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Moto2 seasonreviewWhile motorcycles in the 125cc and MotoGP grand prix classes werereaching the end of their development in 2011, the second season ofMoto2 saw great leaps in performance.Lap records were broken in 12 of the 17 races (four of the otherfive were wet) as chassis constructors and Dunlop engineers pushedback the boundaries - often by over one-second a lap.As exclusive tyre supplier, Dunlop had to balance this rapiddevelopment with the need to provide competitive tyres for all eightchassis designs.It was a formidable task, but the results were clear: 16 differentriders and seven different motorcycles claimed a podium - a greatervariety than in any other grand prix class.The title battle went almost to the wire, with Marc Marquez forcedto withdraw from the Valencia finale due to previous injuries,confirming Stefan Bradl as champion.Bradl, ninth overall with one victory last season, took his new Kalexchassis to four wins from the opening six races.By contrast, rookie Marquez - the reigning 125cc champion -hadn’t scored in his first three Moto2 races. The young Spaniard(Repsol Suter) then settled the nerves with 1-2 finishes at Le Mansand Catalunya, only to be caught out in the Silverstone rain.But it was Bradl’s turn to bobble at Assen, where victory forMarquez provided the springboard for an incredible mid-season run:Six wins and two second places from eight races earning Marquezthe title lead at round 14.A collision in practice at Phillip Island then saw a last place start,but Marquez’s subsequent charge to third - one place behind Bradl- only reinforced his title credentials.Marquez’s hopes ended when a marshalling error in Malaysia failedto warn of a wet track, causing Marquez and others to crash.Struggling with double vision, Marquez withdrew from Sepang andthen Valencia.Bradl’s speed and consistency thus handed the 21-year-old hisfirst world championship, despite a crash in the damp season finale.As well as four wins, Bradl stood on the podium a further seventimes.“Great thanks to Dunlop - we always enjoyed good support andinformation, as well as great tyres,” said Stefan, son of former 250ccrace winner Helmut Bradl.Despite six non-scores, Marquez comfortably claimed second inthe championship ahead of Speed Master Suter’s Andrea Iannone.The Italian, also third last season, won three races.MotoBI’s Alex de Angelis, winner at Phillip Island, made it threedifferent motorcycles in the title top four, while fifth placed ThomasLuthi (Suter) took his first Moto2 victory at Sepang.Simone Corsi (Ioda) took two podiums and was the highest rankedFTR rider with sixth, while rookie Bradley Smith delighted Tech 3 withthree consecutive rostrums on his way to seventh. DominiqueAegerter’s fifth season in grand prix produced a debut podium atValencia and eighth overall for Technomag-CIP.Michele Pirro, riding for reigning champion’s Gresini Moriwaki, wasranked ninth. The Italian took an emotional debut victory at Valencia,which he dedicated to Marco Simoncelli.Rookie Esteve Rabat (FTR) sprayed podium champagne on oneoccasion and completed the top ten. Other podiums went to YukiTakahashi, Aleix Espargaro, Pol Espargaro, Julian Simon, Mika Kallioand Kenan Sofuoglu.“This has been a tremendously satisfying second season of Moto2for Dunlop,” stated Dunlop Motorcycle Motorsports ManagerStephen Male. “We’ve seen faster lap times and closely fought races.“In terms of development we have run three different front tyrespecifications and seven different rear specifications, including a newone at the very last race.“Our progress is ongoing and will continue in 2012.”2011 Moto2 World Championship1. Stefan Bradl GER Viessmann Kiefer Racing Kalex 2742. Marc Marquez SPA Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol Suter 2513. Andrea Iannone ITA Speed Master Suter 177Grand Prix Pole Position Race Winner Title leader Points lead1. Qatar Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl 52. Spain Stefan Bradl Andrea Iannone Andrea Iannone 93. Portugal Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl 134. France Stefan Bradl Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 285. Catalunya Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl 436. Great Britain Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl Stefan Bradl 627. Holland Stefan Bradl Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 578. Italy Marc Marquez Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 529. Germany Marc Marquez Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 4710. Czech Rep Marc Marquez Andrea Iannone Stefan Bradl 4311. Indianapolis Marc Marquez Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 2812. San Marino Stefan Bradl Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 2313. Aragon Marc Marquez Marc Marquez Stefan Bradl 614. Japan Marc Marquez Andrea Iannone Marc Marquez 115. Australia Alex de Angelis Alex de Angelis Stefan Bradl 316. Malaysia Thomas Luthi Thomas Luthi Stefan Bradl 2317. Valencia Michele Pirro Michele Pirro Stefan Bradl 23