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Tito Rabat's podium finish enough to seal Moto2 title

Third-place finish at Sepang, behind teammate Kallio, more than enough.

Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing Team

Mika Kallio, Pramac Racing Team

Pramac Racing

Tito Rabat was crowned as the 2014 Moto2 World Champion after finishing on the podium in the Malaysian Moto2 Grand Prix at Sepang.

The 25-year-old Spaniard, who has led the championship since winning the opening race in Qatar back in March, only needed to finish seventh today in Malaysia to clinch the world title, but battled throughout the race with teammate Mika Kallio (in file photo from a previous event) and eventual winner Maverick Viñales to finish third.

Rabat has dominated the Moto2 World Championship this season, winning seven races and finishing on the podium a further six times. With ten pole positions to his name in 2014 he is also the Moto2 rider with the most number of poles in a single season, a record previously held by Pol Espargaro.

The 2015 season will be the first in which the number one plate has appeared on the Moto2 grid, as Rabat will be the first champion to return and defend his crown, again with the Marc VDS Racing Team.

Kallio also on the podium

Mika Kallio stood alongside his Marc VDS teammate on the podium after finishing second today. The 31-year-old Finn may have seen the championship slip away from him this afternoon, but he heads to the final race in Valencia determined to secure second place in the standings, a position he currently hold with a lead of 15 points over Viñales.

Jorge Navarro equalled his best result of the season at Sepang today, bringing his Kalex-KTM home in 12th place to claim four more World Championship points.

Said Tito Rabat: “I am so, so happy, but I have no words. In the race today I pushed hard at the start, but at the end I decided to just manage the gap back to the riders behind me, to ensure a podium finish. It has not sunk in yet that I am World Champion, so I have no words, but thank you to the team because they pushed me everyday, they helped me everyday and they were with me every step of the way.

"Thanks also to Marc van der Straten, without whom this would not have been possible, to my family for their support and to Circuit Almeria for their help in recent years. I want to dedicate this World Championship to my mum, because her memory motivates me to be the best I can every single day.”

VDS

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