MotoGP – The Australian Grand Prix 250 lap by lap –

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The Australian Grand Prix 250 lap by lap

MotoGP - The Australian Grand Prix 250 lap by lap -

While the paddock focuses on the 2009 season, Marco Simoncelli continues his battle for the 250 title against Alvaro Bautista and Mika Kallio! Fast and determined, will Simoncelli be able to confirm his current great form? ? Round by round.

On the provisional first row on Friday afternoon in the Australian rain, Marco Simoncelli must bow to Alvaro Bautista, motivated by a title still within reach, the astonishing Julian Simon and Lucas Pesek, the returning.

Zoom on…

Dunlop’s 200 consecutive wins in 250 after Motegi. "It’s a fantastic event for a whole generation of engineersJeremy Ferguson, head of Dunlop Motorsport, rejoiced last weekend: "the first victory of this series was won by Max Biaggi in Japan at Suzuka in 1996 and we are back in Japan for this 200th victory. We have been racing at Motegi for ten years and we are very happy that the suspense held until the last lap with Marco and Alvaro Bautista, as well as for the circuit record.".

But the next day on a dry track, the championship leader definitively confirms his status by achieving an incredible 1’32.075 during a brilliant lap, i.e. 1.3 seconds faster than the previous track record held by Sebastian Porto since 2004. !

Even more astounding, his time would have allowed him to be qualified in MotoGP on Sunday, since he enters the 107% of Casey Stoner’s record pole! A memorable snorkeling tour that puts Marco Simoncelli just one tenth behind Anthony West’s ZX-RR, despite being over 100 hp less power !

The second on the line, Mika Kallio, is eight tenths behind Simoncelli, ahead of Alvaro Bautista, Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Faubel, Julian Simon, Yuki Takahashi and Alex Debon.

The race !

departure : When the lights go out, the pilots set off in a compact group towards the first right and it is the KTMs of Aoyama, Simon and Kallio who take the lead! Very quickly, Alvaro Bautista got rid of the Finn, before absorbing Aoyama’s orange motorcycle from the fourth corner !

The four men precede Simoncelli, Takahashi, Faubel, Espargaro and Alex Debon. Quickly, Marco Simoncelli takes the measure of Mika Kallio and overwhelms him when braking from the first hairpin on the right. The Italian does not stop there and very quickly overtakes the KTM of Aoyama !

2nd and 3rd rounds : Alvaro Bautista crosses the pit straight with a slight lead, but Simoncelli is already making the powder speak to return to contact! The two pilots are ahead of Aoyama, Kallio, Faubel, Simon, Takahashi, Espargaro and Mattia Pasini.

Julian Simon gets rid of Hector Faubel when braking the hairpin on the right, then takes the best on Mika Kallio, while Marco Simoncelli has already made the connection with Bautista! From the first braking of the circuit, the n ° 58 is up to his rival, but the latter reacts and manages to keep his position !

Hiroshi Aoyama also suffers the affront of being overtaken by a KTM Satellite and here is Julian Simon in third position! Meanwhile – while we are only in the third round! -, Simoncelli slams a 1’33.358, or 0.025 seconds faster than Porto’s fastest race lap in 2004 !

4th and 5th rounds : Alavaro Bautista still contains Simoncelli, while Julian Simon already appears 1.3 seconds behind the leaders! The Repsol-KTM rider is ahead of Kallio, Aoyama, Faubel, Espargaro, Pasini and Takahashi.

Marco Simoncelli crushes his right lever in the middle of the track on the edge of a right that opens, but Bautista manages to keep the rope and to exit alongside his rival’s Gilera! Well placed for the looming left, the Aspar rider tries to dive, but must straighten his bike at the last moment, because Simoncelli shamelessly dives to the rope! The Spanish wastes a little time in the maneuver.

Immediately Julian Simon stuck in the exhausts of Alvaro Bautista, but he increased the pace to get back on this damn Simoncelli! Kallio and Aoyama complete the Top 5, ahead of Faubel, Pasini, Takahashi and Espargaro.

