MOTORCYCLING Live

Moto GP

Portuguese GP - Race (26 Laps)

Sunday April 13, 2008 | Finished

Race live standing

P. Driver Team Time
1 Alvaro Bautista Aprilia Aspar 250 44:34.257
2 Marco Simoncelli Gilera Metis 44:41.307
3 Mika Kallio KTM 250 44:41.320
4 Thomas Luthi Aprilia Emmi 250 44:47.255
5 Hiroshi Aoyama KTM 250 44:48.923
6 Yuki Takahashi Honda Scot 250 44:52.755
7 Julian Simon KTM 250 45:01.069
8 Héctor Barberá Aprilia Toth 45:02.269
9 Hector Faubel Aprilia Aspar 250 45:02.545
10 Lukas Pesek Aprilia CP 45:11.233
11 Aleix Espargaro Aprilia Lotus 45:12.553
12 Alex Baldolini Aprilia Matteoni 250 45:26.327
13 Ratthapark Wilairot Honda Thaï 45:47.560
14 Federico Sandi Aprilia Team Sicilia 45:51.849
15 Eugene Laverty Aprilia Blusens 250 45:55.620
16 Karel Abraham Aprilia Cardion 46:00.612
17 Manuel Poggiali Aprilia Campetella 46:01.695

Live Commentary

  1. - Kallio (57) now leads from Polaris World Aprilia's Mattia Pasini (45) and Aprilia Toth's Hector Barbera (39), who crashed out and finished eighth respectively.

  2. - Bautista moves from 11th to fifth in the championship.

  3. 0' Luthi takes fourth from Aoyama and Takahashi. Behind them Simon, Barbera - some comeback for him after an early track exit - and Faubel.

  4. 0' Kallio and Simoncelli give each other a spot of the old fist shaking. The Finn was in a straight line and Simoncelli drifted over into his path. If they had not touched, Kallio would have snatched second.

  5. 0' Kallio alongside Simoncelli on the straight... HERE HE COMES... THEY TOUCH AND HE VEERS OFF AND OVER THE LINE A FRACTION BEHIND SIMONCELLI!!!!

  6. 0' Spaniard Bautista cruises over the line to win the Portuguese GP at Estoril again!!

  7. 1' Kallio almost comes off his bike but stays upright... here comes Bautista down the home straight...

  8. 1' Simoncelli's softs means he is a second slower on the penultimate lap and Kallio is right on his backside!! A final-lap battle begins...

  9. 2' Kallio closing on Simoncelli with only two laps left in the race. No danger of Bautista losing this, barring a needless crash.

  10. 3' Locatelli has a wobble and exits stage left into the gravel. Aoyama holding off Takahashi. Italian Locatelli retires.

  11. 3' It looks as though the podium will be Bautista, Simoncelli and Kallio at present.

  12. 4' Kallio gets the gap down to 2.5 seconds behind Simoncelli.

  13. 5' There was a touch with Aoyama... and OFF HE GOES AGAIN!!! He didn't have a brake and flew off the corner in spectacular fashion!

  14. 5' PASINI CRASHES OUT!!! He gets back on the bike but the Championship leader will not get in the points.

  15. 6' The weather will of course have a bearing on the MotoGP race a bit later - the Michelins may not like that despite dominating qualifying.

  16. 7' The rain is fine and the sun is out, so we will hopefully be able to go the distance. Three seconds the difference between Simoncelli and Kallio, and something similar between Kallio and Luthi.

  17. 8' Luthi continuing his progress, passing everyone for fourth behind Kallio, who has set two best laps recently... but is not as quick as the Swiss.

  18. 9' The track is drier than this morning for the warm-up, but it is starting to rain now... what will that mean? There is time for it to have a significant effect...

  19. 10' Kallio third at the moment, Luthi looking to pass Pasini now for sixth.

  20. 11' Over eight seconds now. Simoncelli is on softs, which may wear. He is several seconds clear of the chasing pack though.

  21. 12' Seven seconds the gap between the front two, a steady increase for Bautista on his Aprilia.

  22. 13' Behind Simon is Hector Faubel (Aprilia) in ninth; Lukas Pesek (Aprilia), Roberto Locatelli (Gilera) - up from 19th at the start - and Hector Barbera, who has slipped from ninth on the grid.

  23. 14' Swiss Luthi and Spaniard Julian Simon a second quicker on every lap, eating up the tarmac between them and the battling pack trying for third.

  24. 15' Bautista over six seconds clead of Italian Simoncelli. He looks set to coast home today. This is the track where he has taken his 125 and 250 chequered flags.

  25. 16' Kallio snatches third back, a right old battle there back behind the leading two. The four bikes are close together, swooping around corners... Aoyama passes Japanese countryman Takahashi!! He is now fifth.

  26. 17' 17 laps to go with most of the field more or less where they started on the grid. Pasini has passed Kallio for third again.

  27. 18' Over four seconds the gap between Bautista in first and Simoncelli in second.

  28. 19' Hiroshi Aoyama on their tail too, ahead of Thomas Luthi.

  29. 20' A battle between four riders for that final podium place in this, the first race of the day. Takahashi is there, pressing...

  30. 22' Kallio takes over from Pasini in third.

  31. 23' DEBON SLIDES OUT AND WILL RETIRE!!! The Spaniard leaves in a hail of sparks as Pasini passes him for third.

  32. 24' Kallio fifth from Honda rider Yuki Takahashi. The top four keeping pace.

  33. 25' Bautista, quickest in the warm-up this morning, extending his lead. The Spaniard loves this track.

  34. 26' Simoncelli second then ahead of Alex Debon, up from sixth on the grid. Pasini holding on to fourth.

  35. 26' Bautista takes the lead on the first lap! No one falls off their bike...

  36. 26' The riders finish their warm-up lap.... here we go!!!

  37. - Also on the front row is Alvaro Bautista of Aprilia, his team-mate Mattia Pasini and Mika Kallio on the KTM.

  38. - The final touches are being applied to the bikes on the grid... Marco Simoncelli of Gilera on pole.

  39. - Welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE text coverage of the 250cc race at the Portuguese GP.