Round 3 Portugal - Shows how fast the time goes...
Moto3 - 23 laps
Moto2 - 26 laps
MotoGP - 28 laps
125cc - Gabor TALMACSI, Aprilia (2007) 1:45.027 = 143.345km/h
Moto2 - Andrea IANNONE, Suter (2011) 1:42.026 = 147.562km/h
MotoGP - Dani PEDROSA, Honda (2009) 1:36.937 = 155.309km/h
The Estoril results:
1 Casey Stoner (Honda), 45 mins 37.513 secs (race average speed 153.988 km/h)
2 Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1.421s behind
3 Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 3.621s
PP Stoner, 1:37.188 = 154.908 km/h • FL Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1:36.909 = 155.353 km/h
1 Marc Marquez (Suter), 44 mins 04.086 (race average speed 148.041 km/h)
2 Pol Espargaro (Kalex), 1.987s behind
3 Tom Lüthi (Suter), 2.071s
PP Marquez, 1:40.934 = 149.158 km/h • FL Espargaro (Kalex), 1:40.921 = 149.178 km/h
1 Sandro Cortese (KTM), 41 mins 34.536 (race average speed 138.811 km/h)
2 Maverick Viñales (FTR Honda), 0.055s behind
3 Luis Salom (Kalex KTM), 11.038s
PP Cortese (KTM), 1:47.145 = 140.512 km/h • FL Cortese, 1:47.354 = 140.238 km/h
MOTOGP: “Shows how fast the time goes…”
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa claimed his 100th career podium in Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril and said laconically, “It shows how fast the time goes”. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, teammate Casey Stoner went even faster, racking up his 42nd career victory and his second in two races to take over from Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the MotoGP standings by one point. With Lorenzo second on his Yamaha, the top three were the same three riders as in the previous two rounds.
Starting from his first pole position of 2012, Stoner leapt into the lead when Pedrosa’s customary fast getaway was compromised by a big twitch at Turn 4. While Lorenzo set a new lap record on lap 3 in pursuit (“not very common for me”, he admitted), he never got the gap down to much under two-tenths of a second. The Australian was never headed through the 28-lap race, despite having to combat persistent front-end chatter.
“Towards the end of the race I began to understand how to ride around it,” said Stoner. “This made things smoother and I found some more pace and was able to bring it home for a great race win.” Not only a great race win, but a career landmark as well: check out the trophy in our picture – it’s the only one Stoner didn’t have. He has now won at every circuit on the current World Championship calendar.
For the first time in 2012 Andrea Dovizioso got the better of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 partner Cal Crutchlow, the pair duelling throughout the race to come home fourth and fifth ahead of the solid Alvaro Bautista on the San Carlo Honda Gresini entry. And there’s a glimmer of hope for the legion of Rossi fans: Valentino scored a season-best seventh place and hinted he might be starting to feel more comfortable on his Ducati…
Ben Spies looked better in practice but again disappointed in the race on the second works Yamaha, slipping to eighth after a couple of unforced errors and still a long way off the front-running pace of teammate Lorenzo. The American finally got the better of a feisty Stefan Bradl on the LCR Honda in ninth, with Hector Barbera’s Pramac Ducati rounding out the top 10.
Only 20 bikes started, with Colin Edwards the unfortunate absentee. The American was taken out in qualifying by a wayward Randy de Puniet and suffered another break to his left collarbone, which will be operated on in Barcelona this week. That left Aleix Espargaro on the Power Electronics Aspar in 12th place to finish top CRT rider for the second race running.
Moto2: Last lap thriller goes Marc’s way
A slip-up at the chicane on a nail-biting last lap of 26 cost Pons 40HP Tuenti rider Pol Espargaro any chance of a second successive win. The Spaniard’s mistake allowed compatriot Marc Marquez on the Team CatalunyaCaixa Suter to claim his second victory of 2012 and extend his Championship lead to nine points after a thrilling battle. Early leader Tom Lüthi on the Interwetten-Paddock Suter was again unable to sustain his pace and slipped to third, where he also sits on the table.
France’s Johann Zarco again ran with the class leaders on his JIR Motobi and came fourth ahead of a revitalised Andrea Iannone on the Speed Master Speed Up; veteran Alex de Angelis – who will test on stablemate Colin Edwards’ MotoGP bike in the injured American’s absence this week – came home sixth on his Forward Racing Suter in his 200th Grand Prix. Australia’s Ant West did a sound job to bring his QMMF Moriwaki safely home in 17th.
Moto3: Sandro steals it!
Sandro Cortese – the man who won the 125cc race at last year’s Australian Grand Prix – rode a stunning last lap to edge out Maverick Viñales in a thrilling 23-lap Moto3 encounter. Red Bull KTM rider Cortese started from his fifth career pole but Qatar winner Viñales on the FTR Honda looked set for a second win of the season until Cortese judged his line and a gaggle of backmarkers perfectly to win by just 0.055 of a second and take a two-point title lead.
Kalex rider Luis Salom won his own ding-dong battle with Malaysia’s Zulfahmi Khairuddin to take third, 11 seconds behind the front two. Italian prodigy Romano Fenati started sixth but suffered in a mid-race clash with Danny Kent and retired his Team Italia FTR Honda with eight laps to go. While Jack Miller missed out with his collarbone injury from Spain, fellow-Aussie Arthur Sissis on the other Red Bull KTM came 13th from a disappointing 16th on the grid.