6th and 7th rounds : So far well placed, Hector Faubel is at fault and if the n ° 55 gets up quickly, he seems to limp and hold his chest … Mattia Pasini finds himself alone behind the two official KTMs who are pulling a memorable wad! Emerging from the vauvert devil, Bautista passes Simoncelli from the inside at the entrance of a rapid left curve, while Simon is in contact with the two men.

Alvaro Bautista sets the fastest lap on the track, trying to widen the gap on Simoncelli who does not leave him with one sole: from the fourth corner, the Italian swoops down on his rival and overtakes him from the inside! The two opponents precede Simon, Kallio, Aoyama, then Pasini who is already 4 seconds behind the KTMs.

Yuki Takahashi and Aleix Espargaro cling to Aprilia de Pasini, closely followed by Roberto Locatelli.

8th and 9th rounds : Motivated by the title still within reach, Bautista carefully takes the aspiration of the Gilera which precedes him and the n ° 19 overflows the n ° 58 at the entrance of the first right! Marco Simoncelli waits a few turns, then literally jumps on his brakes at the start of a straight! The Italian passes his rival with the way, but this one is already maturing his next attack !

Simoncelli passed the pit straight in the lead, but Bautista passed him at the entrance to the super fast first straight! Julian Simon conceded a few lengths to the two strong men of the championship, while Mika Kallio ambushed behind the young Spaniard. Alvaro Bautista seems to be clogging up Simoncelli a bit and he overtakes him in the first corner of the Australian circuit.

This does the business of Julian Simon who has returned to contact, somewhat sowing Mika Kallio. This one is several steps ahead of his teammate, Aoyama, himself – for the moment – sheltered from a comeback from Pasini.

10th and 11th laps : As in every loop from now on, the race leaeder must bow to the game of aspiration on the pit straight line and despite all his efforts, Simoncelli sees Bautista pass him in the first straight! The two men are followed by Simon. Marco Simoncelli responded quickly and the n ° 58 made a very good interior to his rival in a fast right !

Patient, Alvaro Bautisa waits for the pit straight and the aspiration to take his revenge, but the Spaniard is too greedy and will look too far outside the track to dive under the wheels of his rival! This one clings during all the long curve to the right, but finds itself badly placed for the left which arrives! Bautista dives to the rope, but the trajectory of the two men crosses and the Iberian pilot is forced to recover !.

Julian Simon and Mika Kallio take advantage of this to overtake him, relegating the Spanish to fourth position! Aoyama is too far to try anything, lonely seven seconds ahead of Pasini, Debon, Takahashi and Locatelli.

Deconcentrated, Simoncelli hesitates on entering a curve a few turns further and Julian Simon passes him with ease! The n ° 58 recovers quickly and taxes his opponent on braking the last pin at the back of the circuit.

12th and 13th rounds : Marco Simoncelli goes up the straight to the front of the race with a slight lead over Simon who is overtaken by Kallio, then by Bautista who overtakes the two KTMs before the first straight! Mika Kallio misses at the start of "Lucky Height" and Simon immediately overtakes him.

Alvaro Bautista concentrates to fill the five tenths that separate him from his rival and slams the fastest lap in the race! On another planet, the two leaders are ahead of Simon, Kallio, then 3.4 seconds Aoyama and 6.6 seconds Debon, Pasini, Takahashi and Locatelli.

14th and 15th rounds : Marco Simoncelli is now under the influence of Bautista who takes the opportunity to take the aspiration in the pit straight line: the Spaniard once again passes his rival, while Kallio and Simon are already close to two seconds !

From the next lap, Marco Simoncelli in his turn uses aspiration to dive into the lead of the race in the famous "Doohan Corner"! The two pilots are now fixed: the first to cross the last corner at the head of the race, will be automatically passed on the finish line located very far in the straight line! The scenario is obviously reminiscent of the fantastic fight between Shynia Nakano and Olivier Jacque in 2000, when the latter imposed a crumb to the aspiration on his Japanese teammate to go to conquer his world title in 250 !

Mattia Pasini loses the front in the first left of the layout, but the Italian gets up unscathed.

