MotoGP 2008 - Round Three - Estoril (Portugal)

MotoGP 2008 - Round Three - Estoril (Portugal) - 250cc Race

By Jake Leech

After a week’s break, the MotoGP paddock would resume hostilities for round three on the west coast of Portugal in the quaint town of Estoril. Wild weather, including strong winds and occasional rain had battered the tight and twisty track during some of the qualifying and practice sessions over the course of the weekend. The lower capacity categories would feel the effects of the wind more so than the premier class and it would be the 250cc riders kicking off proceedings.

In the dry qualifying session on Saturday it was Italian Marco Simoncelli who snatched his maiden 250cc pole position; he would be looking to redeem himself after last rounds last lap catastrophe. He was joined on the front row by fellow last lap crash participant Alvaro Bautista, Mattia Pasini and Mika Kallio. The first Honda rider on the grid and heading up the second row was Yuki Takahashi. He was joined by countryman Hiroshi Aoyama, Alex Debon and Swiss Thomas Luthi in sixth, seventh and eighth places respectively, rounding out row two.

Away from the line and it was pole-man Marco Simoncelli who made the best of starts. He was followed closely by Mika Kallio, Bautista and Alex Debon. Bautista quickly moved past Kallio and had Simoncelli in his sights. He continued his early progress and moved into the lead past a hapless Simoncelli a few corners later. After the first lap of the race, Bautista had already managed to establish a small gap over the rest of the field.

Bautista and Simoncelli looked to repeat last rounds feat and pull away from the rest of the field. Debon and Pasini behind them were doing their best to match the increase in pace. A little further back again; Kallio was instilled in a thrilling battle with Yuki Takahashi and Hiroshi Aoyama. Wildcard rider Ho Wan Cho crashed out of the race with 23 laps remaining.

Alex Debon joined the list of crashers a lap later, losing the front end after touching a damp ripple strip. He didn't even trying to re-mount his Aprilia. Debon’s crash halted Pasini’s progress behind him, forcing him to sit up and allowing Kallio and co. behind him to zero in.

Bautista continued the pressure as the laps progressed, regularly setting fastest laps of the race and slowly stretching the gap over Simoncelli in second. The signs were ominous as Estoril is Alvaro Bautista’s most successful circuit, the only track at which he has won in both 125 and 250cc racing.

Kallio continued his resurgence at a successful track for him too, taking his debut 125cc win in 2005 at the Portuguese circuit. He moved past and took third position from a clearly unsettled Mattia Pasini who was now coming under pressure from Takahashi. Pasini however re-gained his thoughts and blasted back past Mika Kallio down the long back straight, making the most of his Aprilia power advantage.

With 20 laps to run, Kallio had moved back past Pasini. He now faced a four and a half second gap to Simoncelli ahead of him in second place. He would be doing very well to get anywhere near the Italian by the end of the race.

Meanwhile, Simoncelli was some three and a half seconds in the rears of race-leader Bautista, who was clearly in a class of his own. The fiery battle for third was providing all the entertainment on track, being fought out between Kallio, Pasini, Aoyama and Takahashi. The order was chopping and changing at every tight twist and turn of the Estoril Circuit.

Bautista was five seconds ahead of Simoncelli in second by the middle stages of the race. Simoncelli in turn was some five seconds clear of Kallio in third, a lonely race for the unpredictable Italian.

Kallio had managed to break clear of the mayhem that was the battle for third as Pasini, Aoyama and Takahashi went elbow to elbow, even boot to boot. Mattia Pasini had a massive scare with 12 laps remaining, running onto a ripple strip and kicking up a puddle of water, luckily he wasn’t on the breaks as it could have been ugly.

While Kallio continued to break clear of Pasini in fourth, Luthi and Simon in seventh and eighth had managed to creep up and latch onto the feisty trio to turn it into a quintet.

With 10 laps remaining the top 10 was still headed by Bautista, who lead Simoncelli by a ridiculous eight and a half seconds. Kallio was still running third and now closing in on Simoncelli. Takahashi headed the battle for fourth from Aoyama, Pasini, Luthi, Simon, Faubel and Pesek rounded out the top 10.

After latching onto the back of the group, Luthi quickly scythed his way through, moving from seventh to fourth over the space of a lap.

Bautista now lead by over nine seconds from Simoncelli. Kallio was still working hard in third, closing the gap to Simoncelli ahead of him to three and a half seconds. The on track action, as had been all race long, was taking place in the group battling for fourth. Luthi had managed to break away from the Takahashi, Pasini and Aoyama.

With five laps remaining, Hiroshi Aoyama let the increasing pressure get to his head, running far too hot into a tight left hander and collecting Mattia Pasini, causing him to lose the front end of his Aprilia and take a tumble into the gravel.

Just a matter of corners later, after re-mounting; Pasini crashed again. The Italian appeared to have a damaged brake lever, he took an extremely high speed spill, being able to only lie the bike down and hope for the best at frightening speed. If Pasini had of finished on the podium, he would have been the first rider since the late Daijiro Katoh to podium in his first three 250cc races.

With three laps remaining the race winner, as it had been from the get go was all but decided. Bautista lead by a comfortable eight seconds from a now floundering Simoncelli who was looking set to come under some real pressure from Kallio in third at any moment.

Onto the penultimate lap and Bautista was on auto-pilot. Simoncelli appeared to be responding to Kallio’s pressure, holding the gap at around two seconds. Luthi remained safe and clear in fourth from Aoyama and Takahashi behind him.

At the beginning of the final lap, Kallio had continued his forward progress, just about latching onto the rear of Simoncelli, he would have to work extremely hard to not only catch the Italian but actually make a move. Halfway through the final lap the Finn had closed right up but was finding it hard to find an ideal passing point.

Spaniard Alvaro Bautista clenched a stunningly dominant victory at Estoril by some eight seconds over Simoncelli. On the drag to the line between Simoncelli and Kallio, Simoncelli pulled across the Finnish rider, bumping into him and ruining his drag to the line, forcing him to back off and settle for third place. The KTM pilot was less than pleased.

Thomas Luthi rode home in a strong fourth place from Hiroshi Aoyama, Yuki Takahashi, Julian Simon, Hector Barbera, Hector Faubel and Lukas Pesek rounded out the top 10.

The day clearly belonged to Bautista as he and second placed man Simoncelli made up for the disappointment they suffered at the previous round in Jerez. Kallio would be satisfied with third, if not slightly disappointed by the antics of Simoncelli down the front straight.

The paddock would now take a two week break heading into the fourth round of the championship at China. Several riders have hinted at the possibility of boycotting the event in support of Tibet, it will be interesting to see how proceedings unfold in a few weeks time.

250 Race Results

250 Championship Standings

MotoGP 2008 - Round Three - Estoril (Portugal)

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