Fourth place for Mika at Phillip Island race

Mika Kallio finished fourth at Phillip Island today, which means that this year's Moto2 World Champion will be either one Marc VDS rider - Mika Kallio or Esteve "Tito" Rabat.

61 points behind Moto2 Championship leader Rabat means that today’s race winner, Maverick Viñales, can no longer catch Rabat in the championship. The only rider that can deny the 25-year-old Spaniard his first World Championship title is his Marc VDS teammate Kallio.

It will be a big ask for the 31-year-old Finn, who now sits 41 points behind Rabat in the championship standings with just two races – at Sepang and Valencia – remaining of the 2014 season.

Today’s result also means that Marc VDS will be the first Belgian team to win a World Championship in any class in the 65-year history of Grand Prix racing. Rabat and Kallio have been one-two in the championship standings since the first round in Qatar, taking 10 race wins, 20 podium finishes and 12 pole positions between them in the 16 races so far this season.

Mika Kallio // 4th
“There’s not much to say about today. We had the chance to win today, but it didn’t happen. The extra hard tyres we are forced to use here just don’t suit my riding style. While it’s true that it’s the same for everyone, I seem to have more problems with these tyres than the other riders. Today I felt like I was riding over the limit all the time trying to catch the guys ahead, many times almost crashing because I lost rear grip. I hate these tyres; it’s as simple as that. For me, today’s race was a disaster.”

Michael Bartholemy // Team Principal
“It was pretty obvious that all the riders were struggling for grip today, as I don’t think I’ve seen so many mistakes from the leading group before. It would have been easy for Tito or Mika to make a mistake that put them out of the race, but they both rode intelligently to score important points. Third place for Tito means that only Mika can catch him in the championship now, so Marc VDS will be Moto2 World Champions at the end of the season. It’s the first time a Belgian team has won a Grand Prix World Championship, which, as a Belgian, makes me very proud. I suspect our President, Marc van der Straten, will also be very proud of what his team has achieved, and rightly so. But, while we’re a Belgian team, we count amongst our number many different nationalities and, to them, I’d like to say thank you for all their hard work and dedication this season. Now we just need to see which of our two riders will be crowned 2014 Moto2 World Champion and the end of the season.”

Photo: Gold and Goose Photography

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