Dani Pedrosa misses the win by just 0.175 seconds at the flag to Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) at the Portugal Grand Prix at Estoril.
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V) was the pole man but it was rapid line-launcher Stoner who took the lead into turn one on lap one with Pedrosa and Hayden hot on his heels. On-form Marco Melandri (Gresini Honda RC212V) lay fourth with Rossi fifth.
Stoner was quickly into the groove turning in an early fastest lap of the race on 1m 37.779s on the second lap. Rossi edged past Hayden on lap three while the gutsy Kurtis Roberts (Roberts KR212V), working as hard as ever to get the Honda-powered KR machine on the pace, retired to the pits on lap three with clutch difficulties.
Melandri was now getting some speed on and took Hayden for fourth place on lap four, but the battling reigning World Champion was in no mood to relinquish any places easily and he retook fourth from the Italian on the next lap.
Pedrosa meanwhile was getting fully to grips with a track that he has not so far enjoyed much success at. He out-braked Stoner into turn one on lap six for the lead and set about giving himself some breathing space with a clear track ahead of him.
But Rossi was on the go and now held second place. He then moved on Dani at turn one on lap nine and Pedrosa was not going to let the pass stick. It took the 21-year-old Spanish man a number of laps to set up the pass, but by lap 18 of this 28-lap dice he led again.
Hayden was now chasing Stoner for third but the American dropped off, clawed his way back, and then had little grip left to sustain the pressure in the closing stages. The fight for the win was clearly between Rossi and Pedrosa.
Rossi stalked Dani, sizing him up along the start/finish straight but never going for the pass until lap 23 when he took his chance to slip by as Dani ran wide on the exit of turn one. Dani was having none of it and as Rossi made almost the same error later in the lap, Dani seized his chance.
In the final laps it was nip and tuck between these two consummate riders. On the penultimate lap Rossi tried a pass at turn one but thought better of it before the manoeuvre was completed. He then made his move on the entry to the turn after the back straight. It was a brave move – and it worked.
Stoner finished 0.8 seconds adrift of Pedrosa, but the points gained with just four rounds to go mean the Aussie is well-placed to take the title in Motegi next weekend – barring any unforeseen events.
The World Championship points table looks like this: Stoner 287, Rossi 211, Pedrosa 188, John Hopkins (Suzuki) 150.
Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia) put his mark firmly on a 250cc race in which he whipped the rest of the field to win by 4.36 seconds from Honda star Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW), with series points leader Jorge Lorenzo (Aprilia) a safe points-scoring third with the title now on his mind rather than race wins.
Bautista didn’t fare too well in the opening laps, languishing in 10th and with a great deal of work to do to get on terms with the pace-setters. But he grafted away and by lap ten he was reeling off fastest laps at will and eating into the front men’s advantage with gusto.
On lap 12 he dealt with Lorenzo for second and then scythed past Dovi at the chicane on the same lap. From then on he made sure no one was going to touch him, riding harder than anyone with that comfortable a lead ought to. It was an exuberant ride from a Spaniard eager to steal limelight from Lorenzo.
The other Honda riders did not fare so well as Dovizioso. Julian Simon (Repsol Honda RS250RW) finished eighth. His team-mate Shuhei Aoyama (Repsol Honda RS250RW) retired on lap 18 while Yuki Takahashi (Scot Honda RS250RW) slid out of the proceedings early on.
Lorenzo is now totally in charge of the title’s destiny barring disaster. He has 257 points to Dovi’s 206. Alex de Angelis who could only manage a sixth place finish here lies third with 197 points. There are four rounds left.
Hector Faubel won a closely fought 125cc Grand Prix from Gabor Talmacsi with Pol Espargaro third (all Aprilia). Faubel judged his win perfectly drafting Talmacsi along the start/finish straight to broach the line 0.13s ahead of the Hungarian World Championship points leader.
It was Mattia Pasini (Aprilia) who led the pack into turn one from the lights, pursued by Faubel, Simone Corsi and Joan Olive (both Aprilia). Talmacsi suffered a poor start, but was up to fourth by lap seven of this 23-lap race.
Pasini was fully in charge of this race until he overcooked it coming into the chicane on lap 11. He remounted but was now out of touch of the leaders. And it was Corsi setting the pace now at the head of a five-rider group which now included Espargaro and Olive with Talmacsi holding fourth.
In the closing laps they were five abreast into turn one fighting hard for places – and points. Talmacsi took Faubel at the chicane on the last lap to lead. But Faubel judged his final lap perfectly to overhaul Talmacsi across the line.
Talmacsi still heads the World Championship points table with four rounds remaining. He has 209 points to Faubel’s 204 with Tommy Koyama now sliding out of touch on 154 with a seventh place finish here.
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