250: Simoncelli wins at wet Le Mans
Reigning 250cc world champion Marco Simoncelli has taken his first win of the season with a perfect performance in a soaki🌃ng wet French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
The Italian, without points ⛄at the first two rounds and third last time at Jerez, took the holeshot a𓃲t turn one, before being passed by world championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama.
But the Scot Honda ꩵride🐲r ran wide soon after, handing Simoncelli a lead he kept to the chequered flag.
Reigning 250cc ♚world champion Marco Simoncelli has taken his first win of the season with a perfect performance in a 🌳soaking wet French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
The Italian, without points at the first two rounds and third last time at Jerez, took the holeshot at turꦅn one, before being passed by world championship leader Hiroshi Aoyama.
But the Scot Honda rider ran wide soon after, hand♏ing Simoncelli a lead🐬 he kept to the chequered flag.
The Metis Gilera rider sat eleven seconds clear of nearest rival Thomas Luthi by the halfway point of the 26 laps, but the Swiss star w𝔍as wiped out by a lowsiding Alex Debon on lap 17, leaving Simoncelli 18 seconds in front of H𝓀ector Faubel and Roberto Locatelli.
Simoncꩲelli, who fractured his wrist just before the start of the season, claimed his seventh 250GP victory by 18.128sec from Faubel, with Simoncelli's team-mate and 2000 125cc world champion Locatelli taking the flag 3.514sec behind the Honda SAG rider for his first podium since Valencia 2006.
After his early heroics, Jerez winner Aoyama rode a subdued race to collect eighth position, while Motegi winner Alvaro Bautista worked hi�🌌�s way forwards from eleventh at the end of lap one to fourth.
All of which means that Simoncelli𝓡 has vaulted forward from 16th in the points to fourth, 26 points from Bautista, who now leads the standings by one point from Aoya༺ma.
Angel Rodriguez, drafted in to replace Gabor Talmacsi at the Aspar-run Balatonring Team, appeared in second place on th🦂e opening lap, but crashed while holding third soon after.
Another Aspar rider, home star Mike di Meglio, crashed out from the edge of the top ten just before t🦩he halfway stage.
Race result- Le Mans:
1. Simoncelli (Gilera)
2. Faubel (Honda) +18.128sec
3. Locatelli (Gilera) +21.642sec
4. Bautista (Aprilia) +31.087sec
5. Wilairot (Honda) +50.497sec
6. de Rosa (Honda) +56.366sec
7. Pesek (Aprilia) +1min 16.025sec
8. Aoyama (Honda) +1min 22.822sec
9. Toth (Aprilia) +1min 35.556sec
10. Leonov (Aprilia) +1min 47.990sec
14. Markham (Honda) +1 lap
Peter has been൩ in the paddock for 20 years and has se🍒en Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
