Rate it!

1 votes

World champion Marco Simoncelli boosted his hopes of a successful 250cc title defence by winning a shortened Australian GP at Phillip Island.

The crazy-haired Italian closed the gap behind championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama to 12 points after a disappointing seventh place finish for the Japanese Scot Honda rider in a race halted by a major crash involving Roberto Locatelli.

Aoyama came into the event 26 points ahead of nearest rival Alvaro Bautista and 28 points in front of Simoncelli, but was never in front-running contention.

While his on-form Scot Honda team-mate Raffaele de Rosa reeled in race leaders Simoncelli, Hector Barbera and Bautista, Aoyama spent the race among the also-rans.

The Japanese was thrown a lifeline when Bautista crashed from second after losing the front of his Aspar Aprilia at the Honda Hairpin with eight laps to go.

Jules Cluzel then crashed from fourth shortly after, a position Aoyama claimed moments later - but fortune swung away from Aoyama when the race was stopped following a nasty highside for Locatelli, which left the Italian veteran motionless on the track on the exit of the MG turn.

With the final result taken from the end of the previous lap, Cluzel was reinstated in the classification, while Aoyama - who looked to have pulled off a remarkable damage limitation exercise - was demoted back to seventh.

Simoncelli, who failed to score a single point in the first two rounds, led from the end of lap one until the stoppage and was credited with victory by 2.434sec over Barbera. He has now won four of the last five races for Metis Gilera and has two rounds in which to overturn Aoyama's fragile advantage, starting next weekend in Malaysia.

De Rosa claimed his first grand prix podium - in his fifth season of world championship racing, but first in the 250cc class - with a well deserved third.

Bautista, who crashed out after an engine seizure at Estoril two weeks ago, rejoined to claim tenth. The Spaniard is now 29 points from Aoyama with 50 points remaining.

Australian MotoGP: HIGHLIGHTS at 9.30am, 7pm and 10pm on Sunday November 18 on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe.

Crash.net / Eurosport