Estoril, Sept 08: Valentino Rossi wins Portuguese MotoGP to extend his championship lead. Italian world championship leader Valentino Rossi saw off a spirited Max Biaggi challenge to win the Portuguese Grand Prix for the third year in a row on Sunday (September 7). The MotoGP champion Rossi piloted his Honda around 28 laps of the bumpy, twisting Estoril track near Lisbon in 46 minutes 48.005 seconds, 2.094 seconds ahead of compatriot Biaggi, also on a Honda. Ducati's Loris Capirossi completed a podium sweep for Italy after prevailing in a spectacular last-lap battle with Spanish title contender Sete Gibernau, whose fourth place means he drops to 46 points behind Rossi in the championship race. Biaggi made a flying start from second place on the grid, tearing away to take an early lead ahead of Rossi and Capirossi, who began in pole position on the 4.2-km track.


Careful cornering kept a narrow but stubborn lead for Biaggi in the first few laps, although Rossi was chasing hard on his heels and set one of several new unofficial lap records despite windy conditions.


Rossi, who won here on his way to claiming the world title in 2001 and 2002, finally overtook his arch-rival on the home straight at the halfway point of the race.

The 24-year-old Rossi then proceeded to build up a convincing lead with some dazzling riding, his front wheel often up lifting up as he powered down the straights and the RCV bike wobbling as he took daring lines on the tight bends.


With five races remaining in the campaign, Rossi heads the championship tally with 237 points. Gibernau is second with 191 with Biaggi third on 161 and Capirossi fourth with 113.


Spain's Toni Elias won the 250cc race at the Portuguese Grand Prix by a comfortable margin from Italian championship leader Manuel Poggiali on Sunday.

Elias took advantage of his pole position to pull clear of the pack and steadily build up his lead to 4.731 seconds at the line after steering his Aprilia around 26 laps of the Estoril circuit in 44 minutes 37.770 seconds.

San Marino's Poggiali nipped ahead of Roberto Rolfo to take second after Argentine Sebastian Porto crashed into the side of the Italian while trying to pass him on the inside on a tight bend in the last lap.


Rolfo managed get his Honda back in control in time to take fourth place behind France's Randy de Puniet, while Porto came off his bike before remounting to claim fifth.


Poggiali's lead over Elias in the riders' standings has narrowed to just 14 points.


Spain's Pablo Nieto pipped compatriot Hector Barbera on the line to win his first 125cc race at Estoril.

Nieto, the son of 13-times world champion Angel, clocked a time of 41 minutes 8.307 seconds around 23 laps of the twisty, bumpy Estoril track, just 0.022 seconds ahead of Aprilia team mate Barbera.


The race had to be restarted after Japan's Youichi Ui and Italy's Marco Simoncelli crashed out in the first lap. Simoncelli walked away from the spill but Ui was taken to hospital.


Barbera fought his way up from 22nd on the grid to lead for much of a tight race with Nieto coming close to touching him while forcing his way through to clinch a thrilling maiden victory. Close behind in third place was San Marino's Alex de Angelis, followed by championship leader Daniel Pedrosa in fourth. Pedrosa now has a 38-point lead in the riders' standings with 175 points.


Stefano Perugini, second in the championship, overdid it on one of the sweeping corners and crashed off. He tried to remount but had to retire - seriously damaging any remaining championship hopes as he stays on 137 points.


Leading placings at the Portuguese motorcycling Grand Prix on Sunday: MotoGP Race distance: 28 laps, 117.096 kms 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 46 minutes and 48.005 seconds 2. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda 46:50.099 3. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 46:53.259 4. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 46:53.274 5. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 46:58.586 6. Troy Bayliss (Australia) Ducati 47:02.251 7. Marco Melandri (Italy) Yamaha 47:04.148 8. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 47:06.088 9. Nicky Hayden (United States) Honda 47:06.289 10. Makoto Tamada (Japan) Honda 47:09.820 11. Alex Barros (Brazil) Yamaha 47:12.064 12. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 47:15.087 13. Olivier Jacque (France) Yamaha 47:15.656 14. Colin Edwards (United States) Aprilia 47:19.510 15. Noriyuki Haga (Japan) Aprilia 47:45.123


Leading world championship standings: Riders 1. Rossi 237 points 2. Gibernau 191 3. Biaggi 161 4. Capirossi 113 5. Bayliss 106 6. Checa 86 7. Ukawa 85 8. Barros 76 9. Hayden 74 10. Nakano 69


Manufacturers: 1. Honda 270 2. Ducati 161 3. Yamaha 124 4. Aprilia 60 5. Proton KR 27 6. Suzuki 23 7. Kawasaki 16

250cc Race distance: 26 laps, 108.732 kms 1. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 44 minutes and 37.770 seconds 2. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 44:42.501 3. Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia 44:43.757 4. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 44:44.240 5. Sebastian Porto (Argentina) Honda 45:02.793 6. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 45:03.043 7. Sylvain Guintoli (France) Aprilia 45:05.561 8. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 45:05.683 9. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 45:20.817 10. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 45:20.882


Leading world championship standings: Riders 1. Poggiali 165 points 2. Elias 151 3. Rolfo 148 4. De Puniet 146 5. Nieto 143


Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 270 2. Honda 164 3. Yamaha 75


125cc Race distance: 23 laps, 96.186 kms 1. Pablo Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 41 minutes and 08.307 seconds 2. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 41:08.329 3. Alex de Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 41:08.615 4. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 41:08.867 5. Arnaud Vincent (France) Aprilia 41:11.633 6. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 41:16.450 7. Gabor Talmacsi (Hungary) Aprilia 41:16.594 8. Andrea Dovizioso (Italy) Honda 41:21.660 9. Simone Corsi (Italy) Honda 41.21.881 10. Mirko Giansanti (Italy) Aprilia 41:22.176


Leading world championship standings: Riders: 1. Pedrosa 175 points 2. Stefano Perugini (Italy) Aprilia 137 3. De Angelis 124 4. Dovizioso 120 5. Nieto 113

Manufacturers: 1. Aprilia 247 2. Honda 199 3. KTM 37 4. Derbi 25 5. Malaguti 7


Bureau Report