MX2 series leader Antonio Cairoli overcame a heavy crash in the second moto to convincingly win his third successive Grand Prix on the YZ250F. The Sicilian started the weekend in comfortable form by dominating the first qualification heat for pole position and first entry into the start gate. As in Spain he had to recover from a start that left him just inside the top five and then faced a six second gap to MX2 world champion Pourcel. The 21 year old chased down the Frenchman and incredibly pulled through to seize the lead with five laps remaining. He made a mistake - by running wide into softer dirt - allowing Pourcel a second chance to attack, but Cairoli quickly made another rapid lap that pulled him clear for a second moto win in a row.
It was followed by a third win in Moto two. Pourcel again was leading but had a hefty fall only a few laps after Cairoli had also hit the ground. De Carli Team star rider lost control due to slight arm-pump affecting his riding. Pourcel hurt his right ankle and retired but 'Tony' remounted and quickly passed Pascal Leuret for another '25 points'.
Cairoli's team-mate Matteo Bonini posted his best set of Grand Prix results to-date. The Italian was sixth and tenth for sixth overall. In the first moto he held third position for most of the 35 minutes and 2 laps distance but was relegated in the last three laps as he tired; unaccustomed to the speed of the GP leaders. With Cairoli's double win it was still a very positive weekend for Yamaha Team De Carli.
Yamaha Team Ricci's Nicolas Aubin was seventh overall behind Bonini but claimed his best ever moto finish with second position trailing Cairoli in Moto two. The Frenchman might have made the podium but a self-imposed clutch problem (an error while trying to adjust the tension) while leading the opening race in the formative stages meant that he had to enter the pits to reverse the setting. He returned to the track but could only capture three points for eighteenth spot.
His team-mate Kenneth Gundersen was dogged by two bad starts but rode hard to finish fifth overall with twelfth and fifth positions, making him the fourth and final Yamaha rider in the top ten.
Davide Guarneri's injured ankle prevented him from competing in Portugal but the Italian is recuperating and undergoing rehab in a hope to be fit for his home Grand Prix in two weeks.
Cairoli now heads the MX2 standings by a hefty forty-four points (six shy of a full Grand Prix) from Pourcel. Gundersen is currently sixth and
Antonio Cairoli, Team Yamaha De Carli:"I am really happy to win this race; in 2005 I won both motos here and went on to take the championship. I have a big points lead now. My strategy today was good. I waited in the first part of the race and I knew that I had more speed than the other guys and pushed hard to win in the second half of the moto. I have been training on hard ground to get my starts better and the work helped today. I had a little problem with my arms in the second moto and I crashed because of this. Pourcel was a long way ahead but I believed that I could still catch him until I crashed, and then I was just looking at second. The bike had some damage and the handlebar was a little bit bent, but when I saw Pourcel crash I pushed again for the win and got rewarded."
Kenneth Gundersen, Yamaha Team Ricci:"I was 26th through the first corner of the first moto. It was a terrible start. I came through to 12th and was working hard but could not get any higher. In the second race I also had a bad start and was in between 15th and 20th but I was strong right until the end and passed many riders in the last ten minutes. I was happy with that. I know that I am fit and when I can manage proper starts I will be right there."
Nicolas Aubin, Yamaha Team Ricci:"I am a bit disappointed because I made a mistake with the clutch and if it hadn't have been for this then I might have had a podium. I tried to make the setting softer during the race but turned it the other way by mistake and had to come into the pits. I then pushed really hard to get back in the points. I think I must have used a lot of energy because I was right at the front in the second moto but had to slow down to find my pace and then push on again. I am pleased with the second position, it is my best yet, but I think I will fixate the clutch adjustment so that I can't fiddle with it for the next Grand Prix!"
Matteo Bonini, Team Yamaha De Carli:"In the first moto I made a good start and I tried to follow the lines and speed of Pourcel but three laps before the end I felt the pace and got tired. My season preparation has not been the best because of some problems, but today was a good moto for me which helps me to improve my championship position. In the second moto the bike wheelied off the start and I felt tired as the laps went on. Tenth was not so bad, this is the best result so far for me and I hope now it will only get better."
Yamaha's motocross stars will now have a free weekend before venturing to southern Europe and the Grand Prix of Italy at the Mantova circuit; naturally the meeting will be an important one for the Rinaldi, De Carli and Ricci crews.
