Valencia MotoGP: Stefan Bradl crowned Moto2 world champion

German rider Stefan Bradl is the new Moto2 world champion after title rival Marc Marquez was forced to withdraw from the final round of the season in Valencia this morning.

The Spaniard was forced to withdraw with double vision issues still causing him problems some two weeks after he suffered a huge practice crash at the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.

Marquez left it as late as possible to give his sight the chance to recover fully but he had to accept defeat this morning when he pulled out before the third and final practice.

Marquez was the only rider with a mathematical chance of denying Bradl the title, even though his hopes of succeeding Toni Elias as Moto2 world champion were slim at best.

He trailed Bradl by 23-points coming into the Valencia race and a 13th place finish would have been good enough for the Kiefer Racing rider to secure the title.
But with 2010 125GP world champion Marquez ruled out, he doesn’t even need to start tomorrow’s 27-lap race to win the title.

Bradl won four of the opening six races but he hasn’t won since he took victory in a rain-lashed British Grand Prix at Silverstone in mid-June.

Marquez won seven races but his title hopes took a severe hammering right at the start of the season when he crashed out of the first three races to fall 61-points behind Bradl.

Marquez confirmed in Sepang that he will stay in Moto2 next season having been constantly linked with a switch to MotoGP in 2012.