16th and 17th rounds : Marco Simoncelli manages to keep the lead at the end of the straight line and we can feel Bautista thinking about a profitable strategy to try to win over his rival. The two drivers always precede Kallio and Simon who keep overtaking each other, while the unfortunate Aoyama is forced to retire due to mechanical problems. Visibly beside himself, the peaceful Japanese man strikes a formidable punch in a KTM display, once back in his stand !

Simoncelli and Bautista continue to roll wheel to wheel, ahead of Kallio, Simon and – more than 11 seconds! – Alex Debon, Takahashi and Locatelli. Pushing to the limit, Marco Simoncelli manages to forge a small lead of four tenths over Bautista.

18th and 19th laps : The Spaniard immediately retorts by signing the lap record and gently returns to his rival! The two men are more than five seconds behind Milka Kallio and Julian Simon. The n ° 60 is made more and more pressing on the official KTM of the Finnish and the young Iberian manages to pass the n ° 36 on the outskirts of a tight right !

20th and 21st laps : Marco Simoncelli once again crossed the pit straight in the lead, in front of Alvaro Bautista who spins him like his shadow. Mika Kallio manages to pass Simon again, but the two pilots continue to lose ground on the leaders and here they are at more than 8 seconds! Alex Debon, Yuki Takahashi, Roberto Locatelli, Aleix Espargaro and Lucas Pesek are already between 20 and 30 seconds behind the leading men !

Accelerating – once again – the pace, Alvaro Bautista easily returns to contact with Simoncelli, but chooses not to attack him at the "Doohan Corner": will the Spaniard wait until the last lap to deliver his final blow ?

22nd and 23rd laps : Alvaro Bautista continues to put pressure on his opponent by showing him his front wheel from time to time: concentrated, Simoncelli does not flinch, while knowing full well the intentions of the former 125 champion! Alex Debon is now under threat from Takahashi motivated to show his worth ahead of MotoGP move next year !

Decided to attack before the straight line (to widen the gap two laps before the end?), Bautista is threatening on Simoncelli: he conscientiously closes all the doors, but the pressure is increasing! Wisely, Bautista capitulates – temporarily – at the start of the last lap.

Last round : The two men approach the last turn wheel to wheel and Bautista’s attack seems imminent! The Spaniard tries to force his way through a mouse hole, but once again, he is forced to raise his bike: Simoncelli passes him under the bubble and widens an irremediable gap two turns from the end of the GP !

Too far to try to pass to the aspiration, the Spaniard must resolve to finish second, while Kallio passes Simon to the aspiration on the line! The four men take away Alex Debon, Roberto Locatelli, Yuki Takahashi and Aleix Espargaro.

Marco Simoncelli took advantage of this victory to extend his lead in the standings to 37 points over Alavaro Bautista with two races to go. The Apsar rider is only 12 points ahead of Mika Kallio and 37 over Alex Debon. Hector Barbera is fifth ahead of Takahashi, Pasini, Simon, Aoyama, Luthi and Roberto Locatelli.

They are explained:

Marco Simoncelli (1st) : "Today’s race with Alvaro was fantastic. The battle was excellent from the first to the last round. I tried to do my best the whole race, but Alvaro was never far away. I knew he would try to pass on the last lap, so I tried to shut all the doors to him and I did it, which is fantastic. Congratulations to Alvaro, the race was great thanks to him".

Alvaro Bautista (2nd) : "I did everything to win this race. In the end, it was not possible, but I am satisfied because I did my best. At the start I stayed in front, which was difficult because Marco wanted to do the same. We both struggled a lot. In the middle of the race I hit Marco and got out a bit, then I pushed really hard to catch him. He closed the corners very well on the last lap. I’m happy with this race and our battle".

Mika Kallio (3rd) : "It was a good fight and I knew Simon would be very quick and try to get through the corners where he was faster. I made a small mistake and he passed me and I had to take the vacuum to get back in front. Third place is not a bad result, but it is not good for the championship since my chances of winning the title are reduced. We just have to wait for our next results".

Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR

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