Phil Aynsley recounts the 2009 Portuguese GP
Where Casey Stoner made his return to form following illness
Words and Images by Phil Aynsley
In 2009 I had the opportunity to attend the Portuguese GP at Estoril. As it turned it was the meeting where Casey Stoner returned after missing three races due to what was eventually diagnosed as lactose intolerance.
2009 was the year in which Valentino Rossi won his sixth MotoGP title, in a season where he took the Championship from fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, while Casey Stoner would finish the season in fourth, aboard the Ducati.
The Portugese Round was the 14th of 17 rounds, and saw Stoner return to form, taking second, which he’d follow up with first in the following Australian round, and another win in Malaysia, with a DNS in the season final at Valencia.
Casey Stoner would finish the season on 220 points to Rossi’s 306, having missed four races and placed in the top five of all but one race, where he was 14th in Great Britain.
2009 MotoGP – Portugal – Race Classification
- Jorge Lorenzo 45:35.522
- Casey Stoner +6.294
- Dani Pedrosa +9.889
- Valentino Rossi +23.428
- Colin Edwards +32.652
- Toni Elias +35.709
- Andrea Dovizioso +35.723
- Nicky Hayden +38.830
- James Toseland +44.093
- Chris Vermeulen +52.863
- Randy de Puniet +55.698
- Marco Melandri +1:04.515
- Niccolò Canepa +1:04.538
- Gábor Talmácsi +1:27.299
