Aleix Espargaro takes 2013 CRT title for second year – and by a huge margin

Top CRT rider at 13 of 16 races, Espargarò claims title for second consecutive season

Following confirmation yesterday that the MotoGP tyres would not withstand the abrasive asphalt at Phillip Island for an entire 27 laps, Race Direction decided to run a flag-to-flag contest at the Australian GP. The shortened 19-lap race would involve a mandatory pit stop on either lap nine or ten.

Jorge Lorenzo away from pole position, whilst Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa tried to follow him. Behind them, Valentino Rossi , Álvaro Bautista and Cal Crutchlow engaged in an interesting fight for fourth place. When the time came to change bikes, Marquez miscued and came in one lap too late.

Five laps later, he was shown a black flag and was disqualified. Likewise –with less impactful consequences- was Bryan Staring. Lorenzo won the race, with Pedrosa and Rossi joining him on the podium.

POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar rider Aleix Espargarò had his first chance to be crowned World Champion for the second consecutive year in the CRT class, and did not miss his opportunity at Phillip Island. The Spaniard simply needed to place ahead of Colin Edwards, and had a clear strategy from the start.

He rode a solitary race for eleventh place, taking the title with two rounds remaining. He now has a 52-point advantage over Edwards –insurmountable for the American.

11th Aleix Espargaró:
“I feel very happy, today we got our reward for a year of excellent results. We have always been close to the factory bikes and with the few points we usually pick up, to win the CRT championship with two races to go means that we have done things very well. This title is a huge prize for the team and for me. Since I’ve joined the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team I have never stopped growing as a rider. I have had the best parts and bike around in the CRT class, and we have been the complete package. This weekend we had some issues on Friday, but on Saturday we recovered and established a good pace. Today, before going into the pits, I also had very good pace with my first bike. However, with the second bike did not have such a good feeling and there was some chatter. Today Randy also did a great job, so I congratulate him.”

Source: Aspar Media