Starting earlier than usual -at 11.15am local time- the 250cc class had an uncertain start to their Portuguese Grand Prix with the appearance of fog early on. However, it was back to business as usual just before the lights went out, as the skies cleared and gave way to positive racing conditions. The asphalt in Estoril was the major problem from then on, taking its toll on the Dunlop tyres of the quarter-litre class riders. It was an even race until Marco Simoncelli stormed through to the lead, maintaining the position to clinch victory ahead of Mike di Meglio and Hector Barberá.
A podium for Mike di Meglio was the best result for the Mapfre riders, and continued the Frenchman’s fine rookie season in the 250cc series. Tenth on the grid, Di Meglio had to take of quickly in order to get up to the front, and he duly obliged. Up to fifth by the time he crossed the line for the fourth time, he was in a prime position to make a rostrum assault. Falls for Bautista and De Rosa brought him up into the top three, and he then used his skill to battle with Barberá in an intense duel. Inseparable when the passed the chequered flag, it was down to fastest lap times to decide the second place finisher of the Portuguese round. Di Meglio’s 1.40.961clinched the spot, also confirming him as the best rookie of the 2009 season and moving him up to sixth in the overall standings.
More frequently a podium finisher, Álvaro Bautista had a disastrous turn of fortune in Estoril. The Spaniard had taken the race by the horns early on, with the fastest lap of the race on the first time of asking and on a mission to escape from the chasing pack. On course to close the gap in the world championship standings, Bautista hit disaster when he experienced an engine issue on lap four. The motor froze up the back of his Aprilia, bucking the Mapfre man off the saddle and delivering a big blow to his title chances.
Balatonring’s Balázs Németh had another positive race on the big stage, continuing his progress as a world championship rookie. Starting from low down on the grid in twenty-first, the Hungarian made up positions thanks to the multitude of crashes ahead of him under the Portuguese sun. On course for a second consecutive 250cc race in the points, the Budapest native’s fortune was hit by a rapidly disintegrating rear tyre that forced him to lower his pace in the name of preservation. He took things slowly to take the chequered flag, avoid crashing and finish in sixteenth position, happy with his weekend’s work with his 250cc Aprilia bike.
2nd Mike Di Meglio:
“It was a perfect race from start to finish. I made a mistake yesterday and started well back on the grid, but with a good start today I was able to make up positions almost immediately. I wanted to conserve my tyres at the start, because I knew that after Álvaro went down the signs pointed to a hard final part of the race. I obviously had to take a few risks along the way, but I’m happy with the result because things couldn’t have gone better. It has been a while since I enjoyed myself that much when riding, particularly when I was battling with Barberá and trading overtakes. The team did a great job to give me this result. At the end my rear tyre was sliding around, so my focus turned to riding a smooth style to get to the line. Every race I feel more at home in the class, and I feel overwhelmed by the great job that everybody in the team has been doing. I want to thank them and also dedicate this podium to my family.”
Álvaro Bautista (DNF):
“The weekend was going pretty well; we’d done a good job and I was feeling comfortable on the bike. I had a good start and was up at the front, with the idea being not to push too hard and to preserve the tyres. This morning we had experienced some tyre wear issues. My goal was to keep calm at the start and then push on later in the race, and things were going perfectly when I was up front and Aoyama was not progressing. The problem came when I had an engine issue and had my rear wheel jammed on the back straight -I couldn’t do anything. The title seems a big ask now after this setback, we will need a little bit of luck, but I have nothing to lose and can go all-out in the final races to at least say that we gave it our best shot and left nothing behind.”
16th Balázs Németh:
“To be honest, I am happy with the race. Despite the lower position in the classification I got a good start, but then I made a mistake at the end of the straight and lost a lot of places when I nearly ran off track. After that scare I tried to stay calm, looking for the back wheel of another rider in order to get a tow. I found Leonov, but on the final few laps I felt the back end sliding too much for comfort, so I had to drop my pace and forget about passing in order to complete my main goal of finishing the race. It was a pity that I was just outside the points once again, but I am still happy because I think that this weekend has been productive for both myself and the team.”