Circuit Length: 1700
Temp: 27
Crowd: 18000
Weather:Sunny
Race 1 - 20 Laps - GP of Agueda, Portugal:1 Antonio Cairoli - Yamaha - ITA 39'42.522
2 Christophe Pourcel - Kawasaki - FRA 0'3.906
3 Tommy Searle - KTM - GBR 0'34.945
4 Gareth Swanepoel - Kawasaki - RSA 0'36.231
5 Tyla Rattray - KTM - RSA 0'37.315
6 Matteo Bonini - Yamaha - ITA 0'38.439
7 Pascal Leuret - Honda - FRA 0'42.175
8 Anthony Boissière - Kawasaki - FRA 0'44.298
9 Matti Seistola - Honda - FIN 0'55.593
10 Manuel Monni - Yamaha - ITA 1'5.788
11 Steven Frossard - Kawasaki - FRA 1'11.558
12 Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha - NOR 1'15.496
13 Carl Nunn - Yamaha - GBR 1'17.724
14 Xavier Boog - Yamaha - FRA 1'19.864
15 Tom Church - Kawasaki - GBR 1'21.090
16 Jeremy Tarroux - Yamaha - FRA 1'35.178
17 Xavier Hernandez -Yamaha - ESP 1'39.655
18 Nicolas Aubin - Yamaha FRA 1'46.044
19 Gregory Aranda - Kawasaki FRA 1'47.928
20 Sean Hamblin - Suzuki - USA 1'48.989
Race 2 - 20 Laps:1. Antonio - Cairoli Yamaha - ITA 40'28.619
2. Nicolas Aubin - Yamaha - FRA 0'5.177
3. Pascal Leuret - Honda - FRA 1'11.104
4. Anthony Boissière - Kawasaki - FRA 0'15.720
5. Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha -NOR 0'21.245
6. Tommy Searle - KTM - GBR 0'29.073
7. Shaun Simpson - Kawasaki - GBR 0'32.641
8. Gareth Swanepoel - Kawasaki - RSA 0'42.419
9. Steven Frossard - Kawasaki - FRA 0'45.907
10. Matteo Bonini - Yamaha - ITA 0'52.424
11. Matti Seistola - Honda - FIN 0'57.183
12. Xavier Boog - Yamaha - FRA 0'59.482
13. Tom Church - Kawasaki - GBR 1'6.100
14. Carl Nunn - Yamaha - GBR 1'11.044
15. Avis Wyatt - KTM - RSA 1'18.428
16. Jeremy Tarroux - Yamaha - FRA 1'39.575
17. Gregory Aranda - Kawasaki - FRA 1'41.297
18. Rui Goncalves - KTM - POR 1'44.148
19. Jeremy Van Horebeek - KTM - BEL -1 Laps
20. Dennis Verbruggen - Yamaha - BEL -2 Laps
Rider Standings - 22/04/2007:1. Antonio Cairoli - Yamaha - ITA 147
2. Christophe Pourcel - Kawasaki - FRA 103
3. Tyla Rattray - KTM - RSA 98
4. Pascal Leuret - Honda - FRA 87
5. Tommy Searle - KTM - GBR 79
6. Kenneth Gundersen - Yamaha - NOR 75
7. Gareth Swanepoel - Kawasaki - RSA 72
8. Nicolas Aubin - Yamaha - FRA 69
9. Matti Seistola - Honda - FIN 61
10. Anthony Boissière - Kawasaki - FRA 57
11. Erik Eggens - Suzuki - NED 54
12. Marcus Schiffer - KTM - GER 48
13. Steven Frossard - Kawasaki - FRA 47
14. Manuel Monni - Yamaha - ITA 45
15. Xavier Boog - Yamaha - FRA 41
16. Matteo Bonini - Yamaha -ITA 40
17. Tom Church - Kawasaki - GBR 33
18. Carl Nunn - Yamaha - GBR 27
19. Shaun Simpson - Kawasaki - GBR 23
20. Jeremy Van Horebeek - KTM - BEL 23
21. Dennis Verbruggen - Yamaha - BEL 23
Manufacturer Standings - 22/04/2007:1. Yamaha 147
2. Kawasaki 127
3. KTM 117
4. Honda 87
5. Suzuki 57
Related Linkswww.yamaha-racing.com
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