The Moto2 class continues to deliver a thrilling spectacle this season as the gap between championship leader Stefan Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) and Marc Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) gets ever closer.

Following the Misano one-two last time out in which Márquez took victory ahead of Bradl the margin between the pair now stands at 23 points with five rounds left in which to decide the 2011 title, starting this weekend at Aragón.

Bradl, whose last victory came at Silverstone in round 6, has maintained his lead by virtue of his impressive consistency in finishing on the podium, although Márquez’s fearsome form of five wins in the last six races has rocketed the rookie towards the top of the standings where he is now challenging his more experienced rival.

The 2010 125cc World Champion will hope to benefit this weekend from a three-day private test undertaken at Valencia, which he completed following the Misano round.

Whilst the focus inevitably remains on the top two as the fight for the 2011 title heats up, there is also a close scrap unfolding for third position with Andrea Iannone (Speed Master), Alex de Angelis (JiR Moto2), Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing), Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project) and Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) within 16 points of one another going into round 13.

Iannone won last year’s race at Aragón and his recent rediscovered form has seen him take a victory (Brno) and third (Misano) in the last three rounds.

De Angelis and Smith have also been challenging at the front and will be confident of mounting a push for a rostrum result this weekend.

Aragón produced a podium result for Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar) last season and as the Spaniard continues to work his way back from injury he will be focused on a strong display this weekend, likewise the impressive progress being made by Moto2 rookie Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) has seen the youngster climb to ninth in the standings.

British rider Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing) has made significant improvements in the last two rounds, taking top-five finishes at Indy and Misano, whilst Yonny Hernández (Blusens-STX) has been given the go-ahead to ride after missing the last two rounds through injury.

Kenan Sofuoglu’s (Technomag-CIP) return from injury remains unconfirmed as the Turkish rider continues to recover from injuries to his right foot.

This weekend will also see the return to world championship action of Elena Rosell as a wild card entry for the Mapfre Aspar team, the QMMF Racing Team also has Polish rider Mateusz Korobacz lined up to ride and Spanish Joan Olivé joins the Aeroport de Castelló team for this and the remaining four rounds of the season.