Stoner heartbreak hands Simoncelli 125 win.
Marco Simoncelli clinched his maiden Grand Prix victory in today's wet 125cc Spanish Grand Prix, a race that had been dominated by KTM's Casey Stoner.
The young Australian hit a puddle and crashed out with just three laps remaining, despite holding a ten-second advantage over the young Italian, who had started from pole position.
Simoncelli was joined on the podium by veteran team-mate Steve Jenkner, who was thrown out of the seat of his Aprilia early on and returned to the track only after running though a gravel trap, while Spaniard Hector Barbera claimed third.
Marco Simoncelli clinched his maiden Grand Prix victory in today's wet 125cc Spanish Grand Prix, a race that had been dominated by KTM's Casey Stoner.
The young Australian hit a puddle and crashed out with just three laps remaining, despite holding a ten-second advantage over the young Italian, who had started from pole position.
Simoncelli was joined on the podium by veteran team-mate Steve Jenkner, who was thrown out of the seat of his Aprilia early on and returned to the track only after running though a gravel trap, while Spaniard Hector Barbera claimed third.
Andrea Dovizioso crossed the line in fourth place to maintain his championship lead, which now stands at ten points over Jenkner and Roberto Locatelli, with Stoner a further point behind after recovering from his fall to take fifth.
Marco Simoncelli - 1st: "I'm very, very happy with my first podium - and my first victory! I wanted it to be sunny today as I wasn't very quick yesterday in the wet but before the race we found a good set-up and the bike was perfect. I made no mistakes and good take victory. It was unfortunate for Stoner, but this is racing."
Steve Jenkner - 2nd: "I had some little problems with the bike, it was a little bit too hard so I took off all the preload, but it was hard to recover the gap in the race. It was hard to ride because the rain was getting heavier and we all had really good luck to finish today."
Hector Barbera - 3rd: "At the beginning of the race I was fourth or fifth and realised I couldn't match Stoner's pace at the front so just tried my best. I'm happy because the bike went well, but in the final lap I had some bad luck and went off twice and couldn't do better than third, although I'm happy to be on the podium."
125cc top ten - Spanish Grand Prix:
1. Simoncelli (Aprilia)
2. Jenkner (Aprilia) +0.76s
3. Barbera (Aprilia) +7.195s
4. Dovizioso (Honda) +8.042s
5. Stoner (KTM) +14.612s
6. Ballerini (Aprilia) +15.096s
7. Ui (Aprilia) +17.076s
8. Locatelli (Aprilia) +19.413s
9. Nieto (Aprilia) +27.056s
10. Giansanti (Aprilia) +30.433s
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
