was at Silverstone, where he finished fourth. He knows the title invariably goes to the most consistent rider and he is determined to continue to be that man, at the same time fighting for the top step of the podium, which has eluded him since Indianapolis. Unfortunately his team-mate Bradley Smith's chances of winning the title are now a mathematical impossibility but the British rider remains determined to break up the Spanish hegemony and seal a win before the season is out.

Bradley Smith: "Phillip Island is a very nice track but it is very demanding too. We have to make sure that we get the best possible setting on Friday otherwise we could end up losing time in a lot of areas. Last weekend didn't work out as I wanted but that is in the past and I want to be positive and think that next Sunday we can be in a position to be fighting for the podium again like we were at Aragon or Motegi. I'll take a little time out over the next couple of days to disconnect and recharge my batteries ready to sit down with the mechanics on Thursday and work out where we went wrong at Speang and how to put it right."