MotoGP – The French Grand Prix 250 lap by lap –

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The French Grand Prix 250 lap by lap

MotoGP - The French Grand Prix 250 lap by lap -

Slicks, intermediate or recut: the tire war is in full swing at the start of the quarter-liter race! A GP which could prove to be decisive in the general standings, as the weather uncertainty reigns on the Bugatti circuit…. Turn-based narrative.

Friday: first qualifying session
Alvaro Bautista takes the fastest time ahead of Alex Debon, Marco Simoncelli, Mattia Pasini, Thomas Luthi, Julian Simon, Manuel Poggiali, Aleix Espargaro, Hiroshi Aoyama, Mika Kallio, Yuki Takahashi, Hector Barbera and Lucas Pesek.

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Top five Aprilia’s Boys : once again, the firm of Noale trusts the outposts and allows its pilots to be the only ones to go below 1’39: an observation that should leave the Italians thinking, since it is this week -end that the decision to replace the 2-stroke quarter-liter units with a new 4-stroke engine category should be endorsed…

Saturday: qualifying session
Alex Debon sets the best time and takes pole. At his side on the first row are Alvaro Bautista, Marco Simoncelli and Thomas Luthi. Then come Mika Kallio, Mattia Pasini, Julian Simon, Manuel Poggiali, Hiroshi Aoyama, Hector Barbera, Hector Faubel, Yuki Takahashi and Fabrizio Laï.

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The return of Alex Debon at the top of the ranking: this enduro and trials fan made his first full season in 2001, finishing in 11th place. Unconvincing so far, this is certainly the pilot’s last chance to play for the title thanks to official support from Aprilia.

Sunday: the race !
Departure : the lights are about to turn green and each driver wonders about the course of the upcoming race: the track is wet and the weather overcast, but the lines are drying up … Alex Debon and Mattia Pasini have made the choice front / rear slicks…

The start is given and the beasts are released! Hector Barbera is the quickest to release the clutch and goes first to Dunlop ahead of Marco Simoncelli, Thomas Luthi and the KTMs of Mika Kallio and Hiroshi Aoyama.

Alex Debon is at the level of Kallio under the braking of the Green Garage and passes the KTM inside. Building on this success, the 32-year-old Spaniard overtakes Luthi on the next curve, taking full advantage of his daring tire choice. !

At the same time, Pasini does the same recovery and climbs behind Kallio who has just passed Simoncelli while Debon passes Barbera and takes the leadership of the event with ease..

2nd round : Alex Debon on his black Aprilia leads ahead of Barbera, Kallio, Simoncelli, Aoyama, Pasini, Simon and Takahashi.

Simon and Pasini engage in a merciless fight from which the KTM rider emerges victorious! Championship favorites Alvaro Bautista is only 17th.

Aoyama, Kallio and Simoncelli explain themselves at the exit of the Green Garage: it is the Japanese at the KTM who takes the opportunity to come out in front and put the brakes on Barbera at the entrance of the Chemin aux boeufs! Marco Simoncelli, seeing Barbera in slight difficulty, passes him to the Blue Esses.

3rd round : Alex Debon crosses the line in first position, with a very motivated and swift Hiroshi Aoyama after him! Follow Marco Simoncelli, Mika Kallio, Hector Barbera – uncomfortable in these mixed conditions -, Yuki Takahashi, Mattia Pasini, Julian Simon, Hector Faubel, the ghost Manuel Poggiali, Aleix Espargaro and Thomas Luthi.

Debon sets the fastest lap in the race to counter Aoyama’s rise, while Takahashi takes third in two turns: would the Japanese riders have a magic formula to fly over the wet Sarthois track? ?!

4th and 5th rounds : Hiroshi Aoyama tries to delay his braking at the entrance to the Chapel, but n ° 6 does not give up, keeps the rope and keeps his place! The two tightrope walkers precede Takahashi, Simon, Kallio and Pasini. Bautista returned to 14th place, but the Spaniard lags behind the lead.

The rain comes back to play with the nerves of the pilots … and especially with those of Debon, who leads the race on slick tires! If by chance the flood intensified, the n ° 6 would lose all the benefit of its efforts…

Takahashi passes his compatriot braking from the Chapel. The two pilots are followed by Simon, Kallio, Pasini and Poggiali.

6th, 7th and 8th laps : Alex Debon continues his rider alone and sets the fastest lap in the race, while Julian Simon defeats Aoyama visibly unable to maintain his pace at the start of the race.

Debon, Takahashi, Simon and Aoyama have now widened a slight gap over Kallio, Simoncelli, Poggiali and Pasini. Lucas Pesek makes a mistake at the entrance of the Museum: the track remains difficult to understand, with dry parts and others wetter. This does not prevent Alex Debon from signing the fastest lap in the race (two seconds less than his previous record!) And the Spaniard is going faster and faster. !

No.6 is now 4.6 seconds ahead of Takahashi’s Honda. If the weather does not upset everything, it seems likely that Alex Debon will sign his first quarter-liter victory…

9th round : Julian Simon is back in Takahashi’s wake and seems able to keep up with his pace: the 21-year-old Spaniard will also take the best of the Japanese from the middle of the circuit. Behind them (but at 1.2 seconds anyway!) Aoyama, Kallio, Simoncelli, Pasini and Poggiali precede Hector Barbera by more than 5.5 seconds !

10th, 11th and 12th laps : Alex Debon is now 8.9 seconds ahead of Simon and Takahashi who continue their mano to mano! The 23-year-old Japanese will eventually win under the brakes of the Dunlop and go inside Simon’s KTM. Mattia Pasini decides to sound the charge and gets rid of the two KTMs of Kallio and Aoyama at the Chapel bend! Behind, Poggiali and Simoncelli are struggling to keep up.

Alex Debon is more than ten seconds ahead and is now running in 1’47.094, which is still nine seconds behind Andrea Dovizioso’s fastest race lap last year: if the Lotus Aprilia rider inflicts a real correction to its rivals, its safety margin on an almost entirely dry track still seems comfortable…

Eugène Laverty loses the front and makes a mistake: the pilot gets up unscathed, but will not be able to restart.

13th round : Alex Debon continues his crazy breakaway in front of Takahashi, Simon, Pasini who returns, Kallio, Poggiali, Simoncelli and Aoyama who loses a little ground on the group. Aleix Espargaro is ninth ahead of Hector Faubel, Hector Barbera, Thomas Luthi, Roberto Locatelli, Alex Baldolini and Alvaro Bautista who is absolutely not in the game this weekend. The smiling n ° 19 risks losing big in the championship, where these various fortunes since the start of the season have already relegated him far in the standings…

14th, 15th and 16th laps : More than a second per lap separates Alex Debon from his rivals: the choice of slicks is completely justified, even if Mattia Pasini seems less comfortable: the Italian will have to give way to Mika Kallio who rides in intermediate "it was definitely not the best choice", however soberly commented the KTM Red Bull team manager.

Hiroshi Aoyama sets the fastest lap in the race, despite his recut tires: the Japanese run in 1’44.698.

17th round : Alex Debon begins to slalom between the backward pilots, while Mattia Pasini sets the best time: he manly overtakes Kallio who is forced to straighten up, but the Finn does not let himself be fooled and regains the advantage out of the Green Garage !

18th 19th and 20th laps : The group led by the current leader of the championship is ultra compact and still includes Kallio, Pasini, Poggiali and Simoncelli: the four men can still finish at the foot of the podium.

Meanwhile, Alex Debon is heading towards a victory that seems to him to be taken for granted: a fair turnaround for the one who has recovered Jorge Lorenzo’s motorcycle and who is already the author of 112 starts. !

Mika Kallio slowly returns to Simon: 1.3 seconds still separate the two groups. The Finn manages to make the most of his intermediate tires and still contains the assaults of Pasini, although supposed to be faster with his slicks !

The four men literally swoop down on Simon and Takahashi who were forced to give up the gas slightly when overtaking delayed drivers: Kallio and his pursuers can now dream of a podium. !

21st and 22nd laps : Mika Kallio is less than a second from Julian Simon and the official KTM clan begins to dream of a first podium for the brand in France! The n ° 36 now turns in 1’41 and he is the fastest man in the race: on his momentum, the Finn passes Simon under the braking of the Green Garage, followed by Mattia Pasini who literally throws himself under the wheels of the unfortunate Spanish! The n ° 60 is forced to widen generously and is overtaken in addition by Poggiali who did not miss a beat !

Alex Debon cemented his lead of nearly 15 seconds followed by Yuki Takahashi who was caught by Kallio, Pasini and Poggiali. The n ° 75 seizes the third position at the height of the Dunlop, while Manuel Poggiali signs the fastest lap in the race: the Italian at n ° 54 seems to have – finally – found his reflexes of double world champion.

Mattia Pasini takes full advantage of her tires more suited to the conditions and comes out better from the Green Garage bend: Takahashi returns to third position ahead of Kallio, Poggiali, Simoncelli and – much further already – Julian Simon.

23rd and 24th laps : Mattia Pasini signs the fastest lap in the race: will the Italian be able to come back, in only three laps, on Debon who is prancing in the lead? Marco Simoncelli passes Poggiali and in the process Mika Kallio! The fiery Italian makes a stunning comeback by being the only one to drop below 1’40 !

The n ° 58 brakes Yuki Takahashi who returns the favor to him at Chemin aux Bœufs: the fight is fierce and from the sequence of the Blue Esses, Marco Simoncelli sneaks inside the Japanese !

Last round : Alex Debon is always 8 seconds ahead and manages quietly in front of Pasini and Simoncelli who goes faster and faster and is pressing on Pasini! The n ° 58 attacks on the first straight line of the Connection and passes Pasini who is obliged to widen: Simoncelli also slightly withdraws, but manages to keep the advantage until the checkered flag !

Mattia Pasini is brilliant third, taking 2nd in the general classification (with 77 points) behind Mika Kallio (93 points) and in front of Alex Debon who leaps in the standings with 59 points.

They explain themselves

Alex Debon (1st) : "It’s a big day for me, this victory rewards a lot of hard work, with ups and downs. It was very difficult at the start because it was almost impossible to ride with slick tires on the wet track. I stayed in the shadows for almost two years, and I want to thank everyone for this victory which shows that I am back.".

Marco Simoncelli (2nd) : "It was very difficult today, because at the start of the race the conditions were very tough. The track was completely wet, and lap after lap I was pushing a little harder, I felt better at the end and my last lap was absolutely fantastic".

Mattia Pasini (3rd) : "It was a strange race due to the condition of the track, the front end did not respond very well at the start of the race. Then I started to press more and with Marco we passed four or five riders, once again we are on the podium".

Rank 250
1- A. DEBON 6- Mr. POGGIALI 11- T. LUTHI
2- M. SIMONCELLI 7- H. AOYAMA 12- H. BARBERA
3- M. PASINI 8- J. SIMON 13- R. LOCATELLI
4- Y. TAKAHASHI 9- IN ESPARGARO 14- A. BAUTISTA
5- Mr. KALLIO 10- H. FAUBEL 15- R. WILAIROT

Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR

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