125cc: Will The Spaniards Reign In Spain?

The Spanish domination of the 125cc class continued at Assen and threatens to do so again in front of a home crowd at Catalunya, as the top three of Nico Terol, Pol Espargaró and Marc Márquez aim to serve up another superb spectacle.

Second place at Assen handed Bancaja Aspar rider Terol the lead of the Championship again, but only by three points as he moved onto 118 with Tuenti Racing rider Espargaró keeping a very close check (115) thanks to third place. Red Bull Ajo Motorsport’s Márquez was the victor however and the 17 year-old has now won the last three races in a row, lifting him to third in the standings (107).

Terol has form at the circuit having finished second in last year’s race, which current Moto2 rider Andrea Iannone won. That, incidentally, was the last time a non-Spanish rider won a 125cc race.

Aside from the all-Spanish top trio, Brit Bradley Smith will be desperate to break into the top three once more having finished on the podium just once so far this season, in his home GP at Silverstone. Currently sitting in fourth, the Bancaja Aspar rider needs to maintain contact with the leading three if he is to maintain any hopes of challenging them in the title race. Two more Spaniards follow Smith in the standings with Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) and Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing) both looking to bounce back after crashes in Assen.

Five wildcard riders will also participate, four of them Spanish with Eduard Lopez and Isaac Viñales riding for the Catalunya Racing Team, Juan Perello and Johnny Rosell for the SAG Castrol set-up, and Hungarian Peter Sebestyen (Right Guard Racing).