MotoGP Estoril: All Smiles for Simoncelli

Story and photos by Vicki Schouten

Marco Simoncelli is a happy man; all smiles (and hair) in the paddock at lunch time in Estoril on Friday. In only his second season in the premiere MotoGP class, the San Carlo Honda Gresini rider piloted his Honda RC212V to the top of the practice board in both the morning and afternoon free practice sessions on a dry racetrack.

Simoncelli produced the fastest lap on the day with a 1:37.663, ahead of defending champion Jorge Lorenzo who, despite attempts to close the gap, produced a best time of 1:37.724. Rounding out the tight top three combined practice results was Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa with a time of 1:37.727. Tied for fourth place was Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner with a best laptime of 1:138.102; coincidentally the same two riders who were involved in an on track incident in Jerez. In a statement from the FIM Race Direction on Friday regarding the incident, the FIM declared that Race Direction has decided that the behavior of the track marshals was safe and appropriate. No doubt both riders are eager to put Jerez behind them and are focussed on a podium finish on Sunday in Estoril.

Rizla Suzuki rider Alvaro Bautista continues to ride steady and improve his times. Bautista dropped another second this afternoon with a time of 1:40.173.

The skies opened up for the second Moto2 practice and riders contended with damp to wet track conditions. Gresini Racing's Yuki Takahashi once again came out on top in the rain, with a time of 1:51.606. Spanish rider Ricard Cardus was second aboard his QMMF Racing Moriwaki, while Gresini's Michelle Pirro rounded out the top three.

Bankia Aspar's Nico Terol continues to dominate the 125cc class with nearly a one second lead over his nearest competitor, Germany's Sandro Cortese.

The afternoon came to an abrupt standstill when a sever thunder and lightening storm rolled into the paddock around 4pm as the Red Bull Rookies Cup riders had just headed out onto the racetrack. The session was quickly red flagged and riders were brought back into the paddock to wait out the storm. Unconfirmed reports suggest that one of the Red Bull Rookie riders was struck by lightening. We hope to provide further details as we learn more. The Red Bull Rookies later returned to the racetrack once the storm subsided.

MotoGP Preview from Estoril, Portugal

The third round of the MotoGP series kicks off in Estoril, Portugal this weekend. After nearly a month long break following the cancellation of the Japanese GP, riders are ready to return to racing action.

One such rider is Rizla Suzuki's Alvaro Bautista, who only 42 days ago, broke his left femur. Bautista has been undergoing intensive physiotherapy and has been using a hyperbaric chamber in Madrid to assist his healing. Bautista plans to take to the track on Friday morning in Estoril and hopes to compete in Sunday's race. If Bautista is unable to ride at a competitive level, Rizla Suzuki factory test rider Nobuatsu Aoki is on stand-by. Bautista is expected to make his decision to continue following Friday's first free practice.

Yamaha Factory rider Jorge Lorenzo will look to defend his number one plate and his points lead in Estoril. Lorenzo has a formidable record at the Estoril circuit, having won for the past three consecutive seasons from pole position. Lorenzo also took his first MotoGP win at Estoril. Look for Dani Pedrosa, who used the break to undergo surgery and have some screws removed from his collarbone, to make a chase for the points lead as well. Casey Stoner and Ben Spies will be expecting to recoup following DNF results in Jerez, the former the result of a coming together with Valentino Rossi. Both Rossi and Stoner appear very focused on the weekend and should make a run for the podium.

In Moto2 action Italian Andrea Iannone is the early points leader after taking a victory in the wet at Jerez, while German rider Stefan Bradl won the season opener in Qatar and came out on top in Estoril last season. One rider to watch for will be MZ Racing's Anthony West. A master in the rain, West has a chance to dominate this weekend should the forecast hold true and the skies open up. West finished a hard fought 11th place in a rain-filled Jerez last month, and with a new chassis en route, combined with West's superior wet riding skills the #13 rider will be one to watch.

Team Bankia Aspar rider Nico Terol will be looking to solidify has lead in 125cc action. With two victories under his belt, the rider enters Round #3 with a 19-point lead over second placed Jonas Folger. The young Folger has shown impressive talent this season as well with a 5th place in Qatar and 2nd in Jerez. The weather may again prove a factor this weekend as the wet Jerez race saw six 125cc riders score their best ever GP result.

Follow our blog over the course of the weekend as Inside Motorcycles columnist Vicki Schouten reports from Estoril.