Frustrating fourth for Redding at Phillip Island

Scott Redding took a fourth place finish in today's Australian Moto2 Grand Prix, but the Marc VDS rider was disappointed to miss out on a podium finish after running in second until the very final lap. Mika Kallio looked all set to claim a top five finish until he crashed out of the race on the penultimate lap after being hit by Simone Corsi.

Redding took advantage of his sixth front row of the season to get away with the leading group, but had no answer to the ultra-fast laps that eventual race winner, Pol Espargaro, put in to immediately pull a gap at the front. The 19-year-old Briton quickly got the better of Marc Marquez to take second place, a position he held until the final lap.

Anthony West managed to force his way past Marquez after bridging the gap to the battle for second place, before making a similar move on Redding to demote the Marc VDS rider to third, which quickly became fourth as Marquez, pushed his way through on the final lap. The Spaniard, who was crowned the 2012 Moto2 World Champion this afternoon, pulled such a big gap with the pass that Redding was unable to mount a challenge on the final lap and was forced to settle for fourth place at the chequered flag.

Starting from the fifth row of the grid, Kallio battled his way through the field to eventually join the battle for fifth position, but the 29-year-old Finn's race ended in frustration when he was hit by Simone Corsi and crashed out on the penultimate lap.

The Marc VDS Racing Team now return to Europe, where they will contest the final round of the Moto2 World Championship at Valencia, which takes place from 9th - 11th November.

Scott Redding #45: 4th Position

"I'm disappointed to have finished off the podium today, because it was there for the taking. I didn’t get the best of starts, but forced my way through on the opening lap only to be held up a little by Zarco as Espargaro disappeared off into the distance. I knew I had the measure of Marquez, so put in a pass quite early, before settling down and trying to conserve the tyres. I could see Westy was catching us, but I was already on the limit and couldn't defend the position. I thought I could hold on to third, but then Marquez came past like he had another gear and he was gone before I could even think about putting in a pass on him. Fourth is not what I was looking for here, but at least it's moved me closer to Lüthi and Iannone in the championship."

Mika Kallio #36: DNF

"It's been a difficult weekend, but I thought I could at least salvage it with a decent result today. I got away well from the start and started picking up places immediately, eventually working my way up to the battle for fifth place between Aegerter and Zarco. I was pretty confident I could take fifth before the flag, as I had the pace to pass, but then Corsi ran into me and down I went with less than two laps to go. Obviously, after doing all the hard work to get into the top five, I'm disappointed to lose out so close to the end of the race because of someone else's mistake."

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

"Scott rode a good race today, but was unlucky to get caught out by West and Marquez right at the end and miss out on a podium finish. When West went past him he still looked a safe bet for third, but then Marquez seemed to find another gear and Scott simply had no answer. I know Scott is disappointed, but he rode an almost perfect race and should take heart from that as we head now to the final round at Valencia. Mika struggled in practice and qualifying but, as he's done so often in the past, upped his level in the race. He was looking good for a top five finish, until he was hit by Corsi on the penultimate lap, couldn't hold onto the bike and crashed out. It was a tough way to finish a race in which he'd done so much hard work. Hopefully both riders can finish the season on a high at the final round in Valencia. Congratulations to Marc Marquez on a well deserved championship win today."

Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release

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Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/RKecgdgsF4G/Frustrating+fourth+Redding+Phillip+Island